“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.”
-Chris Hadfield

For the sixth edition of the ‘In House’ series, we have with us Souri (Baja NITK Racing captain), Joel (Rotaract NITK Chapter Convenor) and Vineeth (Spicmacay Convenor), where we talked about the new plans for their teams in the upcoming semester.

Souri SVS – Captain (Baja NITK Racing)

– What is the general plan the Baja team has for the upcoming year? 

We are midway through completing the design for a completely new car, which we plan to weld completely on our own and compete in the BajaSae India competition and if time permits the ATVC India challenge too.

– What methods are being adopted to collaborate with the team in these times, and what are the new problems the team faced?

Just as the other teams, we too have completely switched to an online project management system. We were quite accustomed to zooming but we wanted to go for something more professional and robust. We looked at multiple options, but once we steered towards google- meets and Teams, there was no turning back! As everyone will know by now, these apps have a great, user-friendly interface and serve as a great resource sharing platform. We have timely meets on both a subsystem and team level to ensure everyone’s up to date on their work and have an idea as to what other subsystems doing too. We faced a couple of hurdles with the online platform as some of our members had some network and accessibility issues which lead to some delay and mistranslation of information but we’ve managed to push past that. What’s great to see is that due to the constant connectivity, the team as a whole has grown a lot closer and have warmed up to each other. The Fresh recruits immediately fit in and have been actively involved in the team, they constantly reach out and voice their opinions which is a good sign of a healthy team. As always we ensure the team remains a place where everyone is heard and their opinions respected, staying true to our values as the BNR Family.

– What do you expect out of your team? 

Seeing as there’s a tight schedule due to the COVID situation, everyone will have to take that extra step and go beyond to ensure the car is completed on time and we get ample space to test. Hope to see the new recruits enthusiastic as ever to learn and get their hands dirty in the lab. Right now we have to figure out ways to ensure productivity during the quarantine and pick up on the experiences of the past year, we have to tread carefully considering the monetary situation too and look for innovative ways to get sponsors, making sure everyone dedicates some time during the vacation and doesn’t lose touch with the team is the primary concern right now.

– What is in the pipeline for the Baja team? Any new events that we can look out for?

The Crowdfunding just got done and by all means, it was the best campaign this team has had, we managed to get almost twice of what we initially anticipated in half the time. The media and marketing have a team really pulled through. We surely are humbled by this support. With the event being virtual this year, we are in full swing to further Solidify the designs we had developed and are looking at some racing simulators to test the new models’ prowess. We have the first round coming up soon and are currently focussed on that. With regards to the college, apart from our car unveiling, well I’m not at liberty to get into details yet but there are certainly some big things the college students can look out for from our side. All I can say is stay tuned.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BajaNITKRacing/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bajanitkracing?igshid=1dnka0ckxvk51
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/baja-nitk-racing

Joel Chacko Jacob – Convenor (Rotaract NITK Chapter)

– With the current situation and uncertainty all around, what are the plans for Rotaract-NITK?

Given the ongoing health crisis, while the possibility of conducting as many events as previous years and implementing them the usual way may not occur, we are aiming to do all our best to slowly transition our love for service to a more virtual platform. Donating to those in need, spreading awareness about issues that are often overlooked, we believe that, through social media, we can create an impact and motivate and empower others to do good for the world and help one another unconditionally.

It is in situations such as the current pandemic that one must remember to be there for each other, and we are here to remind everyone of that. We aim to collaborate with other clubs as well as external social service organizations and NPO’s to serve society and to serve our club’s purpose. 

I want this club to grow, each member as an individual and together as a team.

– What basic motto is being followed by the club that you expect every member to abide by? 

At Rotaract, we believe in ‘Service Before Self’ and acknowledge that ‘Together we can bring about a change’. This is all I expect from my club, I want them to stick by our motto and put service as their priority when the need arises. Given these trying times, our members may not be able to arrange and take part in the many social events that we as Rotaract have been proudly hosting for many years. Nevertheless, I want my club to look towards alternative ways to serve the society around us by campaigning and supporting various charitable causes around us and also help in spreading awareness of the issues that we as a club would like to shine a light on. I also expect my club to come up with new ideas in keeping with the times, to continue serving society in ways that may even surpass our efforts in the previous years. And together, the club along with myself and all it’s core members will try to leave a trail of positivity behind us, as we tread onward into uncertain roads.

– What do you feel are your responsibilities as the new con? 

The post of convenor assigns me with the duty of leading the club in its activities and also be the bridge between the college administration and the club. It’s also my responsibility to make sure that my club functions under all the guidelines set by our college and also Rotary International. I should keep my club together, and spirits high on all occasions and make sure that we function fluidly as one body.

– Any new events that we can look forward to?

 Our team has been working on few new and exciting endeavours to branch out our social media presence and for the most part, we have been successful in the first editions of the same and working continually to improve each of them. Different welfare projects are also in the works and are being tested in small scale within the club and expanding soon to the entirety of the college so that we can help in making a difference together as a community. 

SIP: We try to bring awareness on topics less talked about in the society, or to improve the understanding of the NITK student community.

RoTalks: We consult with experts and bring you content on sensitive topics that need a lot more clarity. (Exciting topics are currently in the pipeline so keep a lookout for the same)

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rotaract_nitk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RotaractClubNITK/

Vineeth – Convenor (Spicmacay) 

– How is the team collaborating in these times, and what are the new problems the team faced?

SPICMACAY NITK chapter has always been a group of people who share the common interest of appreciating the arts.  We have online weekly meetings on every Saturday where one volunteer gives a lecture-demonstration on the art form she/he knows which was earlier (pre-pandemic) happening in the Meta department corridor. Since its online meetings, even seniors and super seniors of the club were able to join the meeting as well, giving us a good opportunity to connect well. Moreover, since we are a volunteer movement we have really dedicated members who are willing to contribute in some way and that’s why it hasn’t been difficult to collaborate with them.

– What is in the pipeline for the club? Any new events that we can look out for?

There are various online concerts and interactions with renowned artists from SPICMACAY official youtube channels, most of these artists are national award winners. We are continuing the weekly meetings online right now (which is open to anyone who is interested as well), you can find the link to it on our Instagram page. We are planning to make various podcasts such as on the rarely known music forms and music instruments of Karnataka of which information isn’t openly available in the mainstream consulting various folk artists. 

– What do you feel are your new responsibilities as the head of your club, and what are your expectations from the Spicmacay members?

Our primary responsibilities will be to take the amazing heritage of Classical Arts to more students and help everyone to understand it better. Moreover, as a club we think SPICMACAY NITK should help our students relax from all the stress and anxiety out there. Through the classical and folk concerts, weekly meetings and interactions we want to share the inspiration and mysticism embodied in Indian and world heritage as well as leisure activity to relax.

 Also, one more responsibility will be to coordinate with different SPICMACAY chapters to conduct classical concerts. This year is going to be very different for all of us, things that used to normally happen like our event Aradhana where we will conduct various competitions for school children and promote budding local artists by giving them a stage, the classical/folk concerts we used to organize in college will not be possible in the way it was before. But this also gives us an opportunity to try out new things and break the conventional routine. The members of the club expect the club to run and grow at the same pace as of pre- Pandemic days. We, the core members, are giving our best to make it happen.  

Also, We SPICMACAY NITK meets every Saturday at 6:30 PM with a lecture-demonstration of an art form by the club members. It’s open to all those who are interested in the classical/folk art forms. Link to the meeting: http://cutt.ly/WeeklyMeeting

Stay Tuned in our social media for updates on all the events:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicmacaymangalore/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spicmacay.nitk/,
https://www.facebook.com/spicmacaymangalore/