Kanpur, March 24 : The Day 2 of Techkriti’23, one of Asia’s largest annual technical and entrepreneurial festivals, was packed with a plethora of exciting events and workshops. The proceedings kicked off with an inaugural address by Dr. Anil K Rajvanshi, Founder and Director of the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, and a notable IIT Kanpur alumni. Dr. Rajvanshi, in his speech on “How IITians can help India become a Vishwaguru,” emphasized the importance of utilizing technology to develop rural India. He proposed a new paradigm of development that combines technology and spirituality to lead to happy and sustainable living. Dr. Rajvanshi is establishing a centre of excellence in IIT Kanpur for research and development of high technology for rural development. He had also signed a MoU earlier with the SIIC, IIT Kanpur for agricultural development. He also reminded the audience of IIT Kanpur’s role in policy formation regarding the use of agricultural waste to generate energy in 1990.
Prof. Mahip Singh, Head of Innovation Hub at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, was among the ones who announced the establishment of a dedicated UP startup fund worth 1400 Cr. during the GIS 2023. He addressed the lack of incubation centres in Uttar Pradesh and highlighted his efforts towards promoting entrepreneurship and technology by organizing Hackathons in 5 districts of the state. Prof. Singh also shared his extensive experience in Techkriti, having participated 8 times and spending a year at IIT Kanpur for his projects.
Techkriti’23 featured Tech Talks by Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram, former principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, who coordinated the test preparations for Pokhran I and Pokhran II. Dr. R. Chidambaram discussed the significance of emerging technologies such as energy, nuclear, network, and space technologies, along with the importance of technological foresight. He emphasized India’s leadership in the development of nuclear technology and how its success in the peaceful nuclear sector serves as an inspiration for other nations.
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, the former Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, was the second speaker for Tech Talks. He, as a former fighter pilot and Chief Commanding Officer, shared his insights on the procedures, methods, and challenges of flying, along with his experiences from the 1965, 1971 wars and the Kargil conflict. He highlighted the use of the MIG 25 in Kargil, which proved beneficial due to its altitude and speed, enabling coverage of the entire Line of Control. Furthermore, he discussed techniques for solving technical issues in real-time.
In addition to the tech talks, the event also featured an E-Conclave Talk by Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, the Founder and CEO of TagHive, a magician and an entrepreneur. Pankaj Agarwal began his talk by recounting his experiences at IIT Kanpur and sharing his professional journey, from academia to employment and entrepreneurship. He then proceeded to elucidate the connection between business and three pivotal keywords: Evolution, Connection, and Imagination. In order to effectively convey his message, he demonstrated a magic trick for each of these concepts, making the session engaging and interactive.
A special EC Talk on “Entering the World of Investment” was held in the evening with a panel comprising Shobana Prakash, Investment Associate at 100X.Vc, Vikas Sarda, CFO of Unitus Capital and Advisory Board Member at World Association of SME, and Professor Shankar Prawesh, Associate Professor at IME, IITK. The discussion covered various aspects of startup investments, including fundraising, partner selection, dealing with VCs, pitching strategies, and common obstacles.
The day also involved the continuation of workshops from Day 1, including Stock Investment, Java Programming, Web Development, and Digital Marketing. These workshops provided the participants with an opportunity to learn and enhance their skills further in various domains, thereby expanding their knowledge base.
In addition to the ongoing workshops, Techkriti’23 also introduced new workshops that catered to diverse fields, such as Product management and consulting, Drone, Robotics, App Development, and Machine Learning. These workshops, conducted by experts, provided valuable insights and hands-on experience to the participants, thereby helping them to gain a deeper understanding of the respective domains.
Towards the end of the day, Techkriti’23 hosted several fun-filled and entertaining events, including Beat Boxing, Fire Show, Magic Show, Groovy Guys and Comedy Night, to give the participants and audience a scope to unwind.
The Beat Boxing event featured Sunil Suresh, where his skills left the audience spellbound. The Fire Show was a spectacular display of fire dance and performance by Rohan Abraham Jacob and Sarena Beriwala, enthralling the audience with their impressive skills and daring acts. World-renowned magician Kabir Sharma took the stage at Techkriti’23. He dazzled the audience across with his unique blend of skill and showmanship. Groovy Guys presented a scintillating show that promised a night of electrifying music, pulsating rhythms, and non-stop dancing. Finally, the Comedy Night event featured Sundeep Sharma, whose hilarious bits left the audience in splits.
