Patna: The governor of Bihar, Arif Mohammad Khan, inaugurated the 14th Inter-IIT Tech Meet at IIT Patna on Thursday, urging students from across the country’s premier engineering institutes to embrace diversity, compassion and a shared sense of national purpose.
Lighting the ceremonial lamp to open the annual gathering, Khan told participants that India’s diversity was essential to its identity. “Human bodies are different, appearances are different, and this world is full of diversity. What is common is the aatma, which is ajar, amar and shashwat,” he said, stressing that unity should flow from recognising this spiritual bond. “I shall not be defined by the colour I have, the language I speak, or the faith I follow. I shall be defined by the aatma.”
Calling the meet an important platform for understanding national challenges, he encouraged young technologists to see themselves as contributors to the country’s long-term development goals, including the government’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
The event, hosted this year by IIT Patna, is among the largest editions of the Inter-IIT Tech Meet, drawing over 2,000 participants from all 23 IITs. More than 1,700 students are attending in person for demonstrations, presentations and competitions.
The director of IIT Patna, T. N. Singh, welcomed delegates and described the Inter-IIT Tech Meet as a crucial space for collaborative problem-solving and frontier research. “The meet brings together innovators and student technologists from every IIT, serving as a premier platform for next-generation academic and technological innovation,” he said.
This year’s theme, “Resonating Cascades”, reflects the organisers’ focus on collective innovation and its ripple effects. The programme includes 26 competitions across fields such as artificial intelligence, space systems, sustainable technologies, smart mobility, cybersecurity, robotics, advanced materials and healthcare engineering, with participants working on real-world problem statements and proposing solutions with national and global relevance.
