Celebrating festival of light & prosperity

October was a vibrant month at Vigyan Ashram, combining festive celebrations with ongoing skills training and research activities. Students and staff celebrated Dussehra, Kojagiri Poornima, and Diwali at the Pabal campus and DIY Lab, Pune, through traditional rituals, cultural programs, and shared festive meals. A hands-on learning workshop for senior citizens from Tapas Elder Care, Pune, was also conducted, engaging forty participants. These celebrations strengthened community bonding, encouraged cultural learning, and created a joyful and inclusive learning environment alongside academic and project-based work.

e-Yantra Innovation Challenge workshop:

A 5-day ‘design-thinking’ workshop for e-Yantra robotics finalists from IIT-Powai was held in Pabal (Sept 21-25). Thirty-three engineering students focused on agricultural problems, interacting with local farmers to document issues in open-farming, polyhouses, fruit crops, post-harvest, and animal husbandry. After expert discussions and brainstorming, problem statements were finalized. Student teams also presented innovative prototype ideas. They will now develop working prototypes based on their concepts within the next 90 days, aiming to solve real-world agricultural challenges efficiently

Development of Polyhouse Climate Control System

Shreyas has successfully developed and installed an automated shade-net curtain closer for polyhouses. Shade-nets help farmers regulate light intensity and temperature. The automation saves time and improves crop growth by operating through a mobile app or a light intensity sensor. Developed under the DST-SUNIL project as part of an automated climate control system, it enhances efficiency in polyhouse management. After successful lab trials, the system will be installed in farmers’ fields to gather feedback and further refine the technology.

30th July ‘Open House Exhibition’

The annual ‘Open House Exhibition’ was held on July 29th-30th to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Vigyan Ashram’s founder, Dr. S.S. Kalbag. The event attracted over 3500 visitors, including students and farmers, who witnessed live demonstrations of innovative technologies. Key highlights included solar dryer models, bio-waste processing with Black Soldier Fly (BSF), agrivoltaics, and climate control sensors. The exhibition also featured a drone, an AI cooking device, 3D printing, and a ‘Museum on wheel’ from CSMVS. Two alumni, Mr. Dhananjay Abhang and Mr. Mayur Chaudhari, were also felicitated.

Diploma in Basic Rural Technology (DBRT) graduation

The Graduation Ceremony of the Diploma in Basic Rural Technology (DBRT) 2024-25 batch was held on 23rd June. DBRT is a 1-year residential program focusing on multi-skills training and entrepreneurship. During 2024-25, out of 61 students, 45 completed the full-year course, while 16 opted for short-term certificates. On this occasion, awards were presented: Highest Community Service Earning – Mr. Saurabh Kokare (₹46,863, with the batch total of ₹3,51,000); Best Academic Performance – Mr. Ravindranath Chaswik; Student of the Year (Boys) – Mr. Ayush Bharane; Student of the Year (Girls) – Ms. Alanka Pawar

Inauguration of ASMITA

ASMITA unit was inaugurated on 6th May at Pabal. It is a women-led garment manufacturing and training unit supported by MAHLE Engineering Ltd. CSR. The inauguration was done by Mr. Ashutosh Deshpande, Mrs. Gadkari, Mr. Pritam Ghadge, and local women SHG members. ASMITA showcased garments made over the past two months. The team completed orders of 50 T-shirts, 19 frocks, and other items, earning Rs. 22,610. They also registered their SHG and opened a bank account for their tailoring enterprise.