Tata Bharat YUVAi Hackathon

Detailed Summary

• The session opened with a TCS‑delivered monologue (voice‑over and on‑stage speaker) that described how the firm processes ≈ 65 000 passport applications daily, connects 1.6 lakh post offices, powers India’s stock exchanges, and underpins digital banking, healthcare, 5G, semiconductor design, and defense‑pension systems.
• Key Insight: TCS positions itself as the quiet partner of India’s digital transformation, emphasising the themes purpose‑driven, sovereign, secure, and sustainable AI ecosystems.
• Announcement: TCS is building a “AI‑first, India‑first” foundation for perpetual innovation, aligning with the national vision of a self‑reliant (Atmanirbhar) India.

2. Setting the Stage for the YUVAi Hackathon

• The host (likely a moderator) invoked the event’s rallying cry: “You don’t need to be an engineer. Your native language is your super‑power.”
• The hackathon’s premise was reiterated: non‑coders will create working prototypes in 75 minutes using AI tools that understand nine Indian languages (English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati).
• The host highlighted the scale – over 10 000 students have already built prototypes across earlier pilot events; the current session brings together ≈ 2 000 participants, making it “the largest single‑session learning initiative of its kind globally.”

3. Introduction of the AI Leadership – Ashok Krish

• Ashok Krish (VP & Global Head of AI, TCS) thanked the audience and described the journey: “Two months of preparation, ten‑thousand non‑coding students, and our minds were blown.”
• He stressed that language‑first AI works best when prompts are given in the participant’s mother tongue. He called for a quick show of hands to gauge the linguistic diversity (Hindi, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam).
• He announced that three standout student‑builders would be invited on‑stage to share their experiences.

4. Student Showcases – Multilingual Prototypes

Student	Language Used	Prototype	Core Problem Tackled
Ambarish	Sanskrit	(not detailed)	Demonstrated that a Sanskrit‑speaking student could build an app using AI prompts in Sanskrit.
Neha Kumari Mandal	Maithili (Bihar)	“Mentele‑Aid” app (support & mentorship platform)	Addressed the lack of coding knowledge among B.Com students; highlighted how AI‑driven guidance enabled rapid app creation.
Darshan Ji	Multilingual (English + Tamil)	AI‑Resume Builder (English‑Tamil bilingual)	Solved the problem of first‑generation graduates lacking professional resumes; the tool auto‑generates language‑appropriate resumes.

• Each student narrated their journey from problem identification to prototype, emphasizing that no prior coding was required—only AI‑driven prompts.
• The host wrapped this segment by noting the symbolic representation of India’s linguistic diversity: “Sanskrit from Varanasi, Maithili from Vishakhapatnam, Hindi from Chennai – that’s India for you.”

5. The Hackathon Workflow – Seven‑Step Sprint

The moderator walked participants through the seven‑step “IdeaFlow” sprint that would structure the 75‑minute hackathon:

1. Set‑up & Language Selection – Choose any of the nine supported languages; voice input is also permitted.
2. Theme Selection – Pick one of the three overarching challenge domains: People, Planet, Progress.
3. Sector / Problem Focus – Narrow to a specific sector (e.g., healthcare accessibility, education for all, livelihood, climate action, governance).
4. Purpose / Impact Definition – Articulate why the solution matters; align with Gen‑Z’s desire for impact.
5. Persona Definition – Identify a concrete user (e.g., a farmer in Maharashtra, a first‑gen college student, a village nurse).
6. Root‑Cause Analysis – Use AI to ask “Why?” five times, drilling down to the underlying cause of the problem.
7. Ideation – Generate multiple ideas, discard low‑hanging fruit, refine towards a bold concept.

The next three steps (planned but briefly mentioned) were Planning, Execution, and Prototype Building using AI‑enabled prototyping tools (voice prompts, drag‑and‑drop UI generators).

6. Address by Krithi K. Vaasan (CEO, TCS)

• Key Message: AI must be inclusive, breaking language and technical barriers.
• Data Point: Over the past six weeks, TCS ran 10+ city‑wide pilot hackathons, reaching > 10 000 students from diverse academic backgrounds.
• Vision: Scale the initiative to 1 million students in the coming months, creating a national movement that democratizes digital creation.
• Call to Action: Students should leverage their domain knowledge (subject expertise) together with AI tools to solve community problems.
• Acknowledgment: Gratitude to colleges, faculty, volunteers, and especially the Hon’ble IT Minister for public‑private partnership support.

7. Remarks by Hon’ble Minister Ashwini Vaishnav (IT Minister)

• Praised the AI Impact Summit as a catalyst that puts India on the global AI map.
• Emphasized the need for AI‑ready curricula – aligning higher‑education outcomes with industry demand for AI skills.
• Highlighted government commitments: $17bn\ast \ast ofVCfundingand\ast \ast$200 bn of infrastructure funding for AI initiatives, anchored by the Prime Minister’s vision.
• Stressed that AI must be a tool for everyone, not just engineers, and that multilingual AI is a critical enabler.

8. Closing – Hackathon Clock Starts

• After a brief music interlude, the host announced the arrival of the Minister on‑stage, followed by a standing ovation for the CEO and the Minister.
• A final rallying chant: “Let’s build! Let’s create!” and the 75‑minute countdown began (displayed as 73 min 18 sec).
• Participants were reminded to find mentors, register with their event code, choose a challenge, and start building, with the promise of support from Tata mentors throughout.

Key Takeaways

• Language‑first AI enables non‑engineers to prototype solutions in nine Indian languages without writing code.
• TCS’s AI‑driven hackathon reached ≈ 2 000 students in a single session, making it the world’s largest live‑coding‑free hackathon.
• Three student prototypes (Sanskrit app, Maithili‑based mentorship tool, bilingual AI‑resume builder) demonstrated the practical impact of multilingual AI on education, employment, and community services.
• The seven‑step sprint (Setup‑Language → Theme → Sector → Purpose → Persona → Root‑Cause → Ideation) provides a repeatable framework for rapid, impact‑focused solution design.
• TCS’s broader narrative positions the company as a catalyst for India’s digital backbone—spanning passports, post offices, stock exchanges, 5G, and defense—reinforcing its credibility as a mentor for the hackathon.
• CEO Krithi Vaasan announced an ambition to scale the programme to 1 million students, signalling a long‑term commitment to digital inclusion.
• Minister Ashwini Vaishnav underscored government backing, noting $17bnVC\ast \ast and\ast \ast$200 bn infrastructure commitments, and highlighted the need for AI‑ready curricula.
• The event reiterated that AI belongs to everyone, not just engineers, and that native‑language proficiency is a superpower in the AI age.
• The hackathon clock officially started, marking the transition from inspiration to hands‑on creation for all participants.

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Prepared as a polished, third‑person summary for archival and reference purposes.

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