By Ranald Leask
International Press Officer, the University of Edinburgh
Mumbai is always a busy place. India’s most populous city, it’s home to more than 18 million people, but this week is particularly special with the Make in India event underway.
The Make in India initiative was launched globally in September 2014, as part of the Indian Government’s determination to reinvigorate the country’s manufacturing sector. This has led to a renewed focus on design, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is, as I write this, across town at the official opening event. I, meanwhile, have come to see how three University of Edinburgh students are getting on at a hackathon at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
What, I hear you cry, is a hackathon? In short, it’s a time-limited event where computer programmers, developers, and engineers come together to work intensively, share ideas, and try to come up with solutions to a given problem.
100 of Indian brightest young minds are here today, working on a range of challenges facing India. The group from Edinburgh are indeed privileged, being the only participants from outside India to be in here in Mumbai for the event. They’re examining ways to address India’s energy demands, looking at innovative solutions to traditional carbon-based systems.
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For the Indian students at today’s hackathon, the excitement is palpable. Lots of excited discussion and bursts of animated note-taking. With a young and rapidly-growing population, they know that the future demands on their country will be great and their brainpower will be key to providing answers.
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The next few days will see the hackers perfecting their ideas, before presenting them to a panel of experts and potential investors. The rewards, in every sense, could be immense.