Winners announced for IIT Bombay’s e-Yantra Virtual Museum Competition
Mumbai : The pilot edition of the e-Yantra Virtual Museum Competition announced the winners today after 7 invigorating weeks of students using graphical, analytical and research techniques to present a Virtual Museum exhibit which they designed with e-Yantra, IIT Bombay.
The audience was regaled with exhibits that ranged from the coin history of Bhutan, Bust of Bodhisattva, Narsimha to name a few. The students underwent a rigorous journey of research, project proposal, and developing a chair model, which culminated into the final stage of kiosk and exhibition design.
The final list of winners of the e-Yantra Virtual Museum Competition across categories are as follows:
- Most Consistent Team – Pazap’s Armor by The Royal Academy, Bhutan
- Most Innovative Design – Toda Temple by Holy Innocents School and Junior College, Tamil Nadu
- Most Dramatic Exhibit – The Statue Of Lhamo Ekajati & The painting of Buddhist Cosmology by The Royal Academy, Bhutan
- Best Research – Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel Statue by The Royal Academy, Bhutan
- Best Narration – Ambernath Temple by Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT Powai, Mumbai
- Best Storytelling – Jain Chatustika by Ramakrishna Vidya Mandir (CBSE), Gwalior
- Most Dramatic Video – Narsimha Statue by Mayo College Ajmer, Rajasthan
- Best Exhibit Design – Lord Vinayagar by Kendriya Vidyalaya New Delhi
The pilot edition of the competition attracted a record number of entrants, with 242 registrations across 9 schools, with students taking part from Bhutan too! A total of 17 artefacts were shortlisted that showcased immense potential to redefine history in a new and innovative manner utilising technology. The event showed the skills of students of Grade 7th, 8th and 9th, who mastered technologies such as Photogrammetry, Canva, Blender, etc. to render real objects in a virtual 3D space for an online DIY museum.
Sharing his thoughts on this journey, Prof. Kavi Arya, Professor (Dept. Of Computer Science & Engg., IIT-Bombay) & Principal Investigator, e-Yantra says, ‘’for long, IIT Bombay has been a pioneer in Distance Education and this competition was our brainwave to inspire the younger generation’s interest in history & art. Watching these young minds so immersed in the programme and witnessing their zest to bring global history to life solidified my faith in the next generation. Our future is the right hands and we aim to be the winds behind their sails always.’’
Adding to this, Prof. Dinesh Singh, Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University said, ‘’The fusion of art and technology has changed conventional approaches and encouraged artists to produce and exhibit their work to a global audience. This competition was our initiative to provide a similar platform to the young minds of today. Our technology-led approach was a step towards inspiring ways of engaging with art history and visual culture combined with storytelling.’’
Sharing his experience Darsh Lakhani from Mayo College Ajmer, Rajsathan says, ‘’The 7 weeks that we spent on the programme & competition were enriching, informative and something we had never experienced before. We were introduced to not only our own roots but the vibrant and rich history that our country is home to. We are eternally grateful to IIT Bombay for giving us this opportunity and we are excited to come back next year too!’’
The road to winning this competition was demanding and competitive. Every team went through an exhilarating training programme that changed their perception of art, history and its place in their lives. In this far-reaching journey some of the skills they imbibed were critical thinking skills, research methodology, teamwork and most importantly the art of storytelling so critical in engaging with the world. Now this project aspires scale itself up to crowd-source the vast trove of history lying around in obscure archaeological sites waiting to be presented to its young citizens in future museums by the youth and for the youth. IIT Bombay’s History project has the potential to connect young people with their heritage in an innovative manner to change the face and the value of digital museums in the years to come!
You can glance through the exhibits on our YouTube channel. Here’s the link for a quick virtual tour!