Print Olympiad held at PVG’s COE, Pune

The West Zone finale for the sixth edition of Print Olympiad was organized by the Offset Printers’ Association at PVG’s College of Engineering and Technology's College Auditorium with the support of Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology. The event was hosted by the department of Printing Technology PVG’s COET & GKPWIM with full vigor and enthusiasm. Participants, faculty, judges, and dignitaries were present in substantial numbers at the event. The program began with Prof. Swati Dutt welcoming everyone, followed by the lighting of a traditional lamp, signifying the start of the event. 

Khushru Patel MD of JAK Printers Mumbai was the chief guest of the evening, in his address he emphasized the importance of education and said, failures are part of our life. Printing, he said is the integral part, two inventions changed the world, one is wheel because it evolved the world and is still evolving. The second is: printing, because of print, information could be spread and makes us what we are today, Printing is the foundation stone of modern civilization." Sharing the story of JAK, to inspire the students, he said, he believes that the key to JAK’s success is in having detailed knowledge & skill of the machines and their capability, which in turn develops outstanding print products.  It is because of these skills; JAK has won 40 International & 432 National Awards for quality printing. And most importantly JAK was awarded ‘The Best National Printer Award’ for over 14 years. He invited the students to visit JAK as an apprentice and start learning not only the latest innovations, but also the history of printing. 

Speaking on the occasion the Guest of Honor, Dr. Dattatray Kute, Manager of the University Press of SPPU and Chairman of MED 25 of the Bureau of India Standards, said, I am so inspired with the dedication of staff and students of PVG, I wish to be a student here once again, because life is a learning process. It is our bad luck that such a competition was not there when we were students. Printing and packaging technology is changing very fast. India has adapted to them. The BIS fixes its standards in the printing machinery manufacturing. Hence, the committee has decided to make standardizations speedily, said Dr Kute.

Earlier welcoming the gathering Prof. Madura P Mahajan, HOD Printing Technology said, it is a wonderful opportunity for Prof. Parmeshwar Shinde his team from MIPT and COET to host the West Zone finale of the sixth edition of Print Olympiad, organized by the Offset Printers’ Association. Prof. R.G. Kaduskar, Director of PVG's COET & GKPWIM, emphasized the occasion's importance. Sunil Redekar, Director of PVG's COET & GKPWIM, also addressed the audience. Dr. Varsha Chaware introduced Prof. Kamal Chopra, the brain behind the Print Olympiad, and apprised the audience about various activities undertaken by OPA for the print students, printing and packaging industry and print business. 

Prof. Kamal Chopra, the Project Chairperson, then provided an overview of the Print Olympiad, highlighting its objectives, he said Print Olympiad is not only the India’s biggest talent hunt in printing but also is the only competition of its kind anywhere in the world. Print Olympiad is now the most sought-after event for the students of printing and packaging. The competition is organized in collaboration with the universities and institutions of printing in India. He thanked the resolute staff of PVG’s COET & GKPWIM for their cooperation and support for the success of the event. The felicitation ceremony followed, where various dignitaries, organizers, and supporters were acknowledged for their contributions. The esteemed jury members for the West Zone Finale, Prashant Patil, Jitendra Songire, Amey Ganu, Adv. Shubhada Joshi, and Anubhava Shiksharthi were introduced. Prof. Madhura Mahajan summarizing the details of first round competition announced the names of 5 top students from the West Zone, eligible to participate in the finale, round - Apeksha Deshmukh, PVG COET, Pune; Samadhan Baviskar, MIPT, Pune; Mohit Katial, MIPT, Pune; Rutuja Bhale, MIPT, Pune; Vaibhav Lingshetti, MIPT, Pune. Certificates were presented to these Top 5 Print Students from West Zone by the Chief Guest Khushru Patel. Participation certificates were also distributed to the eligible students on the occasion by Dattatray Kute. 

The West Zone Finale began with the distribution of 5 topic, on each by the judges, to the eligible students, with the option to select any one topic out of these five. The student has some time for preparation and then will have to speak for at least for 5 minutes and not more than 7 minutes on his chosen topic. There was a question answer session and audience poll also to get the winner out of these eligible students in accordance with the laid down criteria. 

Before declaring the winner, Khushru Patel said winning or losing is a moment and the students who are unable to make it must understand that it was not their day, though they outstand others by reaching this point. Apeksha Deshmukh from PVG’s COET & GKWIM was awarded the certificate and is declared as the ‘TOP Print Student West Zone’ and is eligible to participate in the National Finale to be held in September 2024. Speaking on the occasion Apeksha appreciated the efforts of OPA and said, it was a remarkable experience, I learnt so lot, and I want to thank OPA for setting up the print Olympiad and giving us such a big stage to showcase our skills and gain confidence.

In his concluding remarks Ashwani Gupta, Co-Chairman of the Print Olympiad project said, it is our honor that leading institutions of India, like PVG are supporting this noble cause. All the teachers and other staff work with complete devotion and dedication, without any financial gains. Prof. Padmaja Joshi delivered the vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all involved in making the event successful. Finally, participants proceeded for lunch, continuing discussions, and networking, fostering collaboration and camaraderie among all attendees.