Udbhav

Udbhav, is the annual chemical engineering symposium organised by the Society of Chemical Engineers at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. The word, Udbhav, in its native language, Hindi, means 'creation' or 'to arise from'. The festival intends to display various aspects, ideas, progress and happenings in the field of chemical engineering and technology. At the same time, Udbhav 'arises' the hidden talents in upcoming chemical engineers and intends to nurture engineering students into world-class technocrats.

Udbhav runs over a span of two days during the first week of April with a footfall of over 2500 from IITs, NITs, and other regional colleges of chemical engineering across northern India. It is a non-profit student run festival, primarily to cater to the chemical engineering enthusiasts by providing them a competitive as well as learning platform. Udbhav is "the prefect platform to enhance your professional skills and experience a unique atmosphere of creativity and innovation".^[1]

Organisation and Structure

The festival is organized under the patronage of the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), yet, is an entirely student driven operation. The core organizing team consisting of twenty odd members is assisted by several auxiliary teams, each handling some specific tasks pertaining either to Administration or Event Organization. Administrative portfolios include Finance, Marketing, Publicity, Hospitality, and Public Relations etc., while Events portfolios comprise of individual event/activity organization, web design, content development etc. The core team is headed by a convener and co-convener, while every event has an event coordinator and all auxiliary teams, have one or two students in-charge. In addition, several student volunteers associate with the teams to assist in the organization and smooth conduct of the festival.

Guest Lectures

These are one feature of the festival that stand out every year, with eminent personalities from the engineering community across India visiting the department and sharing their thoughts and ideas. Audiences flock to attend these lectures which are themed around scientific developments and the impact that technology has had and can have on the society. Students and participants, also get a chance to interact with these guests. Some senior professors that have been a part of Udbhav over the years are Prof. H. S. Shankar, Prof. Yogesh M. Joshi, Prof. K. K. Pant, Prof. K. D. P. Nigam, Prof. Indranil Manna, Prof. S Pushpavanam, in addition to industry giants like Mr. Sushil Kumar from Reliance Industries Limited, Shri Tulsidas from ONGC, Mr. A. K. Karan from Rashtriya Chemical Fertilisers.

Events

These are the backbone of the festival, while some are organized in several tiers over a period of several months, others are three night celebrations of excellence and elegance.

• Competitions: Majority of the events organized by the festival are competitive in nature and encompass several different themes of engineering, with the intention of giving every student a chance to gauge his potential and appreciate the talent of budding prodigies. These competitive events are themed as follows:
  • Chem-e-car: With impending doom of global warming and climate change, focus has shifted towards alternative environment-friendly fuels. Chem-e-car brings to you an opportunity to design a car fully driven by innovative chemical reactions. With constraints on distance traversed and time, Chem-e-car is the true test of your engineering acumen. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Rachna: This is an event focused on optimization of an industrial production process. Participants consider different process configurations and determine the best operating parameters dependent upon economic considerations. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Udyog: This is one of the flagship events of the festival where students collaborate with the industries to solve real life problems faced by them. Participants work on the process data provided and come up with an economically feasible solution. Working on the problems contestants get firsthand experience of industrial operations. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Adhyayan: This is a Case study Event, which provides a platform to showcase your analytical skills, ability to reach the root of the problem and to come up with the best possible solution. With real life problems put forward by start-ups, students often come up with simple ingenious solutions. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Pradarshan: A paper presentation event where students exhibit their research work to the leading industrialists and scientists in the field. Participants are ranked on the basis of presentation, originality and understanding of their work. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Pareeksha: This event simulates a mock examination on the format of standard tests like CAT/GRE etc. Cash Prizes and Certificates are awarded to all winners.
  • Abhivyakti: This open-to-all event focuses on literary competitions ranging from JAMs to Debates and Extempores. Cash Prizes are awarded to all winners.
• Workshops: Workshops are organized annually as part of the festival throughout the year and in the final two day conclave as well. Themes vary from plant safety, fluid dynamics, hazard analysis and prevention, to reverse engineering, simulation and training on specialized commercial software packages. Participation is at a nominal fee and witnesses participation from students of the institute and outside. These are usually in collaboration with professional training institutes from around the nation.
• Online Events: Several online events are organized by the festival team throughout the year to keep the students engaged and on their toes about the technical progress around the globe.

References