Rank, not by design

Tanya Prasad first heard about NID when she was doing her bachelor’s degree in production engineering at NIT Calicut. She was searching courses for her sister and stumbled upon NID. A person who loves designing, she decided to give it a shot. “I took engineering by default,” she says, laughing. “I had only two options — medicine and engineering — and I chose the latter. It was during my third year at NIT that I came to know about NID,” says Tanya, native of Wayanad.

She first wrote the NID entrance exam during her final year in college. “I just wanted to know the pattern of examination. I cracked the written examination. But at the same time, I got campus selection (in NIT) and I decided to take up a job. But, NID was there in my mind.”

Thus, she joined the Tata Motors in Pune. However, she later quit her job to prepare for the NID exam again and secured first rank in the all-India level. “I wanted to give full attention to the examination and hence resigned. I did a thorough research online and went through previous year question papers to get a good idea.” Meantime, she learnt drawing under the guidance of Jose Joseph, who runs an institute for design training. “It was in Aluva. I attended drawing classes as I wanted to improve my sketching skills. Being an engineering student has made my sketching quite sharp and technical. I wanted to learn free style. It actually boosted my confidence during the test. This was the only training I got. Other preparations I did on my own.”

The NID exam has three parts — written test, interviews and studio tests to measure the candidate’s mettle. “The studio tests, which are done on the main campus, are basically to find out your talent. They will take us for a walk, show something and ask us to do something about it. For our test, they asked us to make 3D models with limited materials. We were provided with thermocol and blades only. They are actually looking for students who are ready for experiments,” says Tanya, who least expected first rank. “I knew I would get a seat but never expected first rank. I cried when I saw the results,” adds Tanya, daughter of Colonel P.K. Prasad and Pamy Sebastian.

Her classes are to begin in July. She has chosen product design as the main subject although she got first rank in lifestyle accessory design. “I got fourth rank in product design. I chose it as it provides a wide range of opportunities. Also, I want to improve in that area,” says Tanya and exhorts everyone to follow their dreams. “Do what makes you feel good and stop chasing the madness of engineering,” she concludes.