India stands at a crossroads. The path to a $10 trillion economy will not be paved by managing the present, but by designing the future. We have proven our prowess in services and scale; now we must prove our power in creation. To do this, we need a new kind of architect for our future—a hybrid visionary who is both an engineer and a designer. This is a call to action to build that future, today.

## To the Aspiring Engineers: Be the Architect, Not Just the Bricklayer 🚀

For too long, the default path to success has been seen as a choice between coding and management. But a third, more powerful path awaits: the path of the creator.

Don't just optimize a system; invent it. Don't just manage a product line; design a product that defines a generation. An MBA can help you climb the ladder, but a design degree gives you the tools to build a new ladder entirely. The world doesn't just need more managers; it desperately needs more visionaries who can solve complex human problems with elegance and ingenuity.

Choose to build the next iconic electric vehicle, not just manage its production. Choose to design the life-saving medical device that will be used across the globe, not just analyze its market share. Your engineering skills give you the power to ask "How can I build this?" A design education will empower you to first ask, "What should I build, and why will people love it?" This is your chance to leave a tangible legacy. Choose to create.

## To the Industry Leaders: Hire Creators, Not Just Managers 🏭

Your company's future competitiveness will not be determined by your operational efficiency alone, but by the originality and desirability of your products. The global market does not reward imitation; it rewards innovation.

It is time to fundamentally shift our corporate strategy.

• Invest in a Design-Led Future: Stop viewing design as a final, cosmetic step. Embed it into the very core of your product strategy. Create and elevate the role of a Chief Design Officer (CDO) to the same level as your CFO and CTO.

• Pay for Vision: To attract the best, you must value them. Make your compensation for top-tier product designers and design engineers on par with post-MBA salaries. Signal to the market that you value value-creation as much as you value management.

• Build a Culture of Innovation: Create clear, rewarding career paths for your creative talent. Foster an environment where the engineer-designer is empowered to experiment, to fail, and to ultimately create the breakthrough products that will define your brand and secure higher profit margins.

The war for talent is changing. The companies that win the next decade will be those that become magnets for creative technologists.

## To the Policymakers and Educators: Build the Ecosystem for a Creative Economy 🏛️🎓

The ambition of a $10 trillion economy requires a deliberate, nationwide strategy to foster a generation of innovators. We must architect an ecosystem that nurtures and rewards design-led thinking.

• Launch "Design and Make in India": Evolve our national mission. Let us create powerful financial incentives through policies like the PLI schemes, not just for manufacturing, but for original design and the creation of Indian-owned intellectual property.

• Forge the New Academy: We must break the silos in our education system. Actively fund and promote integrated B.Tech + M.Des (Master of Design) programs in all our premier institutions. Let us build an academic culture where engineering and design are seen not as separate fields, but as two sides of the same creative coin.

• Champion Our Creators: Just as we celebrate our startup founders, we must celebrate our product designers. A national campaign, media attention, and prestigious awards will create the role models that inspire millions to pursue a path of innovation.

The choice is clear. We can continue to be the world's back office, or we can become its design studio. By uniting the analytical power of engineering with the creative vision of design, we will not just participate in the future; we will build it. Let's get to work.