M. P. Ranjan
Mundon Pandan Ranjan (1950 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian designer and educator. He was a polymath, exploring various genres and methodologies in the field design innovation and education. Ranjan is known for his book Handmade in India: A Geographic Encyclopedia of Indian Handicrafts based on Indian arts and crafts that he edited along with his partner and fellow design pedagogue Aditi Ranjan.
Also recorded as Mundon Pandan Ranjan
M. P. Ranjan
- Name
- M.
- Born
- 1950
- Birthplace
- Madras, Tamil Nadu
- Died
- 9 August 2015
- Place of death
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Occupation
- * Designer
- Known for
- * Bamboo and cane toys & furniture
- Awards
- Kamala Samman Award with Aditi Ranjan
- Nationality
- India
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Mundon Pandan Ranjan (1950 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian designer and educator. He was a polymath, exploring various genres and methodologies in the field design innovation and education. Ranjan is known for his book Handmade in India: A Geographic Encyclopedia of Indian Handicrafts based on Indian arts and crafts that he edited along with his partner and fellow design pedagogue Aditi Ranjan.
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M. P. Ranjan (1950–2015) was an Indian designer and teacher. Born in Chennai, the designer died in Ahmedabad. M. P. Ranjan worked for National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q113499477 · wikipedia · M. P. Ranjan
In this article
Biography
Biography
He worked at National Institute of Design, CEPT University and Ahmedabad University.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — M. P. Ranjan • Born — 1950 • Birthplace — Madras, Tamil Nadu • Died — 9 August 2015 • Place of death — Ahmedabad, Gujarat • Occupation — * Designer • innovator • educator • Employer — National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad CEPT University Ahmedabad University • Known for — * Bamboo and cane toys & furniture • design education • Notable Works — Handmade in India Bamboo and Cane Crafts of North East India • Awards — Kamala Samman Award with Aditi Ranjan
Life and work
Life and work
M. P. Ranjan was born in 1950 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu. His father, M. V. Gopala played a role in developing his inclination towards furniture design. He joined National Institute of Design in 1969 to pursue Furniture and Product Design, and went on to become a member of faculty at the Institute by 1972. Between 1974 and 1976, he worked as a professional designer in Madras, and returned to the faculty of NID in 1976. From a ten year period of 1981 to 1991, he headed the consulting arm of NID and facilitated numerous collaborative projects between the faculties and corporate or government clients. Since 1981, he taught core design theory courses which was named “Design Concepts and Concerns” which concerned itself with design thinking and strategising.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1950
M. P. Ranjan born at Chennai.
2015
M. P. Ranjan died at Ahmedabad.
Places
Named by the record
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Chennai.
Birth place
Ahmedabad.
Death place
Documentation and publications
M. P. Ranjan studied the crafts of North East India, along with his colleagues Ghanshyam Pandya and Nilam Iyer and published the book Bamboo and Cane Crafts of Northeast India in 1986. Ranjan got interested in the craft documentation work in North East India, inspired by Aditi Ranjan, his colleague and later wife and took a trip to the North East of India 1978. In order to demonstrate the role of bamboo as a sustainable craft and industrial material of the future, he executed numerous projects for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other Government agencies. He also co-authored a book titled Handmade in India: A Geographic Encyclopedia of Indian Handicrafts (2009) with his wife Aditi Ranjan that was produced over five years, from 2002-07 offering a detailed documentation of India’s art and craft traditions. The project was conceptualised by the Ranjans and involved extensive fieldwork across the country.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Handmade in India by M. P. Ranjan. Penguin Random House Canada.
- 2.Kumar, Sujatha Shankar. A tribute to the design wizard. The Hindu. 2015-08-14. 0971-751X.
- 3.50 years of the National Institute of Design, 1961-2011. 2013. 978-81-86199-71-8.
- 4.Ranjan MP Ahmedabad University. ahduni.academia.edu.
- 5.May, Cheryl. In memory of MP Ranjan: The NID approach to Systemic Design. RSD Symposium. 2017-10-16.
- 6.Sachin. Professor MP Ranjan. Designinindia. 2020-11-15.
- 7.NID design gurup professor Ranjan dies. The Times of India. August 10, 2015.
- 8.Aditi and M.P. Ranjan. www.platform-mag.com.
- 9.Ranjan, M P – Global InCH- International Journal of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- 10.MP Ranjan, Design Guru. Outlook India. 2022-02-04.
References
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People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
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Citizenship
1- IndiaPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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