The fifth edition of Antahpragna 2020, Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge and Technologies' (RGUKT) rural technical festival, begins on January 31 and goes on till February 1, but in reality, the preparations and preliminary rounds of the various competitions to be held at the fest have been going on since two months. With more than 200 events organised across their 272 acre-campus that is expecting a footfall of 50,000 people for the fest — of course, they had to start preparations two months early. The theme of the event is 'spot and encourage rural tech innovators’.
Out farming
But what really caught our attention about the fest are the unique events that they are conducting. Take for example the activity Techies for Karshak. One acre of land near the football ground on the campus was cleared, levelled and prepared. It was also been divided into nine equal parts, one for each branch of the university, and those who are participating have been handed over spinach seeds. The branch which innovates and improves the yield on their land wins the prize. Another interesting activity on the agenda is Robo Race, wherein, student-made robots will race against time on a dirt track. Students can also interact with farmers in the nearby locality to make a prize-worthy documentary. The one with the best film will be awarded. Every competition is being organised by students and supervised by a faculty coordinator. One of the devices coming out of last year's competition, which the Assistant Professor clearly recalls, is a student who developed a three-in-one machine that can plough, sow and spray pesticides. And this is just one invention, so you can imagine the scale of this fest.
An inclusive fest
"Most of our students, and even participants, are from a rural background, like from Khammam and Adilabad. They don't get the chance to travel to the city, let alone participate in a fest. Hence, we are creating an opportunity for them to make the most of it," informs Swapnil Jangale, Convenor of Antahpragna 2020. Prior to the fest itself, they conducted several workshops, guest lectures and sessions on Artificial Intelligence, Aerospace and more so that students can learn more skills and perform better in the fest. "The innovations of those from rural backgrounds have a human touch, something which is not common among urban students," says Jangela. He also informs that their Vice-Chancellor A Ashok (IAS and senior technocrat), is at the helm of things and also gives them several ideas for the fest.
Expect guests like BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH); Telangana Residential Educational Society secretary RS Praveen Kumar, actor Nikhil Siddharth and many others. At the conclusion of this three-day fest, Jangela, who is the Head of Management Department, wants children to learn organisational skills and teamwork. "They should be able to communicate their ideas and present it to people," he says and concludes.
