LEAD Valedictory 2016 - Belagavi

Dignitaries visiting the project showcase

On 23rd April, Belagavi's LEAD Valedictory 2016 was hosted at KLES Belagavi. The event included guest speakers, a project showcase of 36 of the year's top projects, student story sharing, and 8 awards presented to deserving students. Over 100 students and faculty attended the event. 

During this event, Mr. Naveen Jha (CEO, Deshpande Foundation), Dr. S. V. Divekar (Dean of Infrastructure, GIT College), and Mr. Yuvaraj Patil (Lead Ambassador, VSMIT Nippani and Gram Panchyat Vice President, Nitawade, Kolaphur District) presided over the celebration. 

Special guests with newly designated Master LEADers
and LEAD Ambassadors

LEAD Valedictory is also the time to start thinking about the year to come. 19 LEADers were promoted to Master LEADer in order to start their journey in promoting LEAD throughout their colleges and helping to unleash the leadership potential in those student around them. Four students were promoted to LEAD Ambassador, the next step in the LEAD levels and a great achievement. 

Deshpande Foundation CEO Mr. Naveen Jha present token
of recognition to unrecognized woman Ms. Chougala

As the theme of the event was "Recognizing the Unrecognized", LEAD also recognized a woman in the community whose valuable work goes unseen. Special guest Ms. Madhavi Chougala, a cleaning lady at Maratha Mandal Engineering College. This act is a continuation of the successful International Women's Day project taken on by LEADers across the country.

One of the major components of the Valedictory is providing recognition and congratulations to the top LEAD students of the year from the respective area. Below are the winners of the 8 awards presented at the Belagavi Valedictory 2016.

Best Initiative Social Project - Divya Hiremath 

Best Fundraiser: Vedanth M, GIT Belgaum

Most Active Prayanee:  Vaishnavi Hatrote, KLECET Belgaum 

Best Awareness Project: Suyash V, JCE Belgaum

Most Initiatives Taken: Chetan Kulkarni

Most Active Volunteer: Arpan Sathapathy and Manish Noola

Best Creative Team:  KLECT Belgaum

Best Initiative in Education: GIT Belgaum

LEAD student sharing their leadership story and experiences

Improving Bus Stops with LEADer Shweta Khinnavar

Before

The four main bus stops in Dharamveer Shambhaji Circle in Belgaum were in bad condition. They looked bad, were dirty, and did not provide any information for bus travellers as to what buses would arrive or where they would take them.

LEADer Shweta K and her 40+ person team from Maratha Mandal Engineering College took it upon themselves to help these bus travellers. With a small amount of funding from LEAD as well as money they fundraised themselves, Shweta and her team cleaned the bus stops, made small repairs, and re-painted them. They also wrote on the bus stands the destinations and bus numbers that visited the stop.

After! 

However, they learned it is hard to please everyone. Some people complained that the bus information was not written in their regionally language, or demanded different spelling or different destinations be written according to their own needs and desires, rather than the official information in the official languages.          

Despite these challenges from passersby, the team persevered and felt successful because they now see more people sitting in the stop (whereas before, people would stand outside) and being more assured in their bus transportation routes.

This project also received media and community attention including praise from the NWKRTC. They hope to expand by making more community improvements within the Swatchcha Bharat Abhiyan movement.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Teaching Digital Skills to Housewives with LEADer Sweta Khinnavar

Sweta Khinnavar, a LEADer from Maratha Mandal Engineering College in Belgaum, noticed that many women were eager to learn more computer skills, but often lacked the opportunities to gain these skills unless they worked in an office job or were taught by family. 

Sweta began teaching some of the housewives in her community basic computer skills for her project IT NAARI, such as creating files and folders, watching movies, playing songs, transferring files, and turning the laptop on and off. However, Sweta learned that many of the women did not have computers of their own, so oftentimes she would teach the women using her own computer. 

After several sessions, more women began coming to the workshops and she found out that the women were calling their friends to tell them about how great the project was. Not only this, the women were then interested in Sweta's other LEAD projects. 

Sweta found that in teaching the women, she was in fact teaching the whole family because the women were sharing their learning, impacting even more lives that just participants of her project. She hopes to expand the workshops to include internet skills including email, Youtube, Google, and more. 

My Story: Pundaraja Hugar (Maratha Mandal Engineering College, Belgaum)

I have always been strong in practical areas, and with LEAD, I have been encouraged to use the technical skills I have learned studying for a BE in electronics and communication engineering for the good of my community.

The first problem I noticed was that the lights were always turned on in banks at night. To ensure lights were on and and everything was safe, even in rooms you could not see, a simple device was the solution to detect whether the lights were turned on or off and improve bank security.

Installing the IC 4051 detector in my college lab

My next device was the IC 4051 detector, which when installed, checks whether the IC is working or not. This device has now been implemented in my college lab.

During exams, I noticed that many students were using mobile phones despite not being allowed and it being distracting. By detecting an active mobile cellphone from up to 1.5 metres away, this device sounds and lights up when it detects any phone, SMS, or video transmission, even if the phone is set to silent. While I developed it primarily for use in colleges, it is also useful for detecting mobile phone use for unauthorized purposes such as video recording or spying.

Mosquito Repeller

My hostel had a mosquito problem, and knowing that a mosquito coil had negative health effects, I knew I need to develop something better. Mosquitoes carry harmful diseases and are incredibly irritating, so I created the electronic mosquito repellent, a device that drives away mosquitoes using ultrasonic frequencies. Ultrasonic frequencies are not audible to humans, but the sound is very annoying to insects. This simple circuit device that emits ultrasonic frequencies repels insects in the surrounding area, while going unnoticed by humans.

Explaining how my water tank level detector works

In order to prevent overflow in water tanks, I developed a simple water level alarm circuit. When the water level reaches the level of the sensing probes, a circuit is activated which triggers a beeper. Inspired by this project, I also developed a water pump controller to automatically turn water pumps on and off.

I noticed the mess in my hostel used a simple LED torch, and after asking the owner how much each torch costs, I knew I could make them for much cheaper. With only three LED lights, one battery, one diode and one resistor, I could make a similar torch and implemented five torches at this lesser cost.

Since I started looking for problems in my community that could be solved with a practical, technical solution, I have developed seven technical devices and gone on to win the "Best Technical Initiatives" award from LEAD. I have been very inspired by the quote, "A boss says "go!", but a leader says "let's go!" and try to apply this in my LEAD projects as well as my everyday life.

While dealing with small technical and electronic devices can be challenging at times and requires great care, the results are worth it and a small, simple device can make a big difference. I eventually hope to create technical and electronic solutions that can help the poor people in my community, but also address the problems involved in poverty at large.

Yoga for Health of Students by LEADer Vaishnavi Hatrote

LEADer Vaishnavi Hatrote, from KLEMSSCET in Belgaum, felt that today's society was lacking peace and happiness. From her belief that physical, mental, and spiritual problems can be helped through yoga, she wanted to share those benefits with others.

Trying to establish a yoga programme for the students at her college was difficult because many shared the perspective that yoga is an obsolete practice. However, she persevered and has now benefitted almost 200 individuals with her yoga programme, including encouraging them to continue the practice as a part of their everyday life, especially to deal with the stress of being a student.

Vaishnavi plans to continue this project and keep sharing this passion as she becomes more educated about it. She says that "sharing what you have," in her case it is yoga knowledge, "will make you more enriched and content."

She also hopes to become an entrepreneur in the future, and used yoga to keep her health high and stress low during this journey.

Blood Donation Camp by LEADer Salim and Guffran

LEADer Salim and Guffran who used to believe one need not be doctor to save lives but just needs to be good human being,  thought of spreading his belief. Hence he took up a LEAD project of Blood donation . 

LEADer Salim and Guffran who are students of Raibag Polytechnic College conducted blood camp at Shankaranda College, Kudachi of Belgaum district. Through this camp , they succeeded in collecting 88 units of blood.  It is well known fact that each unit of blood can save three lives. Hence logically, the credit of impacting 264 lives goes to LEADer Salim and Guffran. Along with the collection of blood he connected 10 people to Blood bank.

Leader Salim and Guffran had raised 20,000rs of fund . The major part of the fund raised was used to provide refreshment for the ones who had donated blood and the remaining part of the fund was used for logistics purpose that was required for the blood donation camp.

LEADer Salim and Guffran were pleased with the successful completion of the project and  had got motivated to take bigger challenges.

Health Camp by LEADer Shilpa

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I woke up and saw life was service’
I acted and behold, service was joy.

--Rabindranath Tagore

Leader Shilpa with great determination to serve the society took up a LEAD Project of organizing a Health Camp at her home town.  She organized a Health camp with the help of her team members Pooja and Vidya at her college, A. A. Patil College of Arts and Commerce for Women, Chikodi.

 The specialty of this health camp was, it was organized with an intention to spread awareness about hygiene and treat the needy women especially the one belonging to lower class of the society. Needy women who were working as housemaids and vegetable sellers gathered at the health camp and took benefit.

Through this project 150 women were benefitted and treatment of around 15000rs was given to the needy. This project of LEADer Shilpa was appreciated by everyone as it helped the most neglected part of the society, the women.

LEADer Pundaraja's Mobile Detector

Mobile phones have become the device of the generation. Mobile phones though small in size come with endless features and applications which make life very easy. From chatting with friends to playing and reading books, everything can be done using mobile phone. In spite of its advantages, mobile phones have a downsides too. Especially students who are the maximum users of phone tend to misuse it. There are high chances of students using the phone in class rooms and exam rooms and involve themselves exam malpractices.

A LEADer Pundaraja of Maratha Mandal Engineering College sensed this problem and took up a LEAD project to solve the problem. Thus he worked on the same and came up with a solution. Being a technical student, he designed a device that would detect mobiles in its vicinity. He built the device using transformers ,diodes, ic7812, IC socket,CA3130 opamp, resistors, capacitors ,LED , nuts and bolts, copper wire.

This device when detects the radio waves of mobile phone network and the LED light of the device blinks. The device designed by LEADer Pundaraja detects mobile up to range of 3m. His project was appreciated by everyone. He even won “Best Technical Initiative” in LEAD Valedictory 2015 at Belgaum.

Motivated by the continual support of LEAD, Pundaraja is currently working on increasing the mobile detecting range of the device.

"Jnana key" by LEADer Sagar Santaji

“Education is not the learning of facts but training of the mind to think”  Albert Einstein

In our society, education is more about scoring and acquiring certificates where as in the real sense education is meant for overall development of the individual. LEADer Sagar and his team member believed in Albert Einstein’s statement. So they wanted to create awareness about education and its significance among children. He wanted children to use education to unleash their potential. Sagar Santaji of Gogte Institute of Technology along with his teammate Seema K implemented the project “Jnana Key” in schools of Belgaum district.

In his first project, he conducted a session for 80 students of J.R.D High School , Halaga, and gave them proper guidance to choose career of their interest. He initially took permission from School Principal to conduct a session for their students. Then he got speaker, projector and Screen from his college. After getting all the requirements, he conducted the session. 

During his first session, they interacted with students, made them aware about right way of pursuing education and how it helps us in leading life. He enlightened students that proper way of studying and told them studying is not restricted to only scoring, education is beyond scoring. He motivated the students by showing few videos. At the end of the session, he and his team asked few mind teaser questions to students. Students participated actively and showed lot of interest. They even answered all the questions.

After the success of his first project, he did several projects. In his later projects, he also added computer training to his Jnana Key Project where basics of Computers and Internet are being taught. He uses computer lab of his college to educate children. He has totally done 6 sessions of Jnana Key.

Principal and school staffs are impressed with the hard work of LEADer Sagar and they support and encourage him to take sessions.
 
Sagar through these LEAD projects learned time management and developed his skills of team management. Sagar says, “Education is very important and with education comes confidence and with confidence, one becomes strong and positive. Education, confidence, strength and positive thinking are required live a normal life”.

By his project “Jnana Key” , Sagar has taken steps of creating a stronger India.

Candle March on March 23rd 2015

Our country has seen many heroes in the past who continue to inspire the youth of India even today. Among such heroes are Bhagath Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru , great leader who fought for this country and sacrificed their life for the same. They loved their country more than their life. They believed in set of ideals and stood for it till their last breath.

Bhagath Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru  were hanged on March 23. To pay tribute to those martyrs Indian government has declared the day as Martyr’s Day. LEADers of LEAD of Belgaum thought of taking this a step ahead by carrying out a candle march on 23 March.
 

More than 50 leaders participated in this and around 100 civilians joined the march on seeing students walking with enthusiasm. They carried out the march from 1st gate of Tilkawadi to RPD Circle in Belgaum.

The march was meant to remember the sacrifice and remind the youth of the LEADers who saw country , country’s freedom before themselves.

Exodus 2014

The hum and buzz in the auditorium at KLS Gogte Institute of Technology on September 19th and 20th for the LEaders in LEAD Exodus ‘14 was ecstatic and undeniable. A great number of students, faculty, and guests gathered to engage with, and celebrate, each others great acts of leadership in effort to create a better India.

The theme of the event was “Stand Up For Women”, so it was well suited that Saturday’s events begin with the lovely traditional Kochipudi dance, literally setting the stage for a great afternoon of empowerment, problem solving and dynamic leadership. Following suit, the two student conveners, Shivaprasd Sannakki and Anam Hudi introduced Principal Dr. A. S. Deshpande to address the audience. Deshpande noted how pleased he was with the student body and all the guests for their engagement with these ideas and projects. This speech was followed by Neelam Maheshwari and Ajaykumar Suman from the Deshpande Foundation, both of whom solidified the coherence between the vision of the Deshpande Foundation’s LEAD program and what was happening at the school. All speakers stressed the importance of the gathering and the value they placed in being there.

It was inspiring, to say the least, to witness all of these hardworking individuals showcase their visions, talents and projects they have worked so hard on. As such, the LEAD staff were pleased to assist in the presentation of awards to the students behind the projects dubbed most powerful. From photography and film to dance and education, the projects were as diverse as they were paramount. The award ceremony was followed by a chillingly captivating hip-hop performance by the students who proved that serious issues of gender issues and human suffrage can be well expressed through the art of dance.

Following the ceremony, the attendees informally met with each other to engage in dialogue regarding the days events and questions of how to best move forward with social change within their country, and individual leadership. Of course, all of this was followed by an outdoor concert so that everyone could really celebrate the success of the past two days and unleash their enthusiasm.

The LEAD Exodus ‘14 at the KLS Gogte Institute of Technology fostered, and showcased, big ideas and great leadership among Karnataka’s youth. It was an important opportunity for innovative thinking, creative collaboration, youth empowerment and great celebration.

Have a glance of all the events at EXODUS

Avatar: Face painting event

Step Up: An event to exhibit the rhythmic movement of the body.

  

Wrap the Scrap: An event to create awareness about recycling and to get best out of the waste.

Fight for Fame: An adventurous event to challenge the abilities of  the student. To judge the Physical, Intellectual, Social responsive and communication abilities of an individual.

Flash Mob: A random act to create awareness about empowerment and safety of women was held at various areas of Belgaum.

Carnival De Musica: Music is one of the important part of everyone's life. So here was a platform to exhibit the musical skills of individuals. 

Nukkad Natak: Street play is the best way to touch the heart of common and deliver the message on social issues.

The Next Picaso: Art brings out the hidden thoughts and ideas of our  mind. A Drawing competition was conducted to let the college students exhibit their ideas through an artistic way.

Sports: A physical activity with a competitive nature to keep us active all the time was also held. Mix Box Cricket and Boys Kick off was conducted in Exodus 14. 

Stone-age Chef: Cooking a delicious food is a talent which only a few are gifted with. Hence a competition to prepare mouth-watering dishes was organized at Exodus.

Valedictory: The event Exodus was concluded with Prize distribution to the winners of various competition. 

 The Exodus was a great success and it succeeded in creating created a spirit of participation and leadership among students. Exodus with a theme of "Stand Up for  Women"  created a wave among students and every other participant of the event.

Chikodi LEADer Helps 7 Homeless People Get Homes

LEADEr Jyoti Naik of AA Patil Women's College, Chikodi, identified a handful of people near Chikodi without homes.  Desperately wanting to help them improve their living conditions, Jyoti approached the government and demanded that they help these few people.  The government agreed to fund the construction of seven homes for these needy people.  Five of these homes have since been allotted.

 

Jyoti received the "Best LEADer" award during Yuva Summit 2014 for the impactful nature of her project.  

Eureka Science Exhibition Brings Hands-On Learning to 500 School Students

Shivanand Pati, a student of KLECET, Belgau, has been very active in LEAD over the past two years.  Through his involvements with LEAD, Shivanand came to know about the work of Agastya International Foundation, which runs the largest hands-on science program in the world.  With the intention to promote the work of Agastya and to help government school children enjoy fun, hands-on science learning, Shivanand organized Eureka Science Exhibition at his college.  After getting permission and support from his college, Shivanand conducted a survey of government schools in Belgaum and met with the school Headmasters.  He then approached the Agastya Foundation in Hubli and convinced them to bring their mobile science lab vans to Belgaum.

Eureka Science Exhibition attracted more than 500 school students, who got the unique opportunity to learn scientific concepts through models and hands-on learning.  In addition, the success of Shivanand's project inspired 10 of his peers to join LEAD.

Shivanand's project was showcased during Yuva Summit 2014. 

Belgaum LEADer Helps 50 Women and Children Through Entrepreneurship

GIT Belgaum LEADer Ashika Jain wanted to find a lasting solution for helping poor women and their children.  The mothers clearly needed money so that they could send their children to school, but they needed a sustainable income. Ashika decided that entrepreneurship was the answer.  Ashika purchased the raw materials and taught 50 women how to make stationary products such as files, notepads and notebooks.  Ashika then sold the books and saved a percentage of the profits towards funding the education of the women's children.  Ashika's social entrepreneurship initiative not only helped send these children to school but it also helped their mothers gain skills and employment experience so that they can continue working to help their children in the future. 

Ashika's project was showcased at Yuva Summit 2014. 

Belgaum LEADer Feeds 1000 Needy People

Pooja Karjol, a LEADer from Jain College of Engineering, Belgaum, was saddened by the large amount of hungry people she saw wandering the streets.  In addition, she felt angered by the enormous amount of food she would see being wasted whenever she ate at canteens or hotels.  She realized that if she could connect the wasted food with the hungry people, she could help provide a solution for this problem.  She collaborated with local canteens, hotels, and messes to collect their leftover, uneaten food.  For several months, she has been distributing this food to 1000 beggars and needy people.  Pooja's initiative of connecting two problems to create a solution inspired her peers and the local community.  Two students of her college were so moved by her project that they decided to join LEAD themselves so that they could make a difference in their respective communities.

Belgaum LEADer Brings Knowledge of Malnutrition to 200 Mothers

Malnutrition is a major problem in India.  Children who are malnourished often suffer from severe health conditions later on in their lives.  Malnutrition is easy to prevent, but only if one knows the steps to take to prevent it.   Priya Muchandikar, a LEADer from Jain College of Engineering, Belgaum, made it her goal to do everything she could to protect children from malnutrition.  She prepared handmade pamphlets and videos about malnutrition and showed them to 200 pregnant women and mothers with young children.  These women are now taking the proper cautions to protect their children so that their children can lead brighter futures.