From Joy to Innovation – INCRA’s Creative Journey with Sri Vidhya Special Educators

 

From Joy to Innovation – INCRA’s Creative Journey with Sri Vidhya Special Educators

The INCRA workshop held at Sri Vidhya Centre for Special Children in Hyderabad was a completely hands-on, activity-driven experience designed to spark creativity and innovation among teachers working with children and adults with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and other developmental disabilities.

Far from a typical lecture or presentation, the workshop immersed participants in creative puzzles, team-based challenges, and product-making tasks that encouraged them to think differently, work collaboratively, and explore new ways of problem-solving.

The response was overwhelming: teachers felt joyful, engaged, empowered, and noticed a significant reduction in stress. Many shared that they felt like children again, freely expressing themselves and discovering hidden strengths. Additionally, the activities acted as a stress buster, helping teachers relax and enjoy the learning process while also discovering innovative ways to approach their teaching. More importantly, the workshop instilled confidence in their ability to design meaningful, activity-based learning tools. This creative boost is set to have a lasting impact, as participants are now motivated to develop innovative approaches that can significantly improve the quality of life and learning for children with special needs.

As part of its broader mission, Sri Vidhya Centre is committed to helping its students become more self-reliant through life skills, vocational training, and inclusive education—goals that align beautifully with the outcomes of this workshop. INCRA served as a powerful reminder that creativity, when grounded in purpose, can be a transformative force in special education

Empowering Change: My Journey with I&EYE

 

Empowering Change: My Journey with I&EYE

I recently had the incredible opportunity to conduct a two-day team-building and creativity workshop for the members of I&EYE, an NGO dedicated to providing quality education and health services, including vision care, for visually impaired children. This was my first experience leading such a workshop, and it was nothing short of transformative.

The workshop was designed to foster collaboration, trust, and creativity among participants. Through various team-building activities, we created an environment where everyone felt comfortable sharing ideas and working together. The energy in the room was palpable, with participants actively engaging in every session. It was heartwarming to witness their enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

One of the highlights of the workshop was our focus on nurturing creativity. We explored different activities that encouraged participants to think outside the box and express themselves freely. Watching them discover new ways to approach challenges was a reminder of the immense potential that lies within everyone.

I gained valuable insights from this experience. It reinforced my belief that empowerment is far more impactful than sympathy. Instead of merely feeling sorry for those facing challenges, we can actively contribute to their growth by providing support, skills, and opportunities.

This workshop continues to remind me that meaningful change comes from action. By stepping forward and contributing to our skills, we can create a ripple effect of positivity and empowerment in our communities. Let’s work together to inspire change and uplift those around us! I extend my heartfelt thanks to I&EYE for giving me this wonderful opportunity to learn and contribute.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPS5q-ytow

Discover the 5-Step Game-Changing Design Thinking Blueprint - Ravi Talluri

The Two Day SRGEC High-Impact Design Thinking Workshop was a transformative experience for senior engineering professors, equipping them with globally recognized methodologies to inspire innovation and creativity in their students. Over two dynamic days, professors explored cutting-edge teaching frameworks from Stanford, Harvard, and MIT, along with real-world case studies from global innovators like IBM, Apple, and GE. 

Professors gained hands-on experience with the Stanford d.school  Five-Stage Design Thinking process—empathy, define, ideate, prototype, and test— tackling real-world problems through collaboration, observation, and creative thinking. The workshop emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration, community-based projects, and student-faculty partnerships to drive impactful outcomes. 

The highlight of the workshop was the hands-on Design Thinking activities where professors actively participated in the Five-Stage Design Thinking process through practical exercises such as immersion, observation, interviewing, ideation, brainstorming and prototype building. 

The discussions included insights on embedding Design Thinking into engineering curriculum, as successfully implemented by institutions like IITs and NITs. Participants left empowered with actionable strategies and a tailored framework to foster a culture of creativity and problem-solving within their colleges. 

Workshops like these will redefine how educators approach teaching, ensuring students are not just learners but innovators ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FehIzh5jyE4

"Attending the two-day Design Thinking Workshop was a truly enlightening and transformative experience. It introduced me to the fascinating world of design thinking, a powerful problem-solving framework that encourages creativity, empathy, and innovation. The workshop delved into the five key stages of the process: empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing while demonstrating their relevance in solving real-world problems.

What made the workshop particularly engaging was its hands-on approach. Instead of merely discussing theoretical concepts, we were encouraged to collaborate, brainstorm, and apply what we learned through interactive group exercises. This practical exposure helped me better understand how to put design thinking into action. From identifying user pain points to developing and refining prototypes, every step felt meaningful and applicable to real-time challenges, whether in academic projects, professional scenarios, or everyday situations.

The sessions were made even more impactful by our resource person, Talluri Ravi Sir, whose expertise brought the concepts to life. His ability to explain complex ideas with clarity, while sharing relatable examples, made the learning process enjoyable and memorable. I genuinely appreciated his passion for the subject and the way he encouraged us to think differently.

I am immensely grateful to our college management and our respected Principal, Dr. B. Karuna Kumar and Dr. B. Mahesh Babu, the Program Coordinator, for organizing this incredible workshop. Their commitment to fostering innovative thinking among faculty is truly commendable. This experience has not only broadened my perspective but also equipped me with tools to approach challenges creatively and effectively. It was a privilege to be part of such a meaningful learning journey. Thank you once again for this incredible learning experience." SRGEC PROFESSOR

 A WORKSHOP TO PROMOTE CREATIVE THINKING

Times of India NIE 13 December 2022

G Pulla Reddy High School, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad, conducted a creativity workshop in which about 120 students of class X participated with lot of zeal and passion and displayed their creative talent. Teams were formed and each team was asked to come up with out of box ideas to solve real life problems.

Teams were provided with material like news paper, drinking straws etc. and each team created amazing and unique products. They were asked to solve puzzles and create stories to boost their imagination.

Students indicated that they enjoyed the workshop, learned how to solve real life challenges and find out of box solutions, everyone got an opportunity to express new ideas, learned to work in teams with new friends from different class sections and made innovative products from waste material.

The focus of the workshop was on out of box thinking and team spirit. Overall it was a fun filled workshop. This workshop was jointly conducted by Ushashree, School Counsellor, and Ravi Talluri, a Management Consultant.

 

FACTORS IMPACTING PRODUCT SUCCESS AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A CUSTOMER

 

THE BEST INVENTIONS OF 2021

100 innovations changing how we live

Source: https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2021/

MULTIPURPOSE SHOE RACK BY BHARGAVI TALLURI AND RAVI TALLURI

 MULTIPURPOSE SHOE RACK - BY BHARGAVI TALLURI AND RAVI TALLURI

My daughter Bhargavi Talluri and I designed a MULTI FUNCTIONAL SHOE RACK using DESIGN THINKING and DESIGN FOR X concepts. This elegant product was designed keeping end users and their needs in mind. Design for assembly and manufacture, Design for comfort, Design for cost and Design for aesthetics methodologies were employed while designing multi functional shoe rack. The white color of the product matches any interior schemes. This product serves the twin purpose of storing shoes and acts as seating furniture.

India's Deval Karia wins staggering amount in this competition: Here's how to apply

India's Deval Karia has won a staggering amount of £30,000 in James Dyson Award competition: Here's how to apply

Every year around 250 students from across the globe participate in the James Dyson Award and they get prize money of £1m. This year an Indian student has made it to the coveted list. Deval Karia from Bangalore has received an appreciation for the invention of LifeBox.

"India has an abysmal rate of 200 heart transplants annually, despite a staggering 50, 000 people in need. Institutional factors aside, the inability to move hearts from a donor to the recipient is a major hindrance to bridging this gap," Deval Karia said.

He further said, "The project has its genesis in a course taught by Prof.B. Gurumoorthy, Prof. A. Ghosal at CPDM, with a vision to explore drones for organ transportation. However, we soon realized that without active preservation techniques, drones will not do much to improve the rate of heart transplants in India. This led to a shift in focus: a portable system that can extend the out-of-body viable time of the heart."

The James Dyson Award has now given nearly £1m in prize money to over 250 promising inventions from young engineers and scientists in 28 countries around the world. In 2021, the Award received a record number of entries worldwide and Sir James Dyson chose three global winners for the first time, each receiving £30,000 in prize money to support the next stages of their inventions.

Commenting on this year’s competition, Sir James Dyson said,

“I enjoy seeing the enthusiasm with which young people tackle the world’s problems using good design, engineering, and science. So promising were this year’s entries that we were awarded the third prize, focused on medical invention. Commercialising an idea is very hard I hope that the awareness that the Award drives, as well as the financial support it provides, will give these ideas a springboard to success.”

James Dyson Award competition entry invitation

Design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration that we all face in daily life or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking. Unlike other competitions, participants are given full autonomy over their intellectual property.

The process. Entries are judged first at the national level by a panel of external judges, before progressing to the international stage. A panel of Dyson engineers then select an international shortlist of 20 entries. The top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his global winners.

James Dyson Award 2021 prizes

The International winner receives a prize of £30,000, plus £5,000 for the winner’s university.
The Sustainability winner and the Medical winner receive a prize of £30,000.
Each National winner receives £2,000.

How to participate in James Dyson Award competition

Candidates enter through an online application form via the James Dyson Award website. Entries open again on 16 March 2022. Entrants should concisely explain what their invention is, how it works, and their development process. The best entries solve a real problem, are clearly explained, show iterative development, provide evidence of physical prototyping, and have supporting imagery and a video.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/india-s-deval-karia-wins-staggering-amount-in-this-competition-here-s-how-to-apply-1880399-2021-11-24

Neilom Prize 2020-21: IIT Delhi students clinch award for empowering people with disabilities

Neilom Prize 2020-21: IIT Delhi students clinch award for empowering people with disabilities

Neilom Prize is an award given every year to the best ongoing students of IIT Delhi, and this time went to Richa Gupta and Girish Yadav for empowering people with disabilities.

Neilson Prize an award given every year to the best ongoing students of IIT Delhi, and this it cam to Richa Gupta and Girish Yadav. Credits: IIT-Delhi

The Neilom Prize for 2020-21 has been jointly given to recent IIT Delhi graduates Dr. Richa Gupta and Girish Yadav for their contributions to the domain of assistive technology to empower individuals with impairments. The winners were congratulated by Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT Delhi.

Every year, the award, which comes with a monetary incentive of Rs 1 lakh, is given to the best IIT Delhi outgoing student(s) for their contribution to the field of assistive technology.

About the awardees

Dr. Richa Gupta, an Assistant Professor of Human-Centered Design at IIIT-Delhi, earned her Ph.D. from IIT Delhi's Khosla School of Information Technology after receiving her BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIITDM, Jabalpur, and her Master of Design (MDes) from IIT Bombay.

She also spent a year as a project scientist at IIT Delhi's Assistech Laboratory, where she helped with the industrial design of numerous assistive gadgets in the areas of accessible education and mobility.

On this Dr. Gupta, a doctoral researcher at IIT Delhi, throws light on the concept of revolutionary design strategies that can help people remember tactually acquired graphical information.

Her work included significant experimentation with organisations in India (National Association for the Blind) and the United States that excel in accessibility programmes and inclusion of the blind and visually impaired (Indiana School for the Blind & Visually Impaired)

Girish Yadav received his BTech in Production and Industrial Engineering from IIT Delhi, and he just earned his MDes degree from the same institution. Girish is a co-founder of Flexmo, a firm that designs and manufactures assistive technology products for the elderly and persons with locomotor disabilities.

A BIG CONGRATS TO BOTH AWARDEES

Prof M Balakrishnan, Founder, Assistech Laboratory, IIT Delhi congratulated the two awardees for their contribution to empowering disabled people.

“Successive generations of students and research staff who have worked in this space with passion and commitment are responsible for whatever success ASSISTECH has got in the last 15 years of its existence," he said.

"We are thankful to Prof. Anand for establishing the Neilom prize, which recognises the work done by these young graduates," he added.

An inspiration for other aspirants

The purpose of this prize, established by the Neilom Foundation in Maryland, USA, is to inspire and encourage Neilom Fellows to become tomorrow's leaders and generate meaningful solutions for humanity

Source:  https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/neilom-prize-2020-21-iit-delhi-students-clinch-award-for-empowering-people-with-disabilities-1879596-2021-11-22

 

IIT Bombay students develop methods to remove harmful gases from air, win award

A team of IIT Bombay students and professors have developed a way to permanently separate carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from the air and won an award for the same.

A team of IIT Bombay students and professors have developed a way to permanently separate Carbon Dioxide and other harmful gases from the air.(Representational Image)

About 14 cities nationwide, including Mumbai, have been suffering from excessive pollution. In the backdrop of such a situation, a team of IIT Bombay students and professors have discovered a new process to remove carbon dioxide and harmful gasses from the air, and even won an award for the same.

How does the new process work?

In the newly discovered process, the gases emitted are permanently removed from the atmosphere and carbon dioxide emissions from industries are captured and converted into useful salts.

Global acknowledgment for the IIT Bombay team

The team of professors and students behind the discovery have received global recognition for their concept.

For their discovery, the IIT Bombay team won an international competition for which they were awarded USD 250,000 (approximately Rs 1.85 Crore).

A total of 195 teams participated in this competition, making the significance of the achievement even greater for the IIT Bombay winning team.

The winners were announced on Thursday at the COP26 summit in Glasgow Sustainable Innovation Forum.

The winning team

Srinath Iyer and Anvesha Banerjee (Ph.D. students), graduate student Srishti Bhamare, and Junior Research Fellow Shubham Kumar were part of the team that won the XPRIZE competition backed by the Elon Musk Foundation.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/iit-bombay-students-develop-methods-to-remove-harmful-gases-from-air-win-award-1877797-2021-11-17

 

14-YO Innovates 8-in-1 Device To Simplify Household Work For Mum, Wins Award

Navshri Thakur, a student of Girls’ High School, Pipariya in Madhya Pradesh, has innovated a device that can be used to simplify household chores and save time.

Women in India spend up to 352 minutes (approximately five hours) every day tending to household chores. Several are forced to handle multiple roles at a time — from cleaning the house to cooking meals, before they can leave for work.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Dokrikheda village, 14-year-old Navshri Thakur’s mother Rajini Bai was facing the same problem. She would wake up early in the morning to prepare food for the family and leave to work in the fields until the evening.

“My elder sister and I help my mother out so she can leave for work on time. Sometimes, there are chores pending and she will have to finish them in the evening after returning from work. We cannot help her at that time, because we are studying,” says Navshri, a Class 10 student of Girls High School, Pipariya in an interview with The Better India.

Simplifying chores for mum

In 2019, to give her mum an extra set of hands to simplify household work, Navshri decided to innovate a device that can do different tasks.

“First, I imagined and drew a rough device on paper. I applied simple scientific principles that can help my mother cut vegetables and prepare other dishes at the same time. However, to improve the design and to develop a real-time prototype, I approached my school science teacher Aradhana Patel for guidance,” says Navshri.

Aradhana consulted a few carpenters to understand whether the design would work. Based on their advice, the device was altered and, by 2021, replicated. It was named Multi-Use Kitchen Machine.

Navshri and Aradhana with the innovation.

The device, which can be operated by hands, has eight functions including cutting vegetables, extracting juice, crushing spices, rolling rotis, among others. It is made using teak wood, steel plates, cups and more. To purchase the materials, funds were provided by the National Innovation Foundation.

“The device is like building blocks. It has removable parts that serve different purposes. It was built with the help of a carpenter in our locality and cost less than Rs 3,000. When all the fittings are removed, it can be folded into one plank,” says Navshri, adding that she gave her innovation a tagline, Jhat-Phat Kaam, Maa Ko Aaram (Quick work and relief for mom).

To test the prototype’s efficiency, Navshri’s mother used this device during her daily cooking for a few weeks. She says that the device helped her finish preparing dishes faster, and was easy to clean.

“Usually, I require multiple utensils to cut vegetables, crush garlic, extract lemon juice, etc. But with this device, I can do all the activities in one place. Thanks to this, there are fewer utensils to wash after cooking,” Rajini Bai says.

Further, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has given the INSPIRE award to Navshri and are in the process of patenting her design.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

Source: https://www.thebetterindia.com/263369/madhya-pradesh-girl-inventor-student-national-innovation-foundation/

 

Vinisha Umashankar, class 8th student from Tamil Nadu wins Swedish prize for solar-powered ironing cart design

A girl student from the Path Global Public School in Malappambadi, Thiruvannamalai (TN) has done her school proud. She has designed a mobile ironing cart, which uses solar panels to power a steam iron box.

Class 8th student Vinisha Umashankar won Swedish 'Climate Change' prize for Solar Ironing cart design  |  Photo Credit: Twitter

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Engineers and innovators start young and want to create usable, practical things using their knowledge

• Vinisha Umashankar of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu recently won the Children’s Climate Prize conferred by the Children’s Climate Foundation from Sweden, says a report in The Hindu

• Though she has won a prize for an engineering design model, her heart is set on becoming a research scientist and inventing a single vaccine for all types of cold viruses

Vinisha Umashankar, a class 8th student from Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu has recently won the Children’s Climate Prize conferred by the Children’s Climate Foundation from Sweden, reports The Hindu. Vinisha stunned all with her unique design of an everyday use engineering product — an innovative design for a solar ironing cart —  that will serve several causes.

Vinisha has designed a mobile ironing cart that uses solar panels to power a steam iron box. This can be powered by pre-charged batteries, electricity or diesel-powered generator in the absence of sunlight. The most important benefit of solar ironing cart is that it eliminates the need for coal for ironing. The vendors can move around and offer services at the doorstep for increasing their daily earning. For earning extra income, the ironing cart can be fitted with a coin-operated GSM PCO, USB charging points and mobile charging.

"Hats off to Vinisha Umashankar, the young girl from Tiruvannamalai in #TamilNadu for developing solar-powered cart to press clothes that will go a long way in phasing out polluting coal usage. Green energy solutions and #AatmaNirbharBharat is the way forward," tweeted Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change; Information & Broadcasting; & Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/vinisha-umashankar-class-8th-student-from-tamil-nadu-wins-swedish-prize-for-solar-powered-ironing-cart-design/686131

Make in India: Meet the social entrepreneur behind India's 'pressed flower' art

Gretchen Ferrao-Walker

Fri, 18 September, 2020, 2:07 pm IST

Jatropha, ixora and other pressed flowers adorn tabletops, lampshades and stationary products. Gulmohar and eucalyptus seedpods are sanded and shaped into incense-holders. Assorted seeds are polished and beaded into jewellery. These are some of the offerings at Shradhanjali, an eco-lifestyle label co-founded by Abha Tewari in 1980.

“The goal has been to do business, but differently; to create original beautiful products, in a harmonious, growth-fostering environment for the team, while taking utmost care of the environment, of our raw material suppliers and our customers and finally, contributing to [our hometown] Auroville's growth,” says Abha.

Abha Tewari founded Shradhanjali, an eco-conscious, social enterprise in 1980. Image: Courtesy Shradhanjali

Most of the flowers used are grown organically in its garden, using drip irrigation and recycled water. Other botanicals are handpicked from Auroville’s forests. “Part of the profit from Beejika, the seed range, goes back to the forest group for replanting,” she adds.

The 40-year-strong social enterprise has strengthened its commitment to female empowerment over the last decade. Its 21-member team is comprised mainly of women, several of whom are the sole breadwinners of their family.

With the advent of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, Shradhanjali's orders have dwindled. “We have only had small orders from a client in Europe but they too, are strongly impacted by the virus and struggling to find new ways of functioning,” adds Abha who had to shut operations at the end of July.

While hoping to reopen, she continues to look out for her team. Shradhanjali released a series of Covid Testimonies, via social media, that features its workers and their individual stories.

The idea is to garner financial support, perhaps through a scholarship fund for their children’s education, says Abha. Meanwhile, the company has cleared all final settlements to help members through this challenging time.

Source:

https://in.yahoo.com/style/make-in-india-meet-social-abha-tewari-entrepreneur-behind-indias-pressed-flower-art-083743557.html