As the final day of KolpoKoushol had approached, all the projects were rushing their way to add those finishing touches, but our team’s projects were a million miles away from being ready. Last night, we discovered that our flute (Bajai) wasn’t working the way it should, and we hadn’t even created the basic structure for GesTune. But when I entered the lab in the morning (the last day), I saw our mentor Samiul had a clever laser-cut design that looked like a “K,” (coincidentally matching the initials of KolpoKoushol). Because whatever the shape we imagine to design, the distance sensor going to measure the distance, so here comes “K”. This design saved the day!
I and another team member strengthened the base to ensure it wouldn’t wobble during our musical performance. While we worked on the wood and the inner structure to make GesTune look good from every angle, TV channels and videographers rushed us for interviews, and guess what? We weren’t ready and had zero idea. To wrap it up and hold everything together, we had to use masking tape, glue, and stickers.
Well, at this point, our passionate and diverse team deserved a name. So we suggested the “KolpoKoushol Band” because Mr. Saquib was going to play the guitar and sing, while a famous flutist (Nazm Anwr from KaakTaal) would perform with our GesTune and Bajai. The rest of the day rushed by with location changes, setting up our projects in the auditorium, lots of practices and rehearsals, and a hasty effort to create a video for our team and projects (admittedly, it was a bit messy, but thanks to Mr. Rayed (mentor) for his help).
Once the exhibition began, there was hardly any time to rest as people kept coming and we had to present two projects. Almost everyone who came to check out our project hands-on experienced how GesTune and Bajai work. Overall, the feedback for our team was mostly positive and exciting. I believe each team was in a rush to give their projects a real life in a short time, so we didn’t have a chance to chat during these busy days but after the exhibition, it was time to explore what other teams baked in these four days. So I went to almost every stall and asked about their projects. Two teams focused on blockchain and the might of crowdfunding in the food sector, with the primary goal of supporting farmers in agriculture. Simultaneously, three other teams concentrated on developing healthy dietary ideas habits among children and the magic of 3D food printing (3D food printing is a concept of deception method). Another team implemented a creative real-time rendering experiment with visual effects (VFX) to tell stories and bring their innovative idea to life.
In the end, Mr. Saquib gave a heartfelt goodbye speech, we took group photos (or should I say captured memories), and he encouraged us to keep working on projects and stay connected.
In the concert, when flutist Nazm played that scratch-made instrument, it felt like happiness was within reach, with the wind at my back, and the sound of that instrument was like a treasure chest full of dreams, enchanting all who created and listened. I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in my country, and I’m determined to make the most of this experience in the future.
Zarin T. 