Bharat Blockchain Yatra (BBY) event organized by Information Data Systems (IDS), powered by Hedera, and supported by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), hosted by Kumaraguru School of Innovation (KSI) at Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) on 25th September 2023.
Kumaraguru School of Innovation (KSI) at KCT is the first institute in the state and 5th in the country to host the prestigious event. The Bharat Blockchain Yatra represents a pioneering endeavor in India, focused on Web3 and Blockchain technologies. Its primary mission is to elucidate the compelling narrative of India's journey in the realm of Blockchain. A total of 800 students attended the event. (Interesting breakup- students and faculties, media persons, industry persons, all over the state attended).
The event boasts a distinguished lineup of speakers, featuring prominent Blockchain Thought Leaders and esteemed Industry Experts. These luminaries include Mr. Aditya Saha (Blockchain Architect, IBM), Mr. Kumaravel N (Solution Architect and Blockchain Evangelist Ford Technology Services India), Ms. Laisha Wadhwa (Head of Developer relations, Pesto Tech), Mr. Venu Borra (Blockchain Architect, Standard Chartered Bank), and Mr. Vijay Pravin (Founder and CEO bitsCrunch).
The commencement of the event was marked by the registration process. Following which, the participants received a warm welcome from the esteemed leaders of the Kumaraguru School of Innovation, namely Dr. Divya Vadlamudi(Associate Director, KSI KCT) who welcomed all the participants, speakers, and dignitaries.
Dr. VR. Raghuveer (Director - KSI) emphasized the importance of Domain based education and the various opportunities that KSI will be bringing to the institution. He also stressed the importance of Blockchain and its limitless opportunities.
Mr. Aravind Voruganti, Global Vice President, Information Data Systems, talked about IDS and how they are closely working with various Blockchain partners such as Hyperledger and Polygon. They are focusing on domains such as Supply chain, Trade, Finance etc. He spoke about how the real value of blockchain is being overshadowed by hype generated by Cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and how the aim of Bharat Blockchain Yatra is to bring out the real value that Blockchain has in the Indian Market.
The Bharat Blockchain Network initiative is positioned to create the world's largest Academic Blockchain Consortium and Polyversity. The nodes for this network are maintained by various participating academic and government organizations. He further elaborated about B-ON which is portal for students to write smart contracts and learn, work, get mentorship, certifications with verifiable credentials. He spoke about Polyversity which is metaverse application for the academia. It contains Digital twins of real-world environments which may not be accessible to students in the real world and can be accessed digitally. He spoke about the special land parcel that has been allocated to Kumaraguru Institutions in the Polyversity metaverse. Their presence and welcoming address set the tone for the proceedings of the day.
Subsequently, the event's agenda unfolded, featuring a series of expert talks on “Strategy for Deploying Blockchain and Enhancing Skills and Capacity” delivered by Mr. Venu Borra,” Explore Synergy between blockchain and healthcare, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and examine asset tokenization” delivered by Mr. Aditya Saha,” The future of Digital Assets” delivered by Mr. Vijay Pravin, and “Privacy's New Shield: zkML's Role in Shaping the Digital Landscape” delivered by Ms. Laisha Wadhwa. The event also included engaging activities such as a Panel Discussion on “Blockchain and Web 3.0: Revolutionizing Architectural Strategies for Next-Generation Solutions.”, A Showcase of “Polyversity: The World's Largest Educational Metaverse” and” Discover B-ON: The Bharat Blockchain Developer Portal and Dive into the Hedera Bootcamp”.
The primary goal of the event was to increase awareness of blockchain technology among our student body and provide them with valuable hands-on experience. The event achieved its objective by introducing students to the fundamentals of blockchain technology. Attendees gained a clear understanding of this transformative technology and its real-world applications. They also had the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge tools and frameworks, ensuring they stayed current with the latest developments in the field.