Six lakh technology students spend six months of the final year in working on technology projects. This means over 3 million human months of our yuvashakti being spent on solving real life problems. For the first time, we have an access to the magnificent outcome of this great endeavour.

Techpedia.in now has over 100,000 technology projects. In just six months, the minds of over 3 lakh students have been mapped. This impossible looking feat has been achieved due to the extraordinary energy of Hiranmay Mahanta and his team of volunteers of SVNIT Surat. Let us salute first Hiranmay and his team. And of course, we salute Anil Gupta for his most inspirational leadership.

How do we move forward in this exciting journey now?

First, it is not the power of ideas alone, but the power of execution that is going to matter. How do we do that? Someone has designed a strategy for an active control of space launch vehicles in the presence of fuel slosh. Should not ISRO be looking at this? Someone has designed a Black Box for vehicles, which may get involved in an accident. Should not our auto manufacturers be looking at it? So let us create such knowledge and information sharing networks.

Second, we have to concentrate this unique "yuvashakti" on Indian problems that "need" to be solved rather than those that "can" be solved. We should ignite these young minds with India's grand challenges. How do we partner with the engineering colleges to make the youth focus on these grand challenges?

Third, we must link 100,000 MSME and the informal sector enterprises, who are in search of solutions to their problems with these databases.

Fourth, our national laboratory systems as well as agencies such as DST, DSIR, must put their weight behind these ideas.

Fifth, there are hundreds of eminent Fellows of our national academies of science and engineering. They must all join in as mentors by registering on techpedia.in . Their mentoring in their individual domains of expertise will raise the quality and be truly motivating for these young innovators.

We have already achieved the miracle of mapping the minds of 3 lakh students with practically zero resource in six months. Imagine what can happen if a resource is put behind this. The Government and the private sector must step in to help.

Finally, I am proud that this is the first time such a unique experiment has been done anywhere in the world. We must now have an aspiration of linking the problems of the grassroot innovators and the local communities with these young creative technical minds, so that the innovative India of our dreams will be built in a real "Team India" spirit.

Padmanbhushan Dr R.A.Mashelkar
Bhatnagar Fellow & President, Global Research Alliance
Fellow, Royal Society (FRS), London
Former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR),India