The pioneering designer and educator helped transform design from a matter of aesthetics into a way of understanding and improving everyday life. Sudhakar Nadkarni, who founded the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay and shaped three generations of Indian designers, died on 20 October at the age of 90. IIT Guwahati pays tribute to design pioneer Sudhakar Nadkarni, recalling his role in building its Department of Design.