Pragyan ’24 ignites innovation and celebrate manufacturing milestones

By OEM Update Editorial February 20, 2024 7:21 pm IST

NIT Trichy’s Pragyan ’24 showcases innovation and technology through workshops, robotics displays, guest lectures, and diverse events. With a focus on manufacturing milestones, it’s a celebration of creativity and ingenuity.

The National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli is one of the premier institutes in the country, offering quality education to students from diverse backgrounds since its establishment in 1964. NIT Trichy boasts an NIRF rank of 9 among all engineering institutes in the country. 

The inaugural edition of Pragyan was conceived in 2005 by the students of NIT Trichy in an effort to foster creativity and innovation in young minds. The annual techno-managerial festival, which started off small, has grown into a student-run organization that hosts online events that draw attendees from over 60 countries and a physical spectacle that draws 6,000 people. The pinnacle of its phenomenal expansion is the Sustainable Event Management (SEM) ISO 9001 and 20121 certification that Pragyan has earned. This makes it the first student-run organization globally and the third overall, after Manchester United and the London Olympics to receive this certification. Pragyan has continuously served as a forum for students to demonstrate their creativity and gives young people the chance to share ideas with one another across the nation. 

This edition of Pragyan had Laxmesh BH, Vice President and Head – Missiles & Aerospace Business, L&T Defence, Larsen & Toubro, as the chief guest. Laxmesh BH is a Mechanical Engineer with Management and leadership top-ups from SP Jain Institute of Management, Ross Institute of Leadership, Michigan, and INSEAD Singapore. He has delivered critical and strategic projects for the D-N-A development triad of DRDO, BARC, AND ISRO. With the purpose of “Making India Safer, Stronger and Self-reliant collectively,” he is currently working towards developing India as a global Space Hub. 

On August 23rd, 2023, ISRO marked a historic achievement as the Pragyan Rover landed on the Moon’s South Pole, making India the first country to do so. Pragyan’s Space Week paid ode to the heroes and minds that worked on this historic feat with a wide array of Guest Lectures and Social Media Posts featuring the likes of Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel, the mission director of the incredible lunar mission. 

Pragyan boasts a unique forum of events, which are grouped into seven primary clusters. They feature a range of domains like management (MANIGMA), coding (BYTEHOC), robotics (ROBOSPIRE), and many more. Participants can look forward to many thrilling events, including the Pragyan Main Quiz, Startup Arena, Water Rocketry, Fist of God and Capture the Flag. 

This edition of Pragyan features an acclaimed line-up of guest lectures by experts who are renowned in their respective fields. The esteemed speakers are Dr. Richard Robert, a 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine; Shreya Dasgupta, the Director of Analog Devices and an alumnus of NITT; Scott Augenbaum, a former FBI agent and cybercrime prevention trainer; Arsh Ali, India’s youngest archaeologist; Seshasayee Kanthamraju, the former Executive Director of Studios Marketing, Corporate Communications and Citizenship at The Walt Disney Company and the current Chief Executive Officer at Ramoji Film City; Savio Mascarenhas, the Group Art Director at Amar Chitra Katha and the illustrator of Shikari Shambhu; Anuj Dhar and Chandrachur Ghose, the authors of “Conundrum” and Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai, the best-selling author and Chief Leadership Coach. Pragyan ‘24 also presents the thrilling Crossfire on the topic, “War and Social Change: Revolution vs Non-Violence.” Students will get an opportunity to witness a fiery discussion with a stacked panel of guests, which include Amar Farooqui, Kapil Kumar, Chandrachur Ghose, Bijay Nair, Anuj Dhar, Mallika Joseph, and Sanjeev Kumar, along with M. Rangarajan Ravi as the Moderator. 

Pragyan aims to reach a broader audience by employing the most effective communication channels. The Pragyan Blog witnessed another successful year, with a roster of literary pieces covering various themes. The Pragyan Blog is a hub of knowledge and information, from mathematical wonders to architectural history to the science behind faith. This season of the Pragyan Podcast saw enlightening episodes such as “A Med-evil Conversation,” which focussed on the neglect women face in healthcare, and “An Illuminati(ng) Conversation,” which shed light on intriguing conspiracy theories. 

The presence of Pragyan on various other platforms, such as newspapers and radio channels, has also caught the eye of the general public. Some of the notable sponsors of Pragyan ‘24 are Larsen & Toubro, Cisco, TVS Apache, Bharat Versity, and NLC. 

The theme for this edition of Pragyan is Chronocle: A Saga of Time. With just a few days to go for the fest, brace yourself as you jump the warp and explore the fine line between the past, present, and the future. 

A key component of the Pragyan ’24 experience will be workshops, where industry professionals will lead thought-provoking, practical sessions in certain technology specializations. Pragyan ‘24 presents a diverse portfolio of workshops, such as CMOS Analog Circuit Design by Texas Instruments, building edge AI applications on the MAX7800X microprocessor by Analog Devices, ethical hacking and cyber security by HT India Labs, and many more by Cybage, Latent View, Upstox, KPMG, Intuit and Autodesk. 

Additionally, participants will be inspired by displays of leading-edge robotics technology at Pragyan ’24. The Bionic Quadrupled Robot, the Multi Humanoid Robot Show, the Gesture Controlled Drone Experience, and the UAV Drone by Garuda Aerospace will display extraordinary technological might. These displays offer a glimpse of what the future may hold as well as the unrealized potential hidden behind apparent barriers that might be broken by creative ingenuity. 

Every year as part of the fest, Pragyan organizes Sangam and Ingenium to foster out-of-the-box thinking. The event aims to give aspiring technocrats a stage to showcase their creativity via inventions and ideas. While Ingenium is only available to young tech enthusiasts from outside of NITT, Sangam is an intra-NITT competition. This year’s themes center on defense technology, healthcare, and the environment. As they are assessed by a knowledgeable team of judges, watch as the most brilliant minds in the country enthral the audience with their captivating case studies and innovations.

With each new edition, Pragyan’s infotainment shows surpass the expectations of the audience. This year’s lineup of infotainment acts promises to add some joy and anticipation to the fest. Ashi Fire Crew will be setting the stage ablaze with their Fire Act, while the Light Crew promises to dazzle the arena with their LED Flow Act. Pragyan ‘24 also features incredible shows by Aerial Acts India, with the final day consisting of shows by Naresh Iyer and the Non-Violinist Project. 

In an effort to give back to the community, Pragyan established a Social Responsibility wing in 2012 and has since launched a number of programs to serve different societal groups. The second edition of Techids was conducted with the intention of giving bright young minds a forum to study technology. The program consisted of hands-on workshops that were open to students in grades 11 and 12, as well as career guidance sessions. Hundreds of youngsters have benefited from Pragyan’s Social Responsibility initiative, Bag Of Delights, which aims to enhance the atmosphere and environment for children attending government schools. A 32-hour Hack-a-thon was held on the 27th of January, 2024, at Virtusa Navalur Campus, Chennai, where participants tackled problem statements in domains such as Blockchain, Environmental Sustainability, and Smart City. 

Pragyan 2024 aims to be the perfect anthology of science, technology, and entertainment. In keeping with the legacy that Pragyan has built over the years, this 20th edition aims to reach greater heights and leave behind a mark on the enduring legacy of a beloved fest.