“We at Project Mudra aim to redefine what is possible for children of low-income communities by empowering them to maximize their potential.’’
As one of the youngest projects of Manipal, Project Mudra has been constantly striving to make a difference in the life of underprivileged students.
One such event held for the betterment of underprivileged students is the Joy of Giving or ‘Daan Utsav’. It is a festival celebrated every year from the 2nd to the 8th of October. Through Daan Utsav, Project Mudra aims at spreading joy amongst those who need help and support. People from different backgrounds came together to share money, resources, and most importantly skills. It gave people an opportunity to come together after a long and tiresome struggle through the pandemic.
UDYANSH
Being a UPSC aspirant himself, Mr. Prafull Joshi understands the desire to dream, the thirst to achieve. Udyansh, founded by Mr. Prafull Joshi and Mr. Sagar Bhatt, is an NGO that supports educational development and reforms in slum areas. Udyansh believes that the only way to amalgamate the lower socio-economic strata into the general society is through education. To realize this fruitful dream, Udyansh has paved the way for two ventures: Abhinav and Udyansh library.
Entailing the spirit of a picture speaks a thousand words, Abhinav aims for ‘Sapno Ki Kaksha’ where various classes of government schools shall be painted in a way to encourage education for all. Under Udyansh library, the NGO abides by a free library system, which would enable people to access and read books at zero cost.
IE E&E STUDENT’S CHAPTER, MANIPAL
The Second of October is a big day for the Nation, and it was an even bigger day for Manipal. The IE E&E organized an event centered around electrical equipment and safety. The event was characterized by inclusiveness as it covered the basics of its core subject.
Armed with information, the event charismatically covered the usage of electric and electronic gadgets in daily life. Refreshing the participants’ scholastic memories, the speaker shared the structure and working of a vernier caliper along with other types of equipment. E&E: Enthusiasm and Energy, the backbone of the event, was only stimulated by tremendous participation by the attendees. Thus the event proved to be a magical start to the ‘Daan Utsav’ or the Joy of Giving.
ACM MANIPAL: STUDENT CHAPTER
Visualizing the theme of ‘AAP BHI APP BHI’, the event by ACM Manipal commenced on October 3rd with huge smiles, the greatest innovation ever. Keeping in mind the broad domain of knowledge and learning, the Sixth of October witnessed students blossoming with the information of multiple computing domains. The most interesting segment of the session was the mind map (or mind app) of the various computing domains, which diminished to some extent; the fear of tech jargon. Is it only AI that senses needs and desires?
ACM Manipal too sensed the eagerness of students to arm themselves with the processing of web and app development. Heartily and robustly, the mentors explained the basics of not only app and web development but also AI, machine learning, and graphic designing in the spirit of Daan Utsav. With vibrant slides accompanying the vibrant personalities present, the event was a huge success. Stressing on its inclusive nature, ACM Manipal organized an event on October 5th which covered non-technical skills every budding college-goer must lace themselves with.
Ranging from communication and networking to time management and productivity, the event touched upon every issue a college student might face. The participants were made aware of the importance of being resilient and empathetic as well as seeking help without hesitance and guilt.
The spirit of the Daan Utsav lies in sharing. ACM Manipal, through this event, stressed the need to share resources for knowledge and learning, whenever the need arose.
GOONJ MANIPAL: THE HINDI LITERARY SOCIETY OF MAHE
‘Sapno ki goonj’ (the echo of dreams) reverberates far and wide. Goonj, the Hindi literary society of Manipal organized an event on October 6, 2021, which dealt with Hindi Literature. The speaker Dr. Bhavna Shekhar, a renowned writer also advised the participants on techniques to develop writing skills. Professing their love for the Hindi language, the event echoed with heart-touching recitals and quotes.
The event was credited further with the founder of Goonj sharing many personal insights and opinions. On October 8, Goonj organized another profound affair. Inviting Stuti Lal as a guest speaker, the literary club enhanced the participants’ evening. Stuti Lal enriched the attendees with strategies and tips for an effective debate. In an extremely lively session, the guest speaker stressed the importance of time management, former preparation, and command over the Hindi language. All in all, the event, part of Daan Utsav, was a great success.
GIRL SCRIPT MANIPAL: TECH AWARENESS FOR WOMEN
Incorporating the elements of equality and learning for Daan Utsav, Girl Script Manipal organized an event aiming at tech awareness among women. Backed by palpable vigor and spirit, the affair explored major domains that women techies can venture into. Armed with the concept note of machine learning and AI development, the event wrote and rewrote various chapters on the web, app, and game development.
The discussion further extended to include computer coding. Adding to its wholesomeness, was the booster dose of scholarships and mentorships which would accelerate the journey of many interested in this field. The event proved to be both informative and entertaining.
ROTARACT CLUB OF MANIPAL: SANITARY PAD DONATION DRIVE
Teenage girls dropping out or not being able to attend classes during their menstrual cycle is unfortunately still a prevalent issue in most parts of India. To tackle this issue, a sanitary pad donation drive as part of Daan Utsav took place at a high school in Udupi on October 8, 2021. This event was organized in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Manipal. An Astonishing 360 packets of pads were donated to the students through this drive.
An awareness session about menstruation was also conducted followed by a question-answer session. It was ensured that all the students felt comfortable asking all the questions they had in mind. The organizers patiently answered all the questions as well. This session with the students ensured that they were given the correct information as well as the means to be able to attend school during their menstrual cycles.
ECHO MANIPAL: ENVIRONMENT AND POLLUTION
Planet Earth belongs to all of us and to save it we all need to work towards change together. During the morning hours of October 9, 2021, an informative event on the environment and pollution was organized by Echo Manipal during Daan Utsav. The participants were also informed about the measures and techniques to preserve the environment. A special emphasis was put on wastewater separation and the various kinds of pollution.
The event was lively as there were several questions asked by the participants and well discussions instigated by the organizers. Each query was given importance and was answered in detail. The participants left the Daan Utsav event with a sense of responsibility to ensure the preservation of the environment and do whatever little they can to help this beautiful planet we call home.
PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB OF MANIPAL: PHOTOGRAPHY WITH INEXPENSIVE GEAR
The Photography Club of Manipal organized a Daan Utsav event on October 9, 2021, to teach the audience the technical side of photography. Technical aspects like shutter speed, ISO, motion blur, etc. were explained in detail. Creative and intuitive ideas like Frame in Frame, Leading Lines, Rule of thirds, Central Framing were given special importance.
The organizers gave the audience tips and tricks to take their photographs to the next level without using expensive gear. They ended the event by giving feedback on the photographs taken by the members of the audience. This event was a fruitful learning experience for budding photographers looking to improve their skills.
CURIOCITY MANIPAL: REAL AND REEL LIFE
In the age of online classes and social media, there is rising mental pressure caused due to relationships with multiple screens. The growing dependence on technology has led to a world where people spend more time on their devices than in the physical world. On October 10, 2021, Curiocity Manipal organized a Daan Utsav event that focused on the growing gap between our real life and virtual life.
The major take-home point of the session was the importance of engaging in physical interactions with the people around us and focusing on our surroundings. The audience learned the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with screens. The session was fruitful as it included doubt solving wherever required.
MIT GAMING: WORKSHOP ON THE GAMING SECTOR
The gaming industry has seen great growth in the last decade, allowing gamers to make money by streaming their gameplay. On October 10, 2021, MIT Gaming presented a Daan Utsav workshop on the basics of live streaming in collaboration with Resilience Esports. They discussed the basics of setting upstream software, the best tips, and tricks, capturing gameplay, customizing streams, and setting up a stream on a platform such as YouTube.
The event provided the audience with all the information needed to start streaming while ensuring the quality of gameplay. The workshop drew a large audience who were very active and made the event enthusiastic as well as insightful for aspiring gamers.
IE E&C MANIPAL: WORKING OF MODERN ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Technology is evolving every day, with new gadgets making our lives easier. On October 11, 2021, IE E&C Manipal held an event to educate the audience about the working of modern electronic equipment such as sensors, transistors, microcontrollers, etc. The speaker started the Daan Utsav event by talking about regularly used modern gadgets such as phones and smartwatches which have numerous sensors and electronic systems embedded in them. The working of these gadgets was explained in detail.
The speaker was able to convey complex concepts in simpler, easy-to-understand terms which made it facile for the audience to absorb the information. The event gave an insight as to how the gadgets we use daily actually function. Towards the end, the speaker patiently answered all the questions the audience had.
LEADERS OF TOMORROW: PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP
One of the most fascinating Daan Utsav events held was the Public Speaking Workshop by Leaders of Tomorrow, Manipal. The event was kickstarted with great enthusiasm and vigor as the speakers talked about valuable lessons based on public speaking. To assist the already brilliant speaker, there were several presentations held to make it more informative and interactive.
It would be rightful to say a good number of “Leaders of Tomorrow” emerged after this session on October 12. Although it was just a workshop conducted for just a little while, it had a lasting impact on the audience who attended it.
STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM: WORKSHOP ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, CYBERBULLYING, KINDNESS AND INSECURITIES IN ADOLESCENCE
A Daan Utsav event, that the majority of the audience looked forward to, was a session on cyberbullying. With the current status of the pandemic around the world and everything transitioning to virtual reality, it was a necessity to spread awareness regarding all the tag-along of cyber socializing.
The audience comprising adolescents, this workshop included everything that an adolescent ever goes through. The club also focused on minute details such as making sure that the teenagers among the audience came out as better human beings, a miracle that was made possible by just being a part of this event.
INDIAN SOCIETY FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION: WORKSHOP ON BASICS OF HTML AND CSS
It’d be futile to not acknowledge the fact that technology is the future of man. This event by ISTE reached out to its audience in a manner that made them even more interested and knowledgeable in the field of HTML and CSS. The way the session went around, the interactions that took place, and the presentations that were shown, made the whooping success of the workshop glaringly visible.
All participants felt better with their skills after it was done. It commenced with the introduction of basic HTML tags, then went on to Flexbox in CSS with continuous examples on the way. It was concluded by making a makeshift YouTube which came out spectacularly.
MIT GAMING: WEBINAR ON GAMING SECTOR
This Daan Utsav session on the Fourteenth of October, revolved around the very new and fast-growing sector today, that is, gaming and esports. It was held by MIT Gaming in association with the Esports Federation of India. The speaker talked about building a career that revolved around video games and similar content. The video game industry received a huge boost in today’s world because of the pandemic, so this workshop helped those interested in seeing a clear path and living their dreams of becoming video game enthusiasts.
IE MECHATRONICS STUDENTS’ CHAPTER: MECHATRONICS AS A STREAM IN THE ENGINEERING FIELD
The Daan Utsav session held by the IE Mechatronics Students’ Chapter, was about robotics and similar areas of interest. Aided with interactive presentations and videos, it started with the definition of the word mechatronics and simultaneously informed the participants about its basics. The fruitfulness of the session became evident as it progressed, as it provided young interested individuals with the required inspiration for their passion for robotics. It was summed up with a lively Q&A session where the audience ended up not only asking their queries but also expressing their thoughts towards robotics, which was gladly looked at by the speaker and the team.
The event concluded with a feeling of wholesomeness not only for the participants but also for the organizers. The spectacular collaboration of the multiple clubs immensely satisfied the audiences and left them eagerly waiting for more such events to manifest. Though the event lasted only thirteen days, the memories and knowledge gained, are sure to last a lifetime.
About the Authors: Aindri Singh, Harini Satish, and Manas Bhatia are first-year students at Manipal Institute of Communication and Manipal Institute of Technology.
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