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Futuristic But Functional

The automobile industry considers Rajesh Mirajker, a Madras-based NID graduate who passed out in 1987, one of the hottest properties when it comes to automobile designing. Telco, Hindustan Motors, Swaraj-Mazda, Standard Motors and Ashok Leyland have at some time or the other turned to 29-year-old Mirajker for designing their latest products. And on each occasion he has come out with a winner.

The dashboard he designed for Tata's LCV 407 is considered to be 'futuristic' but functional. Ashok Leyland's mini-truck, Comet Junior incorporates many of his ideas. His best design so far, as far as the LCV industry is concerned, has been a minibus for Standard Motors using the same chassis (with some modifications) of their ugly-looking LCV. While his model, Lenca, won the approval of the manufacturer, by the time the company could convert the blueprint into a prototype, it had closed down due to heavy losses. "That was a very tough time for me, Lenca would have meant a new chapter for the Indian LCV industry and given me a lot of confidence," says the unassuming Mirajker.

Even as he continued to freelance for various companies, he got the break that brought him to international limelight. He entered a competition organised by the prestigious Japanese magazine, Car Styling, to design the smallest possible vehicle for city commuting. Inspired by our own Bajaj rear engine autorickshaw, Mirajker designed a rear engine vehicle with wonderfully curved exteriors that could easily seat five. The linear dimensions of the model turned out to be much smaller than the Bajaj autorickshaw itself. The model was of moulded plastic with blue paint finish and christened Megha. It bagged the first prize in its division,winning him a beautiful crystal trophy and the grand prize and award of excellence in the international car design competition, 1991.

A lot of manufacturers made a beeline offering to manufacture the car and Mirajker, who has registered the model and the name, is in the process of finalising a deal. He is currently involved in two projects — designing an all-purpose battery-operated vehicle for touring inside a factory and a tractor meant for the orchards. Both the blueprints have his unmistakable eye for detail even while offering a different, but highly functional, design. For motor racing expert Karivardhan, he is designing a minibus to be mounted on an LCV chassis and attachments to dress up the 100 cc bikes.

Mirajker's specialisation in NID was product design and his portfolio contains designs from vegetable peelers to record players, but he gravitated towards his lifelong passion for designing automobiles. Though Rajesh spent a year after graduation at the Art Centre College of Design in Switzerland, he feels that NID had far better facilities at highly affordable cost.