KumbhaThon: MIT team visits Nashik to help for Kumbhmela

There are all signs of Kumbhmela in Nashik going hi-tech. A team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA arrived in Nashik to identify 50 areas where technology can be used for solutions to probable challenges during the Kumbhmela.

The team is visiting Nashik as part of the KumbhThon programme initiated by Sunil Khandbahale, an innovative entrepreneur of Khandbahale.com and Ramesh Raskar, head of Media Lab at MIT. The first 2 phases of KumbhaThon – K1 and K2 – motivated students across engineering colleges. The first phase began with problem identification. "What we were looking for were ideas from various community groups which would facilitate the Kumbhmela. We then chose problem areas that we could work on as innovators. The engineering students stepped in and took up the areas as problem solvers", stated Sunil Khandbahale.

With MIT interface even at the initial stage, about 8 ideas and 150 students were shortlisted. After a 72 hours hecathon, the ideas were converted into prototype with the help of mentors from MIT, Silicon Valley and experts from Pune and Nashik. In the second phase, third and fourth year engineering students in 16 teams began work on 16 projects. Workshops were held at Nashik Engineering Cluster and work developed at actual work sites in various industries in Nashik. In the third phase, researchers from MIT are interacting with students from engineering, management, humanities and commerce streams, to evolve 50 ideas which they would take back to Boston and work on a feasibility report.

The team visited Ramkund, Tapovan, the Shahi marg, Kalaram temple and places that are significant for the Kumbhmela. "We are carrying 50 identified challenge areas aided by technology to the MIT lab. We will then see how teams from MIT and students from Nashik can work on these. There could be an opportunity for MIT to set up its centre in Nashik, as well as for some students to work at MIT in Boston through this exercise," stated John Werner, leader of the delegation.

MIT has earlier worked in Hyderabad and Mumbai in areas of global health. In Nashik, they are looking forward to working on issues like transportation, energy, water, power, food, etc. "Nashik has aspirations of becoming a world class city and it is time we all recognised it," said Werner.

With a focus on Kumbhmela, students are working on applications like Milapp – for the lost and found, applications on health care, location maps, a community radio for messaging without internet, applications for commuters using public transport and rickshaws and taxis, and models like water garbage puller.

KumbhaThon is supported by Sandip Foundation, the educational campus in Nashik, Nashik Municipal Corporation, district administration and the police force, along with people like Girish Pagare, Dr Sachin Pachorkar, Sandeep Shinde, Rajendra Pawar, Uday Ghatage Gunwant Battase, Subhash Patil, Vikram Bodake, Prashant Patil, Mayuresh Pardeshi who work as guides, mentors, administrators, facilitators so that students see their dreams turn into reality.