MRIIRS Proudly Hosted the Physical Edition of Toycathon 2022 as One of the Nodal Centres

• Toycathon organized by Ministry of Education in coordination with 5 other ministries

• Central Inaugural Ceremony was attended by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe (Chairman AICTE)

• 7 teams along with Certificates of Merit won 25 thousand rupees each

Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies was selected as a Nodal Centre by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell and AICTE for hosting Toycathon 2022 physical edition organized jointly by the Ministry of Education in coordination with five other Ministries viz: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Ministry of Textiles. The event kick-started on 24th May with the inaugural address given to the five nodal centers from AICTE headquarters by senior officials of AICTE and MIC. The inaugural was attended by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe (Chairman AICTE), Prof. M.P. Poonia (Vice Chairman AICTE), Prof. Rajive Kumar (Member Secretary AICTE), Dr. Abhay Jere (Chief Innovation Officer, MIC) and Dr. Mohit Gambhir (Director, MIC).

Welcoming Prof. Rajive Kumar, Member Secretary, AICTE at the Physical Edition of Toycathon at Manav Rachna

Toycathon focuses on conceptualizing new and innovative toys using local materials which are economical, affordable, safe, environment friendly, with exceptional high quality for both Indian and global markets. Toycathon was a continuous 36 hours event which saw the gracious presence of senior officials of AICTE, MIC and Manav Rachna at the nodal center for interacting with the students and encouraging them to put the best possible efforts for converting their toy ideas into working prototypes.

Valedictory Session of Toycathon

Prof. Rajive Kumar, Member Secretary AICTE; Dr. Neeraj Saxena, Advisor, AICTE; Dr. Mohit Gambhir, Director MIC; Shri Girish Kumar Bhasin, Senior Account Officer AICTE; Shri Yogesh Wadhawan, Accounts Officer AICTE; Dr. Sanjay Srivastava (VC-MRIIRS); Shri R.K Arora (Registrar MRIIRS); Lt. Gen. (Retd.) R.K. Anand graced the Toycathon event with their presence at Manav Rachna campus. Manav Rachna was the only nodal center being given the responsibility of hosting students of Track 1 which included Grade VIII-XII students from PAN India.

Dr. Neeraj Saxena emphasized on project-based learning rather than rote learning. With the launch of New Education Policy 2020, we need to promote learning across areas in which our head, hands and heart are involved.

Prof. Rajive Kumar said, "I interacted with the participants at Toycathon and I am amazed by their enthusiasm, ideas and commitment. Such exposure to students like interactions and cultural exchange is what our honorable Prime Minister visions. Toycathon is a perfect example of students exchanging ideas, culture and innovation."

The two day event concluded with a valedictory ceremony, graced by the Chief Guest Dr. Mohit Gambhir, Director of Ministry of Education, Innovation Cell; Dr. Pardeep Kumar, Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean FET; Dr, Geeta Nijhawan, Associate Dean, FET along with Mr. Sarim Moin, Mr. Nitin and Mr. Sourabh from the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell; Dr. Umesh Dutta, Director, MRIIC; Dr. Abhiruchi Passi, Deputy Director MRIIC and other senior representatives.

There were 34 teams from all over India, who brought innovation and structure with scientific temper. Seven teams won for their innovative idea, representation of Indian heritage and dawning with technological progression. In addition to that, Manav Rachna also bestowed Appreciation awards to four teams for their creativity and out of the box thinking.

Team Tatva, Toycoon, Toyscope, Stickathi, Knowledge Hub, Spell Wizard, Untold Stories, all hailing from different regions including Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Odisha, and Kerala emerged as winners. The 7 teams along with Certificates of Merit won 25 thousand rupees each.