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Journalism of Courage
— Akshit Raizada
Fascination with science, engineering and robots were the main reasons I chose to be an engineer. I cracked the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in 2021 and chose Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore as I had an interest in physics, especially towards kinetic energy and the dynamic side of the subject.
While the initial half of the first year was spent online due to the pandemic, we joined college in the second semester. My day generally starts at around 7 am, the timings at which classes begin differ from 8 am to 10 am, bringing a great deal of variation to an otherwise regular schedule, which I like a lot. Depending on the day, we typically have classes till 3 pm to 5 pm.
Once done with classes, I come back and sleep for some time. After being well-rested, I spend some time studying and revising whatever was taught during the day. I am also involved in a lot of technical activities, so after dinner I spend my time attending club meetings, making projects and preparing for whatever event is planned for the week. When I am free, I hang out with friends.
I am part of the Robotics Club, Intelligent Vehicles Design and Control (IVDC) Club and Chess Club. I am also a founding member and treasurer of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE RAS) Student Chapter IITI, as well as the Tinkerer’s Lab Council at IIT Indore. I have been part of all the clubs except the Tinkerer’s Council for over a year. The Tinkerer’s Lab was formed recently and is funded by Maker Bhavan Foundation.
I am the head of the Robotics Club and my responsibilities entail conducting and participating in various events. My team and I have conducted a myriad of workshops and competitions, ranging from introductory workshops for freshers to advanced workshops in collaboration with organisations like IEEE RAS Student Chapter IITI and MathWorks. We are currently working on an autonomous spider robot and humanoid robot as well as aiming to participate in IEEE Micromouse, Technoxian and the Inter IIT Tech meet this year.
Though initially fascinated, my interest piqued in robotics when I joined the institute. Initially, I saw the work of the Robotics club, attended a few workshops and spoke to some seniors about the club. I joined the club to have some fun by making cool robots. With time, I began representing our club in competitions and my interest in the field continued to grow. Late nights spent making projects with my friends are some of the best memories of the last few years. After becoming the head of the club, I have been exposed to an entirely new side of it: planning and management. It has been an excellent learning experience. I have had the chance to interact with so many industries and experienced people through this role.
Intelligent Vehicles Design and Control or IVDC is focused on making intelligent vehicles like electric UGVs and UAVs (Unmanned Ground and Aerial Vehicles). Our team will be participating in the upcoming Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition. It is an international level competition which will be held in June 2024. We have design a vehicle for it from scratch and the team is already working towards it.
The Tinkerer’s Lab encourages hands-on learning with a particular focus on fostering innovation and creativity. The lab is managed entirely by students, with the faculty playing an advisory role in the activities. The lab has a wide range of helpful machines, from power tools to laser cutting. It is open to all students and faculty at all times, especially since most students prefer to work at night after their classes. The Tinkerer’s Lab has been built to provide the freedom to experiment and deconstruct, to not only learn from its workshops and training sessions but also to apply them in creative and practical ways.
Through Tinkerer’s Lab, I was offered to be the BTech student representative of the Makerspace programme. Under this programme, we worked at the Makers’ Space Laboratory of the institute. The laboratory introduces students to manufacturing processes from scratch including stitching aprons, making 3D models, forming, milling, and welding, giving an immersive experience of manufacturing firsthand. After a short training period of nearly two months, I and several other students became teaching assistants for the course.
Other than technical activities, I also enjoy debating, chess and music. I have been a part of my college’s Model United Nations (MUN) Secretariat. I also participate in inter-hostel and inter-branch events. These events are short but entertaining.
I even tried music production in my first year when I joined college. I enjoy singing and dancing, especially during DJ nights or FLUXUS concerts, but I don’t do either competitively.
I am a rated chess player and have been playing since I was six years old. I played a lot of state-level chess over the years but stopped during the JEE preparation period. With the recent chess boom, I started playing again during the lockdown, and nowadays I represent our institute in collegiate events and organise competitions for my juniors.
Though there are way too many memorable moments at IITI, one of my fondest memories is the day when I first came to this institute. The wide range of emotions that I felt that day are still etched in my memory.
The various roles I have undertaken during this journey have made me a lot more industry-ready. It has made me understand that having a good idea is not enough. Taking everyone’s opinions into account and expressing the plan clearly and concisely is essential to ensure that the work is done smoothly.
Another aspect that has dramatically improved my personal life as well is presentation. Presenting an idea properly is just as important as the idea itself, especially when you want to convince not only sponsors and professors, but also your fellow members and club heads.
As for the future, I want to pursue a Master’s degree in Robotics. I am looking at options abroad as well. My current research interest area is Robotics and Automation. Beyond that, I am still deciding on my robotics specialisation. From soft robots and humanoids to industrial automation and virtual reality/augmented reality/mixed reality (VR/AR/MR), the possibilities in this field are endless and even now, I continue to explore my interests.
