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FORGET superman TRY ME

Neil Dantas is no ordinary young man. At the age of 31, the designer is creating waves with t-shirt designs that are being picked up by youth across the country.

The youth are generally perceived as the ones who squander time, money, and resources recklessly. So, it is a real pleasure when one hears of somebody who breaks the stereotype by channeling the youthful spirit into something constructive.
Meeting the likes of Neil Dantas, one is happy to see a young man breaking the aforementioned stereotype.

Born and brought up in a South Mumbai chawl, Neil’s social status may read as lower -middle class, however his thoughts defy these traditional forms of social classification as his efforts demonstrate a line of thinking of the highest class and order.

A Post-graduate in Industrial Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Neil is better known today for his line of graphical design t-shirts that are a rage with the young across the city. The 31 year old designer designs graphical t-shirts that are fun and creative, yet have an underlying but dominant message on a social issue.

The story of the graphical t-shirts started in 2006, when the Mumbai train blasts prompted Neil to set up a blog – www.thedoers.blogspot.com, with a bunch of his neighborhood friends. They also came up with a t-shirt, with a design on iron handles depicts of a local trains of Mumbai and with the words inscribed “we still holding on”. The t-shirt went on to become a rage among the young, which encouraged Neil to take up further projects. And the rest as they say is history.

Another of Neil’s popular designs was the t-shirt he came up with after the November 26 terrorist attacks in the city. Says Neil, “After the attacks, there were several designs going around that said ‘We hate terrorism’ or ‘We want peace’ and other such messages. “We wanted to come up with a different concept, one that was fun and gave out a strong message at the same time.” Thus, a few of the t-shirts that they designed include one that had Mumbai’s map in red colour that depicted a speaking mouth and an empty rectangle, another said ‘What can you DO’?, and some others with similar patterns.

When asked why t-shirts in particular as a medium to inspire people, Dantas explains, “There is no doubt that other mediums such as movies and photographs are effective ways to inspire and educate the society but I wanted something that the youth can connect to and get inspired from. The look also should add the fun element.”

So what makes Neil feel so strongly about social change?

“I have always been inquisitive; even as a child I asked many questions, and discussed several issues which most people dismissed as non-serious. That could also be because of my habit of observing a lot. Not having enough money for even public transport, I would walk to most places. From the Gateway of India to Flora Fountain in South Mumbai, everything fascinated me and I wanted to know the story behind it. I observed everything and everyone around me,” recalls Neil adding that what irked him the most however was everybody’s pessimistic attitude and his family and friends telling him that ‘there was no point in discussing any issue since nothing would happen’ or that ‘if nobody’s doing anything, why do you want to’.

“From all these conversations, if there was one thing I took away was that one needs to earn money and empowerment to bring about real change,” says Dantas, who himself has faced quite a financial struggle. After the death of his father in 1999, he worked with a Christian cemetery, painting crosses, earning Rs 20 per cross. He recalls that the person who hired him was himself not in a great financial position, yet continued to give him work and supported him in every way including giving him advice and direction.

“Today if I am anywhere, it is because of somebody’s goodness. Everybody has something wonderful to share with themselves and with others. In the same way, I see my designing skills as a way to bring about social change” says the young lad who prefers to call himself a socially-awakened youth rather than a social activist.

He believes that each one needs to start somewhere rather than just dreaming and this is possible and If ‘each one adopts the policy of working towards change for the purpose of development’. Inspired by the British, Neil appreciates the way they implemented town planning keeping in mind future requirements of the city. “Unfortunately, due to the vested interests of a few, Mumbai is now losing its identity” sighs Neil who strongly opposes a divide and rule policy and believes that ‘Mumbai is for everyone, Maharashtra is for everyone, and India is for everyone and that anybody, be it an Indian or a foreigner in India is a part of the nation – a part of the whole – like pixels making up a complete picture.

Isn’t he afraid of being interpreted wrongly?

“People hesitate to talk and discuss about things which are wrong. We can only come out of fear if we talk and discuss with people. I want the people of Mumbai to speak out and stand up against that which is wrong without any fear,” says a determined Neil adding that “Our country is not poor and yet we’re going nowhere. Today, global designers are coming into India which is great but why can’t we also spread out our contemporary Indian designs and ideas in the global market?”

Which is why he came up with concepts like “FORGET superman TRY ME" and the “I am the BEST (connotative of Mumbai’s local bus services)” to promote local culture. Explains the fiery youth, “Who are these superheroes we endorse on t-shirts? Has anyone seen them? Why do we wear t-shirts that say ‘I Love New York’? Why not talk of India, of ourselves first? Lets be proud of what we have”

On the personal front, Neil’s ideas and concepts are not limited to graphical t-shirts. He is expanding his work and has deigned bags, jewelry and the latest he has designed is furniture. “The furniture is designed in the shape of a bus ticket which one gets in Mumbai’s local buses. I am aiming to talk about waste management through the same” explains Neil.

There are several other issues such as AIDS,global warming and others that Neil is working on. His latest campaign is called ‘Kuch Bhi’ which encourages youth to break free of societal norms to spread social awareness. The campaign will be identified through a red form over a yellow background and Neil hopes that it is picked up by young people across the country. For now, we can only wish him the very best in all his endeavors and expect to see more and more young people wearing the ‘Neil Dantas’ t-shirts.

JAM (just a minute…)

What is the best moment of the day?
When I get up early in the morning and I get this feeling that I have one more day in this world. I also pay
my gratitude to the God.

If there were one person for whom you would like to design a thing. Who is the person and what would you design?
I don’t want to design for just one person. I want to design for India. I want Indians to be proud of what
they have. As of product, I don’t think I can name any; there is a series of items in all aspects, which I
want to design.

One word that would define your designs/style?
I have always my designs to talk. And like I have said earlier, I want to bring the fun element in design.

As a designer, one thing that you would like to change in the present system?
I want Indian designers to get more exposure and accolade in Indian as well global design fraternity. We
can name fashion designers, but things go harder when we are asked about the product designer and
communication designer.

If you were an animated character, which one would it be?
Don’t think I would like to be anyone else. I will be myself.

What is your favorite color?
Favorite color changes with the mood and these days I am in love with Blue and to some extent Purple.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Get Inspired.

What are you afraid of regarding the future?
I have today with me so I don’t have anything as of now. I don’t understand why we should fear about
the future, because future is something which will happen in future

How do you differentiate yourself with other designer?
I just go with my passion and that’s what makes me stand out from the other designers.

What are the challenges you face in the present context?
Finances, though I understand that money will follow us.

One aspect of design you give the highest priority to?
Function. There should always be a scope of having fun in whatever we design. The product should be
able to bring smile on the faces.

One design-related book you highly recommend to read?
Paul Smith: You can find inspiration in anything and everything, the art of looking sideways, Money.

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