The Dhronacharya from the south
The Dhronacharya from the south
The stage was lit with the digital projection of the sponsors, MAHINDRA, ANSIS, BPCL, SOLID WORK, MATHLAB, ALTAIR, ENDURANCE SUSPENSIONS at the CHITKARA UNIVERSITY PUNJAB. The auditorium was filled with distinct chatters and noises of students and their accompanying guides. It was being a tiring week for all of them with Static, dynamic, and endurance rounds happening back to back. After all, this was the moment they were all waiting for. The moment that would pay for their months of hard work in the workshops and a lot of midnight toils. The stage was now being filled with the delegates, who represented very high positions right from an AICTE chairman to dignitaries representing BPCL and other esteem positions in Education and automobile sector.
It was my 3rd consecutive year, to appear in BAGA. The last two times, my team and I have turned empty-handed back to the college and yet my department and the management have cheered us up. Returning empty-handed this time would be the last thing for me on earth for now. My team comprising of 25 students from different departments, who have been like a family for the past couple of months were with me worrying about the last-minute slip of our endurance trophy.
‘BAGA’ an SAE event is an annual event for Vehicles and is one of the biggest and most prestigious competitions in India. This year our work started ten months before the event. Our team had numerous sleepless nights and I was more conscious of not repeating the shortcomings of last year’s event. It started with analysis and reflecting back on even the smallest of the things right from choosing the team members and making BAGA, their dream. Our management and the department were our energy boosters, who boosted us whenever we felt low.
Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, has been participating in the BAGA events for the past one decade and known for its good performance on both technical and field event, was yet to mark its position on the list.
As all the hard paths, which we traversed right from reworking on the brake shaft, working in the workshops till 4 in the morning to the smell of the mosquito coil smell, that was our last desperate effect to stay safe from the mosquito bites.
The last few days were even tedious, seeing the crew running around for various rounds such as sales, design, cost evaluation, and emission relevant presentations. Drenching themselves in the sudden downpour, during the dynamic events such as break and acceleration, suspension, traction test, and sludge pool. Our last day of endurance also turned to be a one of the kind experience with a heavy sludge prominent through the endurance track resulted in our vehicle muddy. Our team fetching water to clean the driver and vehicle was a story of its own.
When my student team was busy on the field events, I had an interview session for the guiding faculties across all IIT’S , NIT, and other famous colleges across India. The idea was to find the best mentor of the teams registered. It was tiring day, I still remember, I walked into the hall little earlier than the time quoted and felt privileged for being competing among the famous and most look after professors from IITs and NITs. The interview started shortly and I was called in on my turn. After a brief introduction, the panelists started shooting questions that were of continuous fire arrows on how the team was chosen, the mentorship on designing, planning, and manufacturing. The questions were also on the changes (ie, the additions and deletions) that were made on the BAGA Guide for the current year and the earlier ones.
The distance sound of mic being adjusted, brought me back to sink with the felicitation ceremony of the BAGA SAE, 2020. Our team owns an award of 1st position in Rock Crawl with a cash prize of 60,000 and created new track record timing of 18 sec to complete rock crawl with. Then was the short time for celebrations, coming all way from Tamil Nadu, and having not tasted the Punjabi Parathas was a sin though. We still shouldn’t have missed the championship award that slipped from us due to the shortage of few points.
It was one of the professors from the Chitranga University who was announcing the results. Then was the time to announce the ‘The Dhronacharya Award of BAGA SAE 2020’. The announcer puzzled us with a clue stating that the winner was from the south of India, representing a district named Erode. Our hearts started pumping louder, Louder Matlab, louder enough to be heard by the people next to us. The pause, the announcer made, made our heart skip a beat……..The moment she pronounced ’TAAAMIRASAAAAN (First time I forgave someone ill pronouncing my name) professor from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam’ can still, even as I type drives me to the state of ecstasy.
It was such a proud moment to represent my department, my college, my district, my state, and my region in a place of such a high profile still gives me goosebumps.
This is one proud moment in my life which I would cherish forever in my life. My first success story after a series of failed ones. To those, who are reading my blog, I would be so happy if I could inspire at least one or two to achieve things they dream of.
By
Tamilarasan V D, M Tech
Research Associate cum Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
image source
- SAE Baja-1-min: TAMILARASAN