Roopalipankaj

We are hiring at School of Design, MIT Vishwaprayag University, Solapur. If you are passionate to mentor curious and enthusiastic young minds to become future design professionals, we invite you to be part of our team. As part the greenfield university, you can contribute to setting up the creative culture at School of Design, MIT Vishwaprayag University. All interested design educators with experience in industry + design academics write to [email protected] and [email protected] with your CV & Portfolio.

My proud possession –  an autographed copy of Mind into Matter by my mentor, Prof. Munshi.

Just as a mentor challenges you to think deeper and bring out your best, this book plays a similar role. Each page offers a concise snippet that provokes reflection and invites you to connect ideas with your own experiences. In an age where attention spans are shrinking, its format—without a single continuous narrative—makes it engaging, almost like scrolling through reels, yet far more meaningful.

Compiled from Prof. Munshi’s writings over the last five decades, the book spans a wide range of themes—design, technology, and society—touching on man–machine interaction, school curricula, material explorations, micro- and macro-level design, and more.

I truly recommend this book as a must-have. It’s not just for designers; anyone curious about innovation, technology, business, or society will find it thought-provoking. A real treasure—each reading offers a fresh perspective.

Serving the community is always a fulfilling experience!

Recently, through an initiative by MIT Vishwaprayag University, I had the opportunity to co-conduct a Design Thinking workshop along with Dr. Sanjay Hanji for officials at the Solapur Municipal Corporation.
The aim was simple yet powerful:
✨ Introduce Design Thinking as a structured, user-centered approach to problem solving. ✨ Help participants look at urban challenges from multiple perspectives – citizens, service providers, and government departments.
✨ Reframe complex issues into solvable problem areas and create validated problem statements.
✨ Encourage collaborative thinking and dialogue across departments for better municipal services.

What made this workshop truly special was the active participation of the officials. They dived into empathy mapping, group discussions, and problem-framing activities with great enthusiasm. By the end of the day, the room was buzzing with fresh insights and clearly defined problem statements – a solid starting point for innovation in civic services.

Thanks to VC Dr Gopalkrishna Joshi for this opportunity.
Grateful to be part of this initiative where academia and governance come together to drive meaningful change for our communities.

Indian Classical Music is an invaluable heritage that we are fortunate to have!
We at MIT Vishwaprayag University had the opportunity to host Mr. Mohsin Mirajkar — musician, instrument innovator, entrepreneur, and 7th-generation sitar and tanpura maker.
As a practitioner of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, I was especially excited to host this interaction, where Mr. Mirajkar shared the rich legacy of Miraj in classical music and his family’s remarkable contribution to sitar and tanpura making.
He spoke about how different elements of our society can come together to conserve and carry forward this heritage for generations to come.
Looking forward to collaborating with him on this meaningful initiative!

I would like to thank Renuka Tewari for mentoring our students at MIT Vishwaprayag University in the university core course 'Design Thinking for Sustainability' along with our school faculty team. Your guidance was valuable to students in thier journey to visualize and materialize their creative solutions!

Heritage walk in the handloom cluster at Solapur. We must support and preserve our rich traditional crafts! Many Thanks to team INTACH, Solapur Chapter for organizing the walk. Understanding the intricacies of the craft, problems faced by the crafts people, trying out hands-on gave lots of insights about handloom craft sector. Efforts and commitement by artisans to keep the tradition going are motivating for every designer!  Motivated to contributing all their efforts to revive our treasured heritage!

It was an inspiring evening at the ARC 2.0 event organized by the Indian Institute of Architects, Solapur Chapter.
The session was a visual and intellectual delight, especially while witnessing the conceptual journey behind the remarkable architectural works of Rahul Deshpande from Goa. His thoughtful structures were truly a treat for the eyes and the mind.

The evening concluded with an enriching talk on Indology by Siddram Patil, Co-editor of Sakal, leaving the audience deeply motivated and reflective.

A heartfelt thank you to Ar. Asim Sindgi, Chairman of IIA Solapur Chapter, for the kind invitation.
Interacting with the next generation of passionate architects was refreshing and fills me with hope for a brighter future for India.

🎉 Excited to Begin a New Chapter! 🎉

I am honored to share that I have joined School of Design, MIT VishwaPrayag University as Professor and Dean-in-Charge.

This opportunity marks a significant milestone in my journey as an educator and design leader. I’m deeply grateful to Executive President Prof. Swati Karad Chate, Hon Vice Chancellor Gopalkrishna Joshi and Project Director Prof. Prabha S. Kasliwal for the trust placed in me to contribute to the growth of an institution dedicated to creativity, innovation, and transformative learning.

I look forward to working with talented faculty, passionate students, and visionary leadership to shape a dynamic and future-forward design ecosystem.

Let’s build something meaningful together!

I am excited to share my experiences and knowledge with budding innovators across the globe! Looking forward to sustainable solutions from young generation....

It's been a wonderful one year journey of 'Curious to Creative'! Enthusiastic support and feedback from all the readers has certainly been the fuel to keep reaching out to many more with this mission. My sincere gratitude to each and everyone who supported me in this journey. Special thanks to without whom 'Curious to Creative' was not possible.

Looking forward to interact with young innovators!