The better end to 2024.

“Dude, it’s so weird that you are the one participating, and all of us are the ones who are part of the volunteering group for this event” is what one of my friends told me on the 20th of December, 2024. Well, maybe it was for the better that it was that way because I went on to win that event by the grace of God. This is the story of how the team “Sewage Sage” won their first-ever 24-hour Ideathon event at the Innotech Ideathon 2024, conducted by DERBI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

We won :')

24-hour events have always been fascinating to me. The feeling of chaos in the beginning, the phase of “settling in” into your allotted places, the “what’s for food???” whispers going around, assessing the strengths (and weaknesses) of your competitors, and the ever-growing doubts if you will sleep at night or not. And of course, the coding part. But wait, this wasn’t a hackathon. Seems a bit intriguing right? That was my reaction too. I was so confused about what we should do for 24 hours trying to come up with an idea. But boy, oh boy, have I never been happier to be proven wrong.

The team consisted of me and my friend, Tilak. And when we first started the 24 hours, I was already very sleepy. I know that’s not a good start, but surprise surprise, I didn’t sleep a bit for the entire time (just don’t count the bit where I almost dozed off during the awards ceremony). And then it began. We brainstormed for about half an hour and came up with a concept. We pretty much immediately deviated from it within the next hour. But we kept working with the same enthusiasm as we started (we had a total of about 6 coffees amongst us (I had had one)). And before we knew it, it was past midnight. Now this is the part of any 24-hour event where you start to find the two extremes of people. One wants to party and dance and enjoy the night, and the other just wants to be left alone in their own space. And I was part of the first category (atleast that’s what I thought until it started). As soon as the “midnight drama” began, one of my friends and I escaped to one of the floors to enjoy the breeze of the night and the stars of the sky. We couldn’t see any stars because of the goddamn lights of the city giving competition to the sun itself.

The only cup of coffee(?) I had for the entire event

Anyways, after all the chaos, me and my teammate decided to sit down for a final stretch and decided to go and get our idea verified by one of the mentors. And we were in for a shock, as we realized that our concept, which we had worked on from the time we came here, wasn’t feasible at all. We had to come up with some solutions, and we had to do it FAST. Thankfully, the caffeine hit and we were able to tackle the problem within the next half an hour (yes, we were surprised with our efficiency too). And then it was a smooth sailing journey from then onwards.

Hah nope, we encountered more problems. As daylight started to arise, people started to drop. The sleep-meter was at an all-time high, but the one guy that kept me going and motivated was the guy who played GTA-V on his laptop all night long (and that hotel serving chai at 6:30 AM, forever indebted to them). We realized we didn’t have a presentation to submit, with just a couple of hours left until the deadline. So we sat and made one, and ended up spelling our team name wrong in the final presentation (that’s what happens when you try to make your PPT at 4 AM after having no sleep for the past 20-odd hours). Then we realized that we had to be in formals for the pitch. And of course, being the amazing person that I am, had gotten no formals at all. I had gotten my most casual pair of clothing for the Ideathon. But we managed to pull it off somehow (thanks Mom and Dad, for ironing my shirt and getting it to me, love you guys <3 ).

But what I learned from this experience is that success isn't just about the outcome, it's about pushing through the challenges, adapting on the fly, and never giving up. Winning the Innotech Ideathon wasn't just a victory in itself, but a reminder that the real victory lies in the journey. The sleepless nights, the last-minute hurdles, and the moments when giving up seemed easier are the things that truly shape us. So here we are, at the end of a 24-hour rollercoaster. Exhausted, yet elated. And perhaps, just perhaps, that’s the perfect way to close out 2024.

To everyone who made this experience unforgettable, THANK YOU. To the mentors, to my team, and to my amazing friends we made at the Ideathon, and the ones who kept checking up on us from time to time, thank you. Here’s to the hurdles that shape us, to the lessons learned, and to the amazing things that await in the future. 🥂

We did it. And what a way to end the year.