The Eco-Social club at SiliconTech, the engineering institute of Silicon University, organized a two-day awareness program, ‘Aquaovation 2.0’, on 21 & 22 April 2025 to celebrate World Earth Day 2025.
The theme of ‘Aquaovation 2.0’ was ‘Our Power, Our Planet’. The event aimed to foster creative engagement among students while raising awareness about critical environmental and social challenges, inspiring them to think critically and act responsibly towards building a sustainable future.
Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April since its inception in 1970, has played a pivotal role in shaping environmental awareness and policies. Its goals include promoting conservation, raising climate change awareness, and encouraging collective action. In line with these objectives, SiliconTech launched the ‘Aquaovation’ initiative to emphasize the pressing issue of water scarcity. The program aims to educate students about the crisis and inspire proactive efforts toward sustainable water management and conservation.
The Eco-Social club of SiliconTech organized two intellectually stimulating competitions that artfully combined creativity with environmental awareness. The first event, Green Strokes, was a poster-making competition in which 17 participants depicted their perspectives on sustainability, responding to the surprise theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’. Participants were allotted 15 minutes for research before crafting their entries—either by hand or digitally—which were evaluated based on originality, creativity, and thematic relevance.
The second event, Green Speaks, was an impromptu oratory competition that featured 21 participants. Each speaker was assigned a random environmental topic—ranging from climate change to sustainable living—and was required to deliver a five-minute speech followed by a two-minute Q&A session. The event challenged participants to think critically and articulate their views effectively on complex global issues.
The judging panel comprised esteemed faculty members from various departments. Dr. Jyoti Sarita Mohanty, Assistant Professor in the Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities (BSH), Dr. Tapas Maji, Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) and Prof. Samparna Das, Assistant Professor in the Department of BSH brought their expertise to assess the depth and quality of the presentations. Their thoughtful assessments and constructive feedback added great value to the event.
Sheela Nayak (3rd Year, CST) won the Green Strokes competition, with Anshuman Behera (1st Year, CSE) as the runner-up. In Green Speaks, Aditya Rath (1st Year, ECE) secured the first position, while Preeti Prangya (3rd Year, ECE) became runner-up. These competitions not only showcased the students’ creative and rhetorical abilities but also reflected their strong commitment to environmental advocacy and sustainable thinking.
The second day of Aquaovation 2.0 coincided with Earth Day and featured an inspiring guest speaker session that left a lasting impact on the audience. Mr. Satyabrata Samal, widely recognized as the ‘Climate Man of Odisha’, addressed the students, sharing his remarkable journey in environmental activism. He spoke about climate change, the significance of youth involvement in ecological conservation, and his dedicated work in turtle protection. With over 400 cleanup drives and the engagement of more than 1,000 young volunteers, Mr. Samal’s efforts exemplify grassroots environmental leadership. As a gesture of appreciation, he was presented with a turtle-themed souvenir and a sapling to express gratitude and a shared commitment to sustainability. His compelling message inspired students to move beyond awareness and take meaningful action, reinforcing their role as future custodians of the planet.
Aquaovation 2.0 emphasized that a green planet begins with individual action and conscious choices. The event fostered youth-driven dialogue, creativity, and collective commitment to sustainability.
