http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040113/asp/nation/story_2780545.asp
IIT Techfest goes global
- Corporates shower cash and cutting-edge technology
CHANDRIMA S. BHATTACHARYA
Mumbai, Jan. 12: The fact that it's being organised by students is
perhaps the only thing that makes it a campus fest.
Techfest 2004, IIT Bombay's annual technology festival, is mounted on
a scale that will make many global corporate events blush. As India
keeps shining in the glory of its techie achievers, corporate sponsors
are showering their blessings on an institute that produced several of
them, allowing the campus in picturesque Powai to host its most
happening party till date.
This year, Techfest — the biggest in Asia — is going where no other
Indian campus fest has gone: international. A new competition has been
introduced to ensure international participation. Teams from 10 other
countries — all expenses paid by the fest — are expected to
participate in ‘Cliffhanger'.
Three-member teams from Singapore, Nepal and Sri Lanka have confirmed
their participation. Teams from Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and
Turkey are expected. The institute is arranging for the foreign teams'
airfare, not to mention accommodation, and the prize money for the
event alone is $2,500.
The first prize is $1,000 and will go to the team that best builds a
machine capable of climbing a cliff and eventually bursting the
maximum number of balloons — before an opponent who plans to do the
same thing at the same time.
The total prize money for the fest is Rs 7 lakh, in cash. It's the
same amount in kind (cutting edge technology goodies). The cash prize
has gone up by about Rs 2 lakh from last year.
The visitors' list is impressive. Among the speakers is "the world's
first cyborg", Kevin Warwick, professor of cybernetics at the
University of Reading, UK. In 1998, he had shocked the world by
implanting a silicon chip into his left arm. He is even more of a
machine now as a number of other implants have taken place.
With the event, to be held from January 24 to 26, the publicity
department is working overtime with professional expertise to handle a
deluge of queries from the media.
"It is the biggest techfest in not only the country, but also in Asia,
that is organised by students," said Jasvipul Singh Chawla, publicity
manager of Techfest. "We went international because we wanted to
increase the level of competition. We wanted to keep abreast of
international competition," he said.
It was all possible because of the bounty of the sponsors, which was
in turn brought about by the runaway growth figures of IT, Chawla
said.
"The feel-good factor around IT definitely helped," he said. "We also
have a panel discussion on the same topic — on how IT growth can help
manufacturing in the country."
The title sponsor of Techfest is Tata Indicom. Other sponsors are
Microsoft, software firm Verizon, solutions company Veritas, and
Indian Oil.
"About 15,000 students, 1,500 corporate executives and faculty and 750
colleges attend Techfest, which is seven years old now," said Chawla.
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