Bareilly: “From imagination to innovation, from innovation to solutions, and from solutions to nation-building”—this was the central message delivered by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University Vice-Chancellor Professor Anil Kumar Rai while addressing students during the Internal Hackathon of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2026 held at the university on Wednesday.
The internal hackathon was organised by the Rohilkhand Incubation Foundation (RIF) at its Corporate Conference Hall with the objective of promoting technological innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and problem-solving abilities among students.
Professor Anil Kumar Rai attended the event as the chief guest and presiding authority. The programme began at 11 am in the presence of RIF Chief Operating Officer Professor Yatendra Kumar, Director Professor Shobhana Singh, Director Professor S.K. Pandey, faculty members from various departments and a large number of students.
Addressing the participants, Professor Rai said the hackathon represented an important opportunity to transform imagination into innovation and innovation into practical solutions that could contribute to nation-building.
Expressing happiness over the participation of students, he said the internal hackathon was providing them with a strong platform to demonstrate their talent, creativity, technical skills and problem-solving capabilities.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that a hackathon should not be viewed merely as a competition but as a culture of thinking and experimentation. According to him, the process involves identifying a problem, understanding its root cause and developing solutions capable of improving people’s lives.
He said the role of universities in the present era could not remain confined to awarding degrees. “We need to prepare young people who can think, question, experiment, learn from failure and develop new solutions,” he said.
Professor Rai also highlighted the importance of innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Referring to examples such as OYO, Swiggy and Zomato, he said these businesses demonstrated how innovative ideas could create large-scale impact without necessarily owning the conventional physical assets associated with their respective industries.
He said India was passing through a phase in which the talent of its young population represented one of the country’s greatest strengths. The vision of a developed India by 2047, he said, could not be achieved through government initiatives alone. Innovative ideas emerging from university laboratories, classrooms and incubation centres would also play a crucial role.
Encouraging students not to fear failure, Professor Rai said, “Winning is not the only important thing in a hackathon. Failure is also part of the learning process.” He urged students to treat an unsuccessful prototype not as a defeat but as the first step towards developing a better innovation.
“Innovation begins where conventional thinking ends,” he said, calling upon students to continue experimenting without being overly concerned about immediate results.
He further said that while students might face limitations of resources and time, there should be no limits to their imagination, curiosity and determination.
The Vice-Chancellor also encouraged students to gain knowledge through continuous activity, travel and exposure to different experiences. He said the journey from knowledge to solutions and from solutions to experience could help young people progress in life.
Emphasising self-confidence and faith, Professor Rai told students that nothing should be considered impossible and urged them to believe in their own capabilities. He referred to the example of Adi Shankaracharya while stressing the importance of confidence and conviction.
He called upon students to start writing their own history and pursue ambitions so strongly that their dreams continued to inspire them even when they faced challenges.
Professor Rai said the university, the state and the country had high expectations from the younger generation. He stressed that participation itself was an important achievement and urged students to prepare themselves for difficult circumstances. Using the example of diamonds being found in difficult locations rather than on ordinary roads, he encouraged students to develop resilience and adaptability.
The SIH 2026 internal hackathon provided students with an opportunity to showcase their technical abilities while developing teamwork, entrepreneurial thinking and innovative approaches to real-world challenges.
The Rohilkhand Incubation Foundation played a key role in organising the event and expressed its commitment to promoting more innovation-oriented programmes in the future.
The Vice-Chancellor’s motivational address infused participants with renewed confidence and enthusiasm, reinforcing the message that innovative thinking among young people can become a powerful force for solving social challenges and contributing to nation-building.
The event ultimately reflected the guiding philosophy: “From imagination to innovation, from innovation to solutions, and from solutions to nation-building.”
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