Mumbai: Ahead of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 126th birth anniversary on April 14, faculty and students at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Matunga, organised an 18-hour study marathon at the college library on Sunday as a tribute to Dr. Ambedkar.
“The initiative has been designed to teach students about Dr. Ambedkar’s life. He was a social transformer and a great leader of our nation, but at the heart of his personality was his dedication. It is a well-known fact that he used to spend eighteen hours studying at a stretch. We want to inspire our students [to have] the same dedication,” said V.B. Nikam, professor of computer engineering at VJTI and one of faculty members who organised the session.
The session began at 6 a.m. on Sunday. The 265 students who signed up for the session on Friday, when it was announced, sat in the aptly named Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Library, and with short breaks for tea and food, began focusing on studies.
“At first, 18 hours seemed impossible. I usually can’t even concentrate for four or five hours. But after a few hours, I have established a flow. We work on assignments, and when when we hit saturation, we switch to reading our textbooks for the exams,” said Yamini Singh, a B.Tech (civil engineering) student.
“I now think initiatives like this should happen at every college. Students can’t study at home, but sitting together here in the library creates an amenable atmosphere for studying,” said Ashish Khot, a B.Tech (electrical engineering) student. “We knew a little bit about Ambedkar before today, but after today … I don’t know how to put it in words, but Ambedkar must be a great man. It takes a lot to spend this much time in concentration,” he said.
“This taught us how to increase our concentration, and work long hours,” said Rucha Kale, an M. Tech (software engineering) student who worked on her dissertation project — technology for stock market data analysis and prediction — at the library. “With submission deadlines in three-four days, it was a good chance to get work done. At first, I was tense — I can’t sit for so long, what position should I sit, what should I eat. Now, it feels normal. Our professors even taught us meditation steps to concentrate.”
“I haven’t studied Ambedkar, but to me, not only does his work for social emancipation of Dalits and women stand out, he also seems to stand for the fact that knowledge is power, and knowledge leads to progress. I hope I can apply some of these principles in my life,” said Aishwarya Yewari, an M.Tech in computer engineering student.
