Over the years, the Kurula Varkey Design Forum (KVDF) at CEPT has stood as one of the Faculty of Architecture’s most significant academic events: an annual moment of reflection where its students pause to look inwards and outward at the same time. Named after Prof. Kurula Varkey, whose pedagogy emphasizes social sensitivity, the rigour of design – but most importantly, clarity of thought – every edition of the forum aims to resonate his conviction.
KVDF has carried the collective spirit of the many batches of students who have passed through the Faculty of Architecture: each hoping to capture the architectural questions most pressing in their time. Early years revolved around the fundamentals of spatial understanding, material experimentation, and context. Later editions expanded these boundaries, mirroring the cultural boom in the world of architecture, with issues of ecology, urbanity, representation, and identity. We have kept reinterpreting the purpose of this forum: Is it a site of critique? A platform for students’ voices? A bridge between academia and practice? Through their work and dialogue, students have sustained the forum’s relevance – using it as a space to question pedagogies, articulate values, and test the evolving language of architecture.
The structure of KVDF has been an open call for student work nationally, followed by curated presentations but free discussion, which has proven to be remarkably resilient. This has encouraged vertical dialogue across disciplines, fostering mentorship in this collective learning space. Yet, it has also evolved to address the tensions between pre-defined themes and the ever-changing discourse in the field. To achieve this balance, each year’s forum revealed something essential about the state of design education in the country and on a global level.
Somewhere between the thirst for diversity and the need for coherence lies KVDF 2026, for which the curiosity and enthusiasm of the students can best be reflected by a quote by Prof. Neelkanth Chhaya:
“It’s not entertainment. It’s not an escape. It will not bring them fame. And yet they spend so much time, so much effort to make this happen. Why did they do that? I think it shows that in our young people, there is a hunger for the real. There is a hunger for something beyond selfish action. Something which is borne out of caring for everything. And I think this is what the students have, that spark.”
Call for Entries for KVDF 2026 is now open! Submit your work through the participation form, the link:
https://forms.gle/miHU32n2vT42uBSMA
For any additional queries, please email us at the contact details provided below:
Email: kvdforum@cept.ac.in
Instagram: @kvdforum
Website: https://www.kvdforum.in/
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