Gandhinagar, Aug 01, NIFT Gandhinagar organized the Orientation Programme 2024 for the incoming batch of 2024 from July 31 to August 2, 2024. This three-day event aimed to introduce new students to the vibrant campus life and academic excellence at NIFT Gandhinagar.
The event was inaugurated today by Smt. Mona Khandhar, IAS, Principal Secretary of the Panchayat, Rural Housing & Rural Development Department, and Science and Technology Department, Government of Gujarat; Prof. Dr. Sameer Sood, Director of NIFT Gandhinagar; and Professor Ashoke Chatterjee, Former Director of the National Institute of Design.
The ceremony also featured guest speakers Ms. Jinal Shah, Senior Nutritionist with tem Rujuta Diwekar and noted TedX Speaker, along with Ms. Amee and Mr. Bharat Vyas, renowned ornithologists.
Prof. Dr. Sameer Sood welcomed the freshers, emphasizing the numerous opportunities available to students post-graduation. He discussed various fields, such as AI, software development, and UI/UX design, and linked sustainability to ancient civilization practices. Prof. Dr. Sameer Sood also highlighted career prospects in sustainability, luxury goods, and digital fashion, noting the significant growth in India’s wedding industry, which, with a market size of Rs 10 lakh crores and 1 crore marriages annually, offers new avenues for fashion designers beyond traditional roles. He encouraged students to maintain consistency, avoid procrastination, and embrace good habits, quoting Swami Vivekananda’s famous words: “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached” to underline the importance of continuous practice and dedication.
Smt. Mona Khandhar, IAS, a distinguished civil servant with over 25 years of experience, warmly welcomed the new students, highlighting Gujarat’s deep-rooted fashion culture and rich craft traditions. She noted Gujarat as a land of innovation driven by hard work and creativity, with Surat and Rajkot serving as hubs for jewelry design and offering substantial opportunities for innovation. Smt. Khandhar emphasized that fashion professionals enjoy more job security compared to those in fields like AI and other technologies. She shared insights from her frequent visits to NIFT and experiences from the Prime Minister’s mission and the G20 showcases in Gujarat, suggesting that the concepts developed for these fashion showcases be incorporated into the coursework to highlight unique designs.
