Gurpreet Singh

IIM, Ahmedabad

Expert talk by Mr. Gurpreet Singh (IIM-Ahmedabad) under the Artist in Residence program was conducted by Department of Environmental Science & Engineering for two days i.e. August 30-31, 2019. The session apprised the students and faculties about present environmental issues and the ongoing global talk about climate change. He also emphasized on the environmental problems i.e. water scarcity in and around the Saurashtra region. His talk also highlighted the importance of food security. The enthusiastic eighty-one students and thirteen faculties of Environmental Science & Engineering and Dept. of Microbiology took active participation in this session where the speaker elucidated the example of Lauren Singer’s zero waste lifestyle and enthralled the audience.

Mr. Gurpreet Singh imparted the important steps that need to be undertaken to reduce the pollution of our environment along with Climate change. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about restoring the Eco balance of the earth.

He discussed various forthcoming career scopes. An interactive session was organized for discussing the shortcomings and value addition for the undergoing projects for the B.Tech and M.Tech final year students. He gave valuable insights to the student project and also encouraged them to review the research done in that particular field.

A plantation drive campaign towards greener campus was augmented to make the students aware and involve more towards a greener lifestyle. The pledge taken by students and faculties to save the environment at the end of the session was a very enlightening move for everyone.

The second day started with a field visit for the ongoing project “Wealth from waste by Vermicomposting”. The valuable insights that he put forth is regarding the use of flexible and ready-to-shift compost bed so that the nearby villagers can make their own resource from their waste.

An interactive discussion with the faculties pertaining towards sustainable development in operations e.g. scope for rainwater harvesting or biogas plant etc. augmented a synergy where the amalgamation of management skills and environmental perspectives generated future horizons towards sustainability. Contemporary methodologies of plantations for the sustainable future were discussed during the session. He updated the students with govt. subsidies and tax benefits for the entrepreneurship in agriculture. He gave valuable tips and techniques regarding the growth of crops in the regions deprived of water and also suggested the sustainable approach for survival. He had earlier emphasized the effects of climate and the various ways of agriculture that can be fruitful for the agricultural activity within Saurashtra region.

Exhibition of photographs taken by Gurpreet Singh in Saurashtra was done in the afternoon session. Mr. Gurpreet is a Volunteer for photography and short story writing for People’s Archive of Rural India – with six photo-stories named Gender, Education, Camel in Culture, etc. Each and every photograph depicts a story which carves a niche for the illustrated picture. The pictorial description mesmerized the audience and the session was embraced by senior dignitaries and faculties.