Class Act

Designer Raghavendra Rathore’s visionary view of Indian design has taken the latest form of Gurukul School of Design, Jaipur. He shares his plans with Priti Mahajan.

- Priti Mahajan

Most people know Raghavendra Rathore as the flag-bearer of Indian royalty and classic fashion, who single-handedly put the bandhgala on the fashion map of the world. And while his quintessential good looks and disarmingly gentle demeanour make him immensely popular, the most striking thing about Raghu, as he is fondly called, is his ability to think on multiple levels.

One thought that has always consumed him is the idea of creating future creative capital for the country—and his unshakeable belief that design capability will fuel the India of tomorrow. Starting a design school seemed like a natural extension of this thought process.

There were two major influences that helped shape this idea. The first was his father, who instilled in him a need to give back to society. “Being a member of the legislative assembly, my father’s time was mostly spent in the villages around Jodhpur. His true passion was to uplift the underprivileged, and the underlying takeaway was to give without counting,” he says. The second was his father’s friend, the businessman Robert Valtz, an elderly gentleman who had impeccable taste and a large heart. Valtz proved to be a generous mentor and guide to the young Raghu as he pursued design education at Parsons, New York. An indebted Raghu promised Valtz to share his passion for design, and help others garner quality education in the future. Gurukul School of Design (GSD) is a befitting tribute to the values that these two pillars in his life stood for.