Recently, while flipping through an old book, I found a shloka I had learned back in art college:

Roopabhedah pramanani bhava-lavanya-yojanam |

Sadrishyam varnikabhangam iti chitram shadakam ||

This verse from the Chitrasutra lays out the “Shadanga”—the six limbs or core principles of Indian painting and visual aesthetics. I still remember memorizing these lines for exams. But outside of the classroom, when we discussed or wrote about art, the Shadanga was rarely mentioned. Most of us, only use Western theories and philosophies to explain and justify our design thinking.

Indian theories like the Shadanga (and many more) are often treated as ‘nice-to-know’ theory or interesting history but not as frameworks to guide our discussions or our work. But look closely, this shloka from centuries ago offers what is probably the most concise version of all major visual design principles - perhaps even before similar Western concepts were discussed.

• Rupabheda: Form, shape, and difference - how to show distinction in visuals (very similar to Gestalt principles). It even discusses how to visually separate the living from the non-living.

• Pramanani: Scale and proportion, spatial relationships - concepts we now link with grids or the golden ratio…

• Bhava: Emotion, mood and storytelling

• Lavanya Yojana: Rhythm, harmony, and balance in composition.

• Sadrisyam: Realism and faithful representation.

• Varnikabhanga: Use of color, shading, and contrast, Colour theory.

The 'Shadanga' was originally meant for painting, but it stands as one of the first and most sophisticated set of visual design rules perhaps anywhere in the world.

As design leaders, educators, and mentors, we should actively use such vocabulary—not just as theory, but as a valid, living canon. It offers us a uniquely Indian language to understand, create, and communicate our designs.

What’s say? Is it possible to bring this into our everyday design conversations, critiques, and classrooms? Can we move beyond the traditional European/Bauhaus lens in our approach to teaching design and aesthetics?