Designing a Life of Purpose: How IIT Delhi’s Design Thinking and Innovation Programme Helped Tanya Bali Reimagine Her Future
Tanya never imagined she’d go back to school at 54. She wasn’t chasing a promotion or a new career. In fact, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted from a “career 2.0.” But she knew something inside her needed to shift — and that sparked a bold, uncertain, deeply personal journey.
Tanya had worn many hats — textile expert, teacher, mother, caregiver, civic volunteer, and co-founder of a nonprofit for critically ill newborns. Her life had been full of pivots, shaped by both choice and circumstance.
Her journey isn’t a typical upskilling story. It’s not just about the Design Thinking and Innovation Programme she completed at IIT Delhi. It’s a story of identity, purpose, and reclaiming space for one’s own dreams. For women, especially in India, daring to dream for oneself can be the boldest act of all.
Tanya had what she called a “little niggle.”
“Can I still learn? Is what I learnt earlier still relevant?”
That question led her to the Design Thinking and Innovation Programme at IIT Delhi. What followed, she describes as “soul-filling.” The course reconnected her with creativity, confidence, and curiosity. It gave her tools to reimagine possibilities — not just for systems and products, but for herself.
The Gold Medalist Who Took a Pause
A gold medalist from Delhi University, Tanya began with teaching and cleared the Junior Research Fellowship. Personal circumstances altered her path to higher studies abroad, and she moved to Bangalore, leading teams and launching textile product lines.
Motherhood, especially the premature birth of her son, brought new challenges. Part-time work didn’t meet her expectations for either her profession or family, and she chose to step away from her career.
From Civic Engagement to Nonprofit Leadership
While caring for her son, Tanya began volunteering with the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA). The experience was transformative. She realized, “Even a youngster has a voice & must be heard… without engaged citizens, democracy risks becoming hollow.”
Her commitment to sustainability and community-building took root. “Every community I lived in, I spent a lot of time putting up systems for water conservation and waste management,” she explained.
She worked with a trust designing educational material for children with learning difficulties, blending her textile background with child development. When the trust shut down during COVID, it left a vacuum in her life.
Inspired by personal experience, Tanya helped launch the Neonates Foundation of India, supporting underserved families with critically ill newborns. But as her children grew and life shifted, a question began to surface: “I’ve done my bit for the family… I know I have more to give back.”
So, she enrolled in the IIT Delhi programme. “Life is a design — and I’ve made choices that have designed mine.”
Redefining Learning in Her 50s
Going back to school in your 50s is no easy feat. “I know myself. If I take up something, I will give it 120%,” she says. Reassured by a younger learner juggling freelance work alongside the course, she dove in. “If you want to – you can – you will,” she says, praising the structure and accessibility of the programme.
One of her first assignments — a reading of The Little Prince — struck a deep chord. Once optional, it’s now a required read, thanks to learner feedback like hers. “That book puts the whole programme in perspective,” she reflects.
IIT Delhi’s Design Thinking and Innovation Programme: Designing With Purpose
Tanya’s course review is refreshingly personal. She consistently showed up, handwritten notes included, and poured herself into a capstone project exploring sound frequencies to support isolated super-seniors — inspired by real-life observations. “I did almost 500 pages of research. I was scared my work wouldn’t fit into 25 pages,” she says.
Led by Professor Vijay Raghavan Chariar (fondly “VJ”), the programme blended structure and reflection. “He starts sessions with music,” Tanya smiles. “You leave behind the world that was, and immerse yourself in the time that is – joyfully.”
She now serves as a Mentor, returning every six months to IIT for a “booster” and to stay rooted in the DTI community.
Why Design Thinking is for Everyone
Tanya’s story isn’t just about a course. It’s a testament to women ready to dream again — differently, and on their own terms. “We are the fulcrum,” she says. “We hold our worlds together.”
She learnt to unlearn, to stay curious, to let go of patterns that no longer served her during the course of her journey with IIT Delhi’s Design Thinking and Innovation Programme. Growth, she believes, isn’t just upward. It’s inward. “Once you enhance your thinking, everything around reflects the change,” she says. “You’re not just learning a skill. You’re learning how to design the rest of your life.”
