Kurukshetra (festival)

Kurukshetra
Type Student Run Non Profit Organisation
Founded 2007
Place Chennai, Chennai, India
Institute College of Engineering, Guindy
Major events Online Programming Contest, Business Plan, K! General Quiz, Cerebra, XCEED, Riddles of Sphinx
Prize money 1 Million INR
Website kurukshetra.org.in

Kurukshetra is an International Techno-Management festival conducted annually by College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India by the CEG TECH FORUM(CTF). The fest has been named after Kurukshetra, the battlefield of the apocalyptic war of survival between the Kauravas and Pandavas in the great Indian epic of Mahabharata. The tag-line of the fest 'The Battle of Brains' asserts this fighting spirit of the festival, wherein students showcase their skill and knowledge every year .The festival is conducted for four days and is aimed at bringing about a higher level of interaction between the industry and academia, and also among the students of different colleges. Kurukshetra began in 2007[1] and the privilege of being the first techno management fest in India to be awarded the coveted UNESCO[2] patronage. The tenth edition of Kurukshetra is scheduled from February 17 to 20, 2016.[3] Its logo the Cyclotron, symbolizes the celebration of the indomitable spirit of engineering and innovation. Just as a cyclotron accelerates a charged particle using high frequency, Kurukshetra provides that extra impetus for the engineer to excel.

History

The first edition of Kurukshtra was conducted in 2007,[4] exactly an year after the CEG TECH FORUM was formed. CEG Tech Forum was established in the year 2006. The sole aim behind its formulation was to nurture the scientific temper of CEG’s student populace via a three pronged network - industry, academia and the students. Over the years, it has developed into the all-encompassing Technical Forum of the college. At CTF, completing the engineer is the motto. The event-organisation also involves the pariticipation of the students’ association and the college management. CTF is made up of several teams, called the k!ore teams, members of which organise, co-ordinate and conduct the event. K!ore teams include the projects, events, workshop, guest lectures, HR, finance, marketing, media, industrial relation, contents and creativity, design, logistics, hospitality, k!arnival and XCEED. XCEED, the nation-wide prelude to Kurukshetra, was conducted for the first time in 2008.[5] Kurukshetra '09 featured the debut of exhibitions in Kurukshetra.

UNESCO Patronage

Patronage is UNESCO’s highest form of support. It is granted to demonstrate the Organization’s moral endorsement of an exceptional activity. However, UNESCO is neither financially nor legally responsible. UNESCO’s patronage may be granted to a range of activities, such as producing cinematographic and audio-visual works, publishing books, organizing congresses, meetings and conferences, awarding prizes, and other national and international events . Kurukshetra, being a international techno-management event comes under UNESCO [6] patronage, which adds another feather to CEG Tech Forum’s cap. Kurukshetra got the UNESCO patronage in the year 2008. The first UNESCO-Kurukshetra Innovation Award was presented in 2011.

Lectures and video conferences

Notable past speakers include:

Exhibitions

Exhibitions are an integral part of kurukshetra showcasing technological breakthroughs and paradigm shifts that the human civilization has encountered so far and the surprises that future holds in store for us. The exhibitions of Kurukshetra, known as K!arnival, has nourished the viewers with certain things that have almost looked impossible in the recent past. Some notable exhibits in the past include 'Inspiring India' exhibition, the 'Vintage Automobile Show,' 'Technova' and 'RC Car stunts.'

Workshops

The workshops range all over the radar of technology from aero-modelling, and robotics to motorcycles. The hands on experience, expert guidance and innovative learning environment provided by these workshops. Some of the notable workshops in the previous and the upcoming editions are workshops in animation, cloud computing, aero-modelling and entrepreneurship.

Events

The various categories of events are as follows:

Coding event

Engineering

Management

Quizzing

Robotics

The problem description changes for the robotics events every year.

Online Events

Miscellaneous

XCEED

It is a national level robotics challenge held at various centers throughout the country as a prelude to the main fest. Xceed enables the K! team to reach out to students in various parts of the country. The earlier versions have witnessed robots trying to solve line mazes, battle out in the football field and the like.[11] The regional champs gain entry to the national finals that are held during Kurukshetra.

Student Ambassadorship Programme

On a national scale, one student ambassador is selected per institution from the several student volunteers of that institution. He/she gets to take across the information and updates of K! to their institution, allowing them to hone their communication abilities and marketing skills through this platform. The ambassadors also get to claim their commuting fees, receive K! branded souvenirs, and have the opportunity to attend K! workshops at no charge. “The Best Student Ambassador” also gets to take home a letter of appreciation and a cash prize.

References

  1. ↑ Malarvizhi, J. (2007-01-05). "A racy start to `Kurukshetra 07'". The Hindu.
  2. ↑ "Kurukshetra 2016-About". kurukshetra.org.in.
  3. ↑ "Kurukshetra 2016". kurukshetra.org.in.
  4. ↑ Malarvizhi, J. (2007-01-05). "A racy start to `Kurukshetra 07'". The Hindu.
  5. ↑ "Gearing up for Kurukshetra 2008". The Hindu. 2007-12-31.
  6. ↑ "Kurukshetra 2016-About". kurukshetra.org.in.
  7. ↑ "Kurukshetra 2010 – The Battle Of Brains,Technical fest,20-23 Jan, CEG, Anna University-Chennai". Symposiumz.net. 2009.
  8. ↑ "All set for the tech battle at Anna varsity". The Hindu. 2007-01-02.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Liffy (2009-01-25). "The name of brainy buzz — design". The Hindu.
  10. ↑ "Kurukshetra 2010, Techno Management Fest by CEG, Anna University". CollegeKhabar.
  11. ↑ "Spotlight on robots at kurukshetra'09". The Hindu.

External links

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