Girls from rural India discover science and engineering at IIT Bombay through WiSE program

Time of India

11-06-2025

MUMBAI: In the hushed dawn of late May, buses rumbled into the gates of
IIT
Bombay. Inside them were not scholars or scientists, but girls—about two hundred of them, aged barely fifteen, their eyes adjusting to a future they had only seen in textbooks.
They came from the hills of Karnataka, from the farms of Maharashtra, from homes where ambition often takes a backseat to expectation. For one extraordinary week, the campus would be theirs.
The initiative was part of a quiet revolution unfolding at IIT Bombay—a programme called WiSE, or Women in Science and Engineering from Rural Parts of India. Conceived in 2023 and led by Prof. Rajesh Zele, WiSE began with a simple question: what if girls from rural India were given a glimpse—just a glimpse—of what a life in science could look like?
While girls in India sit shoulder-to-shoulder with boys in classrooms through primary school, the road thins out after that.
Social pressure, early marriage, and the burden of domestic expectations often force them off the path. They turn away from science—not for lack of interest, but lack of encouragement. Many settle for fields that promise flexibility, not fulfilment. WiSE aims to change that.
From May 25 to 31, 2025, 200 girls from 68 rural schools arrived on campus, each carrying little more than a schoolbag and a flicker of possibility.
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They stayed in Hostel 10, wandered the shaded corridors of an institution they'd only heard about in whispers, and lived a version of the future that might be theirs. What followed was not just a science camp—it was an emotional unlearning of the limits they'd been told to accept.
Each day began not with equations, but with stories. Winspirers—a luminous panel of women from fields as wide-ranging as combat, cinema, law, literature, and medicine—shared what it meant to persist.
Bollywood stuntwoman Geeta Tandon, with her sinewy grit, spoke of surviving violence and becoming fearless. Major Mohini Kulkarni, battle-hardened and resolute, recounted her tours through the Kashmir Valley.
Judge Laxmi Rao brought alive the gravity of courtroom decisions, while Olympian Aparna Popat decoded the loneliness of elite sport. Dr. Dhanshree Lele, with the soul of a poet, reminded them that science and art aren't at odds.
Dr. Ratna Raje, nutritionist, offered simple truths about eating well in complex times.
Each voice added a new colour to the kaleidoscope of what was possible. Social worker Varsha Parchure spoke of upliftment, while photographer Aabha Chaubal gave courage to wander. Kalyani Deopujari, now a drone researcher with the Indian Military, talked of the many failures that came before success. In moments of tender honesty, psychiatrists Dr.
Jahanvi and Rutaja Kedare spoke of adolescent pain—of anxiety, sadness, and the courage to seek help.
Their words did not fall flat. They took root.
But WiSE was not just about watching and listening. Each afternoon, the girls got to build—and break, and build again. Through the Break-Make-Programme (BMP), they turned screwdrivers with shaking fingers, then surer hands. On Day One, it was a light bulb circuit. Day Two, an FM radio. Then came sensors, actuators, and programming a microprocessor.
By Day Five, they were assembling a Crab Rover Robot, a scuttling mechanical marvel they built from scratch, hardware and software alike.
For many, it was the first time they'd touched wires, or typed code, or seen their fingers make something come alive. For some, it was the first time anyone told them they could.
In between, IIT Bombay students showcased their own work during Demo Hours. The girls gaped at robotic arms mimicking human hands, studied colourful bacteria growing in intricate patterns, and watched underwater vehicles glide like fish with purpose.
In these machines, the girls didn't just see engineering—they saw imagination turned real.
Then came the evening of 30 May, when the guests became the hosts. The girls threw a felicitation ceremony-cum-talent show—aptly titled Thanksgiving—in honour of those who'd guided them. They danced in bright regional clothes, sang with unapologetic pride, and performed skits that sparkled with humour and wit. It wasn't polish that won the audience over—it was presence.
They found their voice, and they were no longer shy about using it.
Rajiv Joshi of the IEEE Board of Governors urged them to keep dreaming—boldly, stubbornly. Prof. Zele, whose quiet leadership held it all together, left them with a plea: Stay curious. Stand tall. Don't stop learning. But WiSE does not end when the week ends.
IIT Bombay has committed to long-term mentorship. Each girl will continue to be guided through virtual check-ins every quarter—online meetings with students, teachers, and parents to keep the spark lit.
The kits they used have been donated to their schools, turning these girls into science ambassadors for their communities.
Much of this would not have been possible without the 70+ student volunteers, or the women teachers from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Residential Schools, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Nor without the institutional support of IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, and the visionary coordination of Commissioner T.
Gopalakrishna (JNV) and Ravi Lad (EMRS).
WiSE is not a campaign. It is not a box checked. It is a beginning. One week may not change the world, but it can change the way a girl sees herself in it. Especially when she learns that her hands can build, her voice can speak, and her future need not be decided for her. Especially when science finally begins to feel like home.