Srinagar, April 15 -- My own understanding of this began in 2020, when I joined the Anant Fellowship for Climate Action. It was a transformative experience. I had long been working on environmental activism, but this fellowship added a rich academic layer to my work. It made me realise how deeply intertwined design thinking is with activism, education, and public policy.

Since then, I've been fortunate to witness something remarkable. Prof Anunaya Chaubey, Provost of Anant National University in Ahmedabad, has made it a mission to reach out to Kashmiri students, engaging them in conversations about sustainability, innovation, and design.

When Prof Chaubey visited National Innovations Public School (NIPS) in Shopian last year, I watched ...