Beyond the Clock
Since 2016, stepping out of secondary school, I've embraced a world beyond academia. While innovation and successes excites me, my true passion lies in empowering people. I believe in leveraging technology and engineering not just for progress, but for progress with a purpose. Through my diverse engagements, I've come to understand that engineering and education must serve not just as a tool, but as a bridge, connecting individuals and unlocking their potential to bridge socioeconomic divides and build a future where everyone thrives.
Student Consultant at Rural Immersion Program
(Dec 18')
For 2 weeks, I led a team of 40 students on a transformative rural immersion program at MIT-WPU., with a mission to empower communities through sustainable businesses. We tackled this by helping local enterprises adopt renewable energy and ethical practices, devising growth strategies tailored to rural farming businesses while aligning with India's "AtmaNirbhar Bharat" vision.
This wasn't just about experience; it was about building cultural bridges and contributing to rural development. We organized educational initiatives like cancer screenings and women's health workshops, enriching both our understanding and the lives of those we served. Our hands-on approach proved that progress thrives on mutual respect and collaboration. This wasn't just a initiative; it was a experience woven with threads of human connection, environmental stewardship, and shared growth. And that's a legacy I'll forever carry.
Community Volunteer at Rotaract Club of Bombay Bayview (April 2016- May 2016)
My journey into community development began unexpectedly. Coming from a business-oriented family, I was always practical and pragmatic. After finishing my 10th grade and indulging in my favorite drama series, I stumbled upon a news piece about the government's inaction on escalating environmental pollution near Mumbai coastal area. This sparked my interest, and soon, I joined a group of like-minded individuals in a coastal cleanup initiative.
It wasn't just about cleaning; we infused the experience with fun activities, community games, and other engaging volunteer tasks. The humorous twist? Volunteering was never on my agenda. But post-SSC exams, craving some downtime with friends and facing my parents' reluctance to let me go, I pitched this initiative to them. They agreed, and I ended up staying with my uncle in Mumbai. This experience, born out of a desire for leisure, unexpectedly steered me towards a path of community involvement and development.
Three Weeks, Double Blooms: Adivasi Harvest Transformation in Waghdari, Kinwat (Feb 21' - Mar 21' )
Seeing abundant yet untapped floral farming promise in my tribal homeland, I was compelled to act. By collaborating with regional agricultural experts from Rasi Seeds, I helped uplift marginalized farming families, forming the soul of these acres through generations. My first step towards empowering the Adivasi community consisted of assisting 23
agriculture-dependent households by spearheading agricultural upskilling workshops and integrating data-driven engineering techniques. After equipping villagers with updated domain knowledge and inputs, their yield per acre surged an astounding 82% within seven months through climate-adjusted harvesting. With environmental sustainability driving demand, I even contacted UrbanKisaan and Triton FoodWorks to secure contractual agreements establishing introductory vertical farming installations by the end of 2024, granting remote marginalized groups access to resilient income channels
This wasn't just about experience; it was about building cultural bridges and contributing to rural development. We organized educational initiatives like cancer screenings and women's health workshops, enriching both our understanding and the lives of those we served. Our hands-on approach proved that progress thrives on mutual respect and collaboration. This wasn't just a initiative; it was a experience woven with threads of human connection, environmental stewardship, and shared growth. And that's a legacy I'll forever carry.
Motivated by early positive impacts uplifting the Adivasi community's living standards, we realized lasting change requires addressing systemic gaps denying identity and rights. Partnering with Kinwat authorities and State officials, we leveraged media advocacy platforms through leading newspaper Lokmat to spotlight our on-ground efforts while showcasing the shocking absence of basic amenities like roads or water access for marginalized villages. This exposé revealed that ambiguous legal status had rendered entire rural settlements essentially 'invisible' - lacking bank accounts, property rights or access to government aid programs. Our persistent awareness campaigns were instrumental in mobilizing widespread support, finally marking these overlooked places on State maps to transform neglected spaces into recognized communities. This seminal moment triggered allocation of long-denied basic provisions for the area - from healthcare access and identity certificates to avenues for loans and participation in housing/infrastructure schemes. Our collaborative movement brought tangible, much-needed changes amplifying village welfare structurally by cementing pathways towards prosperity and dignity through policy after years of obscurity.
Local Gems, Global Gains: Transforming Farms with High-Value Crops
Part-time Pro Bono consultant (Aug 22' - Dec 22')
As part of my desire to drive tangible community impact, I served as a pro-bono part-time consultant with the Nanded District Revenue Office. Recognizing the immense yet untapped potential for farmers in the region to embrace high-value specialty agriculture, I assisted the office in devising an ambitious specialized contract farming model across 270 hectares of land.
The model focused on creating agricultural infrastructure enabling farmers to cultivate premium exotic vegetables and fruits demanded by elite city hotels and restaurants located in nearby urban hubs. I helped demystify logistics connecting regional growers with mainstream supply chains through formal contracted partnerships guaranteeing purchase and profitability to the farmers. This pioneering initiative involved working closely alongside a team of 3 progressive regional revenue officers to co-create documentation that would be accessible at the village level outlining equitable risk-reward sharing agreements for the land owners. Over 8 months, our collaborative efforts came to fruition as the model got successfully adopted by the enthusiastic farming community - uplifting incomes substantially by over 70% above traditional staple crop returns. It was incredibly rewarding to then see the project spotlighted in the Lokmat newspaper as a case study for how innovative public-private partnerships can drive grassroots community advancement by capitalizing on specialty agricultural strengths unique to the topology. This small effort only strengthened my conviction to continue contributing pro-bono consulting tapping into networks uplifting lives at the last mile through conscious interventions appreciating hyperlocal realities.
Etisalat Academy: Design Thinking in Action: Capstone Project Showcase (March 22')
I had the distinct opportunity to represent my university in Etisalat Academy’s prestigious Design Thinking competition as part of a select 12-member team. Appointed Chief User Researcher and Lead Presenter, I spearheaded our team’s efforts through an intense 9-day innovation challenge centered on conceiving cutting-edge ecommerce business ideas from scratch. Guided by human-centric design principles, our solution catered specifically
to an underserved niche collector enthusiast market. We built an intuitive and secure mobile auction platform for rare collectibles, incorporating community features like exclusive bid updates, authentication to combat counterfeits, and forums enabling aficionados to share cherished stories plus appraisal tips. Our sharp customer orientation targeting focused needs differentiated us to emerge within the top 20 amongst over 80 global participants.
I also led extensive rapid-cycle user research through interactive interviews in nearby Emirati markets, soliciting candid feedback to refine the product-market fit and enhance our clicks-to-bricks MVP prototype aligned closely with consumer preferences. This qualitative dataset powered Key recommendations on regionalized UAE ecommerce nuances. Parallel quantitative analysis harnessed tools like Tableau dashboards identifying addressable market sizing leveraging trends on collector categories and spend thresholds. Our presentation framed dual high-touch user insights with robust data-backed diligence, winning over the jury.
Captured here is a serendipitous encounter with an avid German coin collector during our user research phase. His incredible passion and insights on niche hobbyist needs provided deep inspiration. Our design pivoted specifically on feedback from collectors like him seeking tailored features securing and connecting tightly-knit coint networking communities globally.
Volunteer at South Korea and Germany Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 (Feb 2022)
At the Dubai Expo 2020, I had the enriching experience of volunteering alongside my team at the Germany and South Korea pavilions. Our primary role involved managing crowd flows, but the true essence of this opportunity lay in the chance to interact with individuals from various cultural backgrounds. This exposure not only broadened my perspective but also led to the formation of wonderful friendships. Engaging in casual conversations and shared experiences, I discovered how small interactions can blossom into lifelong connections, highlighting the power of human bonds amidst the vastness of a global event like the Expo.