Recently Pantone (Pantone Inc, world’s color authority from 45 years) forecasted the Color of the Year for 2010, which is an inviting and luminous hue PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (vibrant blue-green). Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

Other colors that will be seen in 2010 are – Turquoise — Pantone 15-5519 (vibrant blue-green)
Tomato Purée (classic red), Fusion Coral (warm orange), Violet (light purplish hue), Tuscany (warm beige), Aurora (slightly greenish yellow), Amparo Blue (a warmer navy), Pink Champagne (delicate pale neutral), Dried Herb (green neutral) and Eucalyptus (practical gray).

So will turquoise rule in India in coming year 2010? For sure, it is a surprisingly versatile color. It looks great with white, make an awesome contrast with Indian orange and red and with green make a cooler combination. It can work with just about any other color and in any style of décor.
In fashion; it will definitively make you stand different. It’s strong enough for men but delicate enough for women. Remember the Men ties in turquoise color making bold statement, now a days bride want to try new colors apart from clichéd red and getting dressed in turquoise color lehnga is very trendy.
Anyway, turquoise can be used as an accent color- From draping a scarf around neck to hanging in turquoise in ears. Turquoise, an opaque, blue-to-green mineral and very popular gemstone combination with silver jewelry.

Hope to see more of turquoise in India, that will surely cool down the recession fever.

One is Chulha. It got Index awards (biggest design award in the world) in Home category.

Intent: limit the dangerous health conditions caused by traditions of indoor cooking in many rural areas of the developing world. The Chulha is a stove designed to limit the dangerous health conditions caused by traditions of indoor cooking in many rural areas of the developing world.

The stove is being made available by Philips Design to the universe of social entrepreneurs so that they can, free of charge, produce the stove, themselves, and generate local business while helping counter what the World Health Organization estimates is some 1.6 million deaths per year from conditions prompted by the toxic fumes of indoor cooking with “bio-mass” fuels (wood, dung, peat, etc.).  WHO estimates that 25 percent of indoor air-pollution deaths are in India, and that 800,000 infants die of related conditions worldwide, annually.

The Chulha creates a safer environment for indoor cooking in several ways.

       It traps smoke and heat inside a locally cast housing in such a way as to heat two pot-holes with a high rate of efficiency to require less fuel;

       It then directs the smoke through a chimney chamber that includes a stack of slotted clay tablets – they capture particulates as the smoke moves through, cleaning the exhaust before it ever leaves the assembly; and

       The Chulha’s chimney then includes an indoor access for cleaning, eliminating the need seen in previous devices for a family member,  usually the mother, to climb on the roof and attempt cleaning. This has been blamed for many accidents, along with the toxicity of the smoke.

 “The target users of the Chulha are all the families in rural environments. The focus for the creation of the Chulha was India, however there are similarities in many countries in Africa, Latin America and other regions, as well as in India.”
“The fact that this product can be manufactured by even the end-user creates the opportunity in any location,”  

Designed by: Philips Design. Design team: Unmesh Kulkarni; Praveeen Mareguddi, India.

Text from Index awards.
Other Product is Stacket Bucket which got honorable mention in red dot award: product design 2009

As millions of people in India have a critical problem of access to water and storing it in small bathrooms, this functionally designed product offers new ways of handling water. Stacket is an innovative square bucket designed to be stackable. This makes it three times more space-efficient, providing a meaningful and affordable yet beautiful solution. 

Manufacturer: Gnoo Designs, Mumbai, India. Designed by: Futuring Design Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India (Jashish Kambli, Vijay Kumar)

Text from Red dot award

Please click “i” tab in top right in slideshow for the artist and artwork details!

Three art projects- Purple wall project, exhibiting contemporary work by Indian & international artists and a Video Lounge, showing video art work and a Sculpture park in open area was one of the main attractions.

Indian art market is flourishing with a rate if 30-35% annually. It was $5 million in 2003 but reached approximately $150 million by year 2008. Especially European market is giving 300-400% more to the Indian art market than what it was 4-5 years back. With such great prices & recognition it is difficult to say that trends for collecting art is not booming in this economic downturn; there seems a ray of hope as there is fair response from national & international art buyers in this emerging market.

Update: “Around 250 artworks were sold for a total value of around Rs 26 crore (~ $6 million) by exhibiting galleries,” said a beaming Neha Kirpal, associate director of the Summit. Business at the 2009 Summit was thus more than double of last year’s Rs 10 crore figure. Source.