The APOGEE Inauguration Ceremony was held at 7:30pm in the Auditorium yesterday. The Inauguration Ceremony kicked off with a series of songs performed by Music Club. The club performed five songs by bands including Mastodon, Coke Studio, and Snarky Puppy, with an original composition being the highlight of their show.  The APOGEE Inauguration Ceremony was held at 7:30pm in the Auditorium yesterday. The Inauguration Ceremony kicked off with a series of songs performed by Music Club. The club performed five songs by bands including Mastodon, Coke Studio, and Snarky Puppy, with an original composition being the highlight of their show.
The Mitra bot, the world’s most advanced commercial robot, was then brought on stage. The crowd’s expectations were greeted with silence as the robot entered the stage and proceeded to exit a few minutes later.
After personal introductions were presented, the CoStAA were invited on stage. The Director, Vice-Chancellor and the Chief Guest, were subsequently escorted on stage. The Director gave a short speech thanking the Indian Navy for their exhibitions this APOGEE, and the Chief Guest for finding time despite his busy schedule. He also congratulated student bodies for the organization of the fest and encouraged outstation participants to make the best of APOGEE. The dignitaries and the CoStAA then proceeded to light the diya, following which a short film was screened by the Film Making Club depicting a tragedy featuring elements of time travel. The Vice-Chancellor also spoke, welcoming the crowd to APOGEE and introducing its themes, but also instructing students to ‘stay within their limits’. He then proceeded to introduce the Chief Guest, Commodore Indrajit Dasgupta, and invited him to take the stage.
Commodore Indrajit Dasgupta currently heads the premier Electrical Training establishment of the Indian Navy. He began his speech explaining the little-known history between Pilani and the Navy. He went on to speak about the Navy itself, informing the crowd that the Indian Navy was a Blue Water Navy, and were capable of being the first responder in the Indian Ocean. He spoke at length about the huge air-arm present on water, and about the ability of the navy to help with rescue operations around the world. He also spoke about technological needs in the Navy and the need for integration between ‘tech startups’ and the Indian Defence forces. Additionally, he described how fields like Systems Integration and Combat Management Systems would benefit from a tie-up with engineering start-ups – finally ending with a quote highlighting the importance of preparedness and alertness in a war. The Chief Guest also presented the dignitaries with mementos.premier Electrical Training establishment of the Indian Navy. He began his speech explaining the little-known history between Pilani and the Navy. He went on to speak about the Navy itself, informing the crowd that the Indian Navy was a Blue Water Navy, and were capable of being the first responder in the Indian Ocean. He spoke at length about the huge air-arm present on water, and about the ability of the navy to help with rescue operations around the world. He also spoke about technological needs in the Navy and the need for integration between ‘tech startups’ and the Indian Defence forces. Additionally, he described how fields like Systems Integration and Combat Management Systems would benefit from a tie-up with engineering start-ups – finally ending with a quote highlighting the importance of preparedness and alertness in a war. The Chief Guest also presented the dignitaries with mementos.
The Mitra bot was then introduced to ask the chief guest several questions, even proceeding to ask Commodore Dasgupta if it were likely that AI would surpass human intelligence and creativity. When prompted to repeat the question, the bot slowly turned away. The Commodore simply laughed and stated that its response was an adequate answer to the question. The bot proceeded to ask a few more questions, which the chief guest then answered. A series of scintillating performances by Dance Club and Mime Club followed. The performances included hip-hop dances, a rap battle and even a parody of the BITSian registration process. The Inauguration Ceremony finally ended with a video screening by the Mime Club.