Post-independence, India as a young nation was on the verge of rapid industrialisation. The Government of India, under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, realised that the industrial standards in India were not adequate in terms of global standards, and considered establishing a dedicated institute to lift the industrial standards of India. 

Upon the effort, and advice of experts such as Pupul Jayaker (founder of Indian Handlooms and Handicraft Export Council) and several others, the Government of India, requested the Ford foundation to invite Charles and Ray Eames to visit India. The couple travelled across India, documented their travel and presented the Indian Government, The India Report, which laid the foundation of National Institute of Design (NID).

Based on the recommendations made in the report, the Government of India with the assistance of the Ford Foundation, and the Sarabhai family established the National Institute of Industrial Design, (as it was originally called) as an autonomous all-India body in September 1961 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Through the years, NID fostered many designers and hosted many design thinkers of the age. Looking back at the vast history of NID as a design institution, it has been visited by many international experts; George Nakashima, Henri Cartier- Bresson, Adrian Frutiger, Charles and Ray Eames to name a few. Immense contributions made by the people of NID are not as well-known as their global counterparts, as it spreads through the word of mouth, which becomes obsolete later.

The photographic documentation, done by the photographers at NID offers a visual guide of the journey of NID along with its fraternity through the history. The three books offers an introspective view on three design teachers; H. Kumar Vyas, Helena Perheentupa and 
M.P. Ranjan, who played a major role in shaping the design curriculum at NID and paved a path for design education in India.

-Sheik Mohamed Ishaq