Akhil Krishnan

Bindu – 'each drop a memory, each object a pause', MA Industrial Design

This project reimagines everyday water rituals to highlight the unseen impacts of consumption. Through sensory reflective objects, it encourages a mindful relationship with water not as a utility, but as a living presence. Drawing from Indigenous wisdom and cultural memory, it challenges convenience culture and invites ritual, care and sustainable behaviour.

Bindu is a project that reimagines everyday water rituals, aiming to reveal the often-overlooked consequences of our consumption. Through a series of reflective sensory objects, it invites users to reconnect with water – not just as a utility, but as a living presence. Drawing from Indigenous knowledge systems and barefoot-design thinking, the project challenges the culture of convenience and offers poetic tools that encourage slowness, care and behavioural change. It seeks to transform habitual actions into meaningful rituals that honour water through recognition, respect and reuse.

The project includes three key artefacts:

Pāvita rethinks the act of dishwashing by questioning our dependence on running water, synthetic detergent and plastic scrubbers. Inspired by traditional cleaning methods in water-scarce regions like Rajasthan, it uses repurposed wine corks, mixed with kitchen by-products like lemon peel and rice starch, to create a dry-cleaning ritual that’s both ecological and restorative.

Sanchaya is a simple, frugal tool that captures steam during cooking and collects it as clean water in a ceramic base. Taking inspiration from ancestral distillation techniques, its transparent glass top allows users to witness the water cycle, turning evaporation into recovery. This collected water can be reused in cooking or cleaning, encouraging mindful use with every drop.

Kalasha is a greywater collection bowl, influenced by traditional Indian vessels like the lota and hand bowl. Designed with a terracotta and charcoal filter, it allows users to reuse handwashing or vegetable-rinsing water for non-potable tasks. Kalasha invites small daily rituals that promote conservation and reflection in modern kitchens.

Together, these objects create a ritual toolkit for water consciousness – honouring ancestral wisdom while offering practical, sustainable alternatives for today’s domestic life.

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