Tathva 13, the annual techno-management symposium being organised by the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), began on its campus on Thursday.
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, former Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), inaugurated the three-day national event.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Pillai emphasised on the importance of technical festivals as a means to enhancing the knowledge and innovative thinking of future engineers. It was also an occasion for creating projects of social relevance, he said. Tathva, according to him, provided a platform for budding engineers to convene, discuss, and showcase innovative ideas and to help the coalescence of engineering and basic science. C. Muraleedharan, Dean, Student Affairs, presided over the function.
Exhibitions
Tathva features a variety of exhibitions, including that of technology bigwigs such as ISRO, Indian Navy, and the Airport Authority of India, on the NIT-C campus. The competitions as part of the festival will range from school quiz to complex engineering conundrums.
Each branch is organising its own set of events. B-Aptist, a national-level business plan competition, is also part of the contests, besides video gaming, computer gaming, and photography contest.
The event also offers a wide range of informative and interesting lectures on a variety of topics by researchers and scientists of great repute.
Each evening of the festival will be marked by performance by eminent bands and singers at its open-air theatres. Singers such as Rita and Krish and bands such as Sunburn, All the Fat Children, and The Down Troddence will play during different days of the event.
Wheels — an auto expo featuring a large number of exotic and vintage cars, super-bikes, and off-roaders is another attraction of the event.
A social outreach programme, Aavishkar, is also part of the event. According to a press release, the NIT-C reaches out to the weaker sections of society through this, this time to the Chettyalathur tribal colony in Wayanad district. The institute had already installed solar panels in as many as 27 households of the colony, the release added.
The exhibitions will be open from Friday, when the competition events will also begin.
