Tag Archives: Imbesat Ahmed

Pulwama in the news again, for Simrah who scored 99.39 percentile in JEE

Pulwama (Kashmir), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Simrah Mir, a Kashmiri student, beat the odds to score 99.39 percentile in JEE Mains, inspiring countless students.

Simrah Mir, a JEE topper from Kashmir. | Photo by Special Arrangement

She comes from a region where resilience is a way of life. When Simrah spoke over the phone, her voice exuded conviction which only comes with a sense of achievement.

“At one point, I felt like giving up,” she began. Yet even her recall of desperation was in an unwavering tone.

Hailing from Kashmir’s Pulwama, a town often making the headlines for more negative than positive news, Simrah Mir has given a reason for the region to shine bright. Defying all odds stacked up against her, this young woman has brought immense joy and pride to the valley by scoring 99.39 percentile in the recently concluded JEE Mains this year.

Simrah’s is not just a personal victory but may well be an inspiration for countless students across Kashmir. Simrah, a student of a local government school, attended RISE coaching classes in Srinagar for JEE.

RISE is a coaching institute in Srinagar started by three former IITians: Salman Shahid and Imbesat Ahmad, both alumni of IIT Kharagpur, and Mubeen Masudi of IIT Bombay. Mubeen is a Kashmiri, says Mr. Shahid. “We started our institute in 2015 since we wanted to do something for Kashmir. When we started out, only a handful enrolled in our classes. Today, every year, some three to four students from our institute go to IIT and 70 to 80 students go to NIT. Twenty percent of these students are girls,” says Mr Shahid.

In an interview with The Hindu, Simrah spoke about her challenges, triumphs, and her fresh optimism for the road ahead.

She says: “At times, there were internet shutdowns, and many times it was a fearful environment at my hometown. My parents sheltered me from everything, even from what happening around our near vicinity. Then I moved to Srinagar. It was difficult to travel up and down daily from Pulwama every day for the coaching classes. It’s a long distance.”

Unlike many students who set their sights on JEE early on, Simrah’s decision to pursue engineering evolved over time. “It was a big step. Initially, I didn’t know much about JEE. I joined the RISE Institute, and there I got to know about the exam and started looking at engineering as a career. Later, I faced difficulties in my preparation. I felt like giving up, but my parents constantly supported and motivated me,” she continued.

What kept you motivated? What were the reactions of your parents, friends, and teachers to your preparations?

 Initially, when I was searching for an interest, my parents and relatives were pushing me towards medicine. I didn’t like Biology and I’m not interested in Medicine. From an early age, I was interested in Physics and Mathematics; I wanted to know about the subjects. I studied by myself. I used to read books other than my textbooks. Physics and Maths interested me.

Later on, I decided that it is a stream for me. I decided I had to take Mathematics and Physics as a career.

Any obstacles or resistance you came across while preparing for JEE? Did you ever think about what would happen if you didn’t get selected?

 There were definitely moments of doubt. And I used to have them often. As I said, I felt like giving up. JEE is a tough exam. I did think about what would happen if I didn’t get selected. But every time I felt low, my parents supported me. That helped me stay focused and push through the tough times.

I recently spoke to some people in Assam and learned that language, infrastructure, and cultural barriers can be obstacles in education. Did you face any challenges like that?

 Shifting to Srinagar was a big deal for me. I’m from Pulwama, and it was getting difficult. There were no coaching classes specifically for JEE preparations

I did think of going to Delhi or another State initially because there are good institutes there. But then I realised it might not be beneficial for me. I have never lived alone, and I felt like I should be close to my parents.

In Kashmir, students usually prefer medicine and becoming doctors, especially girls. It’s rare for a girl to take engineering as a career.

Did your school play any role in your success? Did they provide career counselling or extra classes for JEE aspirants?

 There was enough career counselling but no extra classes specifically for JEE aspirants. Most students in my school focused on board exams.

Nobody actually introduced the subject to me. I was inquisitive. There were some other students too who were genuinely interested to study and were inquisitive like me.

Which branch of engineering attracts you the most? And why? And have you thought about any specific college you would like to join?

 I have not thought about it. Of course, I want to go to the best college. I want to go to IIT.

Personally, I want to take Computer Science Engineering, but I don’t know exactly what will happen in the future. I haven’t researched much yet. It also depends on my rank and how I perform in the JEE Advanced exam.

What do you wish to become eventually?

 As of now, my goal is to pursue Computer Science Engineering. I would see where my passion takes me eventually.

What advice and tips you would want to give to JEE aspirants from your region?

 In Kashmir, many students, especially girls, hesitate to choose engineering because it’s not the common path. But if you genuinely enjoy Mathematics and Physics, you should give it a chance. It’s important to be practical.

JEE is tough, and there will be challenges. But if you take it step by step and stay disciplined, you can do it.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Education / by Mantasha Ahmed / February 15th, 2025

Smart vendor carts & homeless shelters that turn into shops

Eleven student teams from across the country have conceptualised innovative, implementable ideas that can make a huge impact and a difference to one’s daily life. The products, a result of those ideas, range from a one-stop smart card that can be used for 14 different kinds of public transport, to a clock that alerts a mother on the days her newborn is due to get vaccinations.

These ideas were showcased at the National Student Challenge (NCS), a competition held by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS). Students had prepared for the challenge for more than six months. The competition was spread across various fields such as urban culture, basic services, urban poor, human development, safety and violence, livelihood, transport and mobility, affordable housing, etc.

The third edition of NCS saw the participation of over 1,100 teams from across the country, of which 25 were selected for the semi-finals that were held on Wednesday. Nina Nair, chief people officer and head, NCS said, “The concept of NCS is aimed at challenging the youth to stop wringing their hands and to do something about the things that irk them. This year, however, we made it mandatory that they come up with concepts that can be implemented. Thinking up ideas is easy; implementing it is the real hurdle. The 25 teams have done extensive research on the workability of their ideas.”

Here’s a look at some of the innovative ideas.

Innokart
In the wake of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India recently issuing notices to street food vendors on maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, this innovation by a team of four from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi comes as a blessing in disguise for vendors.

Their idea: an improved food cart. Targeted at meal vendors, the cart comes complete with segregated dustbins, folding flaps where customers can stand and eat and storage and advertising space. “We studied vendors outside Nizammuddin railway station and in Saraikale Khan, Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar and Karol Bagh. We found that most of the carts were huge and space-occupying. Vendors also dirtied the area around them. We will team up with National Association of Street Vendors in India to educate vendors on the importance of the carts,” said Huma Parvez and Nida Haque, who along with their team members Faiza Jamal and Ahmed Faraz Khan conceptualised Innokart.

Transpact
Two students from Jadavpur University, Kolkata have developed a concept that facilitates cashless transactions on any mode of public transport. Their idea: a one-stop smart card to integrate ticketing across 14 modes of transport. If their idea is implemented, a commuter needs only carry just one currency-loaded smart card which can be used use as a ticket on buses, Metros, taxis and autos. Since the origin of their idea is in Kolkata, the team has included travel on tram and ferry too. “It erradicates the change problem,” said Avishek Das. “We have also seen a lot of illegal tokens flood the existing system as well as paper wastage. To eliminate all that and to centralise the transport system, we came up with this concept.”

His teammate, Arunima Sen, added, “With this system we can also record patterns on commuter traffic and bring accountability to those running the system.”

Infilight
On a 20-day education yatra, Saif Khan and Imbesat Ahmed from IIT, Kharagpur stumbled on the poor electricity situation in villages of Bihar. Even though there were schools and teachers, the students could not pursue their studies, revise for exams and do their homework after coming back home due to long power cuts. But almost every child above Std VIII possessed a bicycle, thanks to the Bihar government’s Cycle Yojna scheme. It triggered the idea of a cost-effective lighting solution powered by bicycles. “Our innovation comes with a rechargeable battery that can be fitted to a dynamo which in turn is fixed to a bicycle. Using the energy generated from cycling, the dynamo recharges the batteries which can be used to power LED lamps that we will provide in the kit,” said Saif. The easy-to-fit device will be dust, shock and water resistant.

DRP
To address the problem of over seven lakh homeless people in India, a group of three from Piloo Mody College of Architecture, Cuttack has invented night shelters for homeless people. Their idea: prototype kiosks that can accommodate up to three people at night and can be used as small shops for grocery and other knick knacks. “Most of the people who are homeless in the cities are either beggars or daily wage labourers. These 7.35 sq mtr kiosks made of scrap block boards can be assembled anywhere and cost only Rs 1,200 to produce,” said Debadyuti Nandy, who along with teammates Rajarshi Das and Sraman Ghosh designed the kiosk.

Padawans
Have an elderly relative at home and are worried about his/her safety while you are away at work? No problem, says this group of friends who are from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, University College London and Amity, Noida. Their idea: a portable, wireless emergency alert device in the form of a bracelet or pendant that automatically sends out an alert when the person wearing it is debilitated or incapacitated. “The aged usually suffer from various kinds of diseases and it is not possible to keep an eye on them all the time. Our device, which can be triggered by the press of a button, will send a message via a bay station to the hospital the patient is registered with, and to a close relative. Each device will have a medical ID that paramedics using our app can check to get access to critical health information,” says Shankhanil Chowdhury, who along with his brother Saurav Chowdhury and friend Prasenjit Lahiri developed the concept.

Badlaav
Two students have conceptualised a device that can serve as a timely reminder for mothers to get newborns vaccinated. Their idea: a wall clock that has an automated display issuing notification at regular intervals in visual and audio format from six weeks to 18 months of the child’s birth. The reminders are as per specified by doctors. Asmita Misra who worked on the concept designed by her teammate Sahil Goyal, learnt during one of her field researches that parents had no idea when to get their child vaccinated. “We found that they were given a card but did not know how to read it. An in-house alert system was the need of the hour. For illiterate mothers, we have installed a small audio reminder that will start reminding the family three weeks prior to the date of vaccination – once every week,” she said.

Kaizen
Railway terminals are often a garbage dump with travellers and commuters throwing away used mineral water bottles and other plastic items. This not-so-pleasant sight caught the attention of a group of friends studying at Vellore Institute of Technology who have come up with an idea to improve the recycling process. Their idea: development and deployment of plastic collection machines in cities to deposit plastic bottles in exchange for a nominal amount of cash. “Ragpickers usually sort out plastic bottles at source. We plan to have them bring the collected mass to our kiosks at railway stations. And like systems in the West, they will get paid for feeding the bottles into the machines which will then compress it, thus enabling the transportation of more bottles at one go. These machines will also have sensors to detect pet bottles from ordinary plastic and separate them. The amount ragpickers bring in will be weighed and they will be paid a fee that is at least Rs 2 higher than what they get per kilo now,” said Yashanshu Jain, a of the team members who has worked on the concept. The other members of the team are Sarang Surve, Piyush Pangarkar and Rohit Kumar Tiwari.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Tapasya Mitra Mazumder, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 17th, 2013