From Vision to Victory🏆: Team LANLORDS' SIH Journey 🚀
Smart India Hackathon (SIH) - My first-ever hackathon win, and what an experience! This journey took us through months of sleepless nights, technical glitches, and moments of doubt. But it also led us to one glorious moment of victory.
Here’s how we went from concept to champion:
Who Am I?
I’m Taneesha Madhu, a Machine Learning enthusiast, competitive programming junkie, and an aspiring tech innovator.
You can find me on linkedin and GitHub. Let’s connect and collaborate!
The Great Problem Statement Hunt
Choosing the right problem statement was a challenge for Team LANLORDS. While we were uncertain about tackling the more difficult one, we knew that if we succeeded, it would pave the way to victory. To balance our approach, we also picked an easier problem. But to our surprise, the tough one was the one that got shortlisted!
"Take the road less traveled.."
Surprise, Surprise! Kashmir, Baby!
After we qualified, we were assigned our hackathon venue, and guess what? It was Kashmir!! Yeah, you heard that right. The land of snow, chilly winds, and epic views. At first, we were concerned about the safety aspect, but our parents and I decided to make it happen anyway. Kashmir greeted us with -8°C temperatures, and if that wasn’t enough, the frozen water in our hostel rooms added a nice touch of drama to the adventure.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
– Helen Keller
The Hackathon: Brrr, Let’s Code!
The hackathon itself was as intense as the freezing temperatures. The venue was set up with all the essentials—heaters, power plugs, and of course, tons of food. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, you name it. And the judging? Oh boy, it was a rollercoaster. We gave our first round presentation, but things didn’t go as planned. The judges seemed unimpressed, and our demo was far from perfect but hey, round one was just a warm-up, right?
The Plunge: Round Two, Big Trouble!
Round two: talk about a disaster. We were ready. Or so we thought. Just two minutes before the judges arrived, our site crashed. And when we presented, nothing worked. Cue the awkward silences and disappointed looks. But hey, what’s a hackathon without a few bumps along the way? We had our mentor’s voice in our heads: "Keep fighting. It’s not over." And we kept going.
It was in that moment of despair when we remembered the saying:
"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
Despite everything falling apart, we knew that this disaster wasn’t the end—just another step towards a bigger transformation. We kept pushing, refused to give up, and turned it around in the end.
PM Modi’s Surprise Visit: This Just Got Real
Here’s a twist: Between rounds, we had the honor of an hour-long interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yup, THE Modi. His words inspired us to push through and not let one failure define our journey. With his encouragement, we were ready to go full throttle.
9 Hours of Sheer Madness!
The final stretch: 9 hours of madness There was no time to waste. We were debugging, coding, and testing our model like there was no tomorrow. Every issue, every glitch, was met with relentless focus. Sure, there was a small DJ event to lift our spirits, but we were all about that hustle. The results? A functional project that looked damn good!
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."
– Robert Collier
The Grand Finale: Showtime!
Presentation time,let’s be real, it was nerve-wracking. But we stayed calm, answered questions, and demoed our solution. The judges came, tested our work, and all we could do was hope it worked. When it did, we were pumped, feeling like we’d just knocked it out of the park.
Victory Dance: We Did It!
And then the moment arrived: our names were called out as winners of PS 1708. Chaos, excitement, and pure joy! We screamed, we hugged, and we couldn’t believe it ,The victory was ours! We went on stage, got our prize money, and took photos. That moment was everything.
"try, try, try till you succeed!!"
Lessons Learned: From Failures to Future Success
Never Back Down: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Collaboration is the Key. Every success is a group effort. Stay Adaptable: Plans might fail, but the real winner is the one who adapts and keeps going. Perfection? Nah. Progress? Yes Just keep getting better, and you’ll make it.
Shoutout Time!
Big thanks to my rockstar team members—Vivek Agarwal, Samyak Sharma, Pahal Srivastava, Naman Parlecha and Mritunjay Singh who were always by my side, working hard. Also, kudos to our mentor, Srineeketh Madgula being an incredible guiding light. A special mention to our senior, Ashutosh Pandey, and a massive shoutout to NIT Srinagar for the incredible hospitality. You guys rock!
"Teamwork makes the dream work."
– John C. Maxwell
To All the Readers
If you're reading this, I hope you found some inspiration in our journey. Hackathons, like life, aren’t always smooth, but perseverance, teamwork, and a dash of fun can get you through. So, go ahead take that leap, chase your dreams, and who knows?
Your victory might just be waiting for you!
Here’s To Many More Victories and Beginnings!✨