The Makerspace and Innovation Zone at BITS Pilani, established by the student community Srishtaara, was inaugurated on the 15th of October at the library. The event was titled “Srijana” which means “creation”. It was conducted to encourage students to create and explore using the new facilities provided in the Makerspace and Innovation Zone as well as inspire students to have enterprise and innovate. The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Ajay Chaturvedi, an alumnus of BITS and a multifaceted philosopher, author, entrepreneur, speaker, and the founder of HarVa XPO—a rural non-profit organization. He was recognised at the BITS Pilani Golden Jubilee celebrations as one of the most inspiring alumni of the college.
The Makerspace and Innovation Zones were inaugurated by the Director, Prof. Ashoke Sarkar, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a visit by the faculty members, and a demonstration and explanation of some of the amenities. The facility was established with the aim of nurturing students’ creativity and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation by providing access to various high-tech equipment. The Makerspace has a number of electronic equipment such as a 3D printer, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, and sensors that are made available for student use.
Following a welcome address by the librarian, Mr. Giridhar Kunkur, and a speech by the Director, Srishtaara representatives gave a presentation in which they introduced the club and elucidated the goals and purpose for its formation. Ajay Chaturvedi was then invited to the stage to give a talk on ‘Innovation through Darshan Shastra (Indigenous Philosophy)’ as well as to share his experiences as an entrepreneur.
Several other speakers including Dhawal Jain (the co-founder of HelloVoRld, a BITSian startup in 3D visualization), Dr. Deepak Chitkara and Dr. Aniruuddha Roy (Assistant Professors in the Department of Pharmacy) were called to the stage to share their own inspiring experiences and innovation journeys. The event ended with a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Satyendra Kumar Sharma, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management.