Rajalakshmi Engineering College News & Events ,Thandalam, Chennai

Smart India Hackathon is a platform for academia, industry, govt. to come together to solve critical problems: K.Annamalai

CHENNAI, Dec 9, 2025: Smart India Hackathon is the result of a combined vision for the industry, academia, government, and students to come together and arrive at solutions to critical problems plaguing society, Mr. K. Annamalai, former President of Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party, said on Tuesday evening.

In his video address at the Valedictory Function of the annual two-day Grand Finale of the Software Edition of Smart India Hackathon at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Mr. Annamalai (speaking from New Delhi), said he was delighted to see the participation of about 25 teams from all over India – from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanniyakumari.

“You have completed multiple processes and finally selected to come here and present your ideas. Two Ministries – Jal Shakti, and Coal are the sponsors and have given near impossible problem statements – be it using digital tools to monitor water level in villages, productivity tracking system for government offices, advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning based evaluation for an intelligent safety companion for miners,” the former Indian Police Service officer said.

However, the young students allowed their engineering talent to find a solution, Mr. Annamalai said, adding the students would have found the sessions most productive. Congratulating the students who had chosen to bring their engineering mindset to solve such problems, he said, "Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi always believed in the talent of young minds and always put youth in the forefront, for he firmly believed the youth of today had a solution for tomorrow’s problems."

The valedictory function, he said, was the culmination of efforts of the industry, government, and a great academic institution like Rajalakshmi Engineering College to come together to solve India’s problems, Mr. Annamalai added.

Mr. Abhay Meganathan, Vice Chairman of Rajalakshmi Institutions, congratulated the students for putting in 36 hours of hard work. “Hackathons are the new classrooms, where you get to learn and interact, unlike the previous generation of students. Over the last couple of decades, innovation has been the keyword, and it is the only way India can catch up with world leaders,” he remarked.

About 150 students from 13 States across India competed, and 6 teams emerged as winners. While the first four teams received Rs. 1.5 lakh each, the fifth and sixth teams received Rs. 75,000 each. The two-day event began on Monday with Mr. B.Raj Kumar, Competency Leader, L&T Technology Services Limited, Industrial Products (Machinery), inaugurating the event, held for the second successive year at Rajalakshmi Engineering College.

Rajalakshmi Engineering College is among the 60 Nodal Centres in India that hosted the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH), considered as the world’s biggest open innovation model. The 36-hour software edition’s finale featured 23 teams, supported by 17 experts who mentored and evaluated the innovative projects.

Among others present on the occasion were Mr. Aseem Kalta, Startup Fellow, Innovation Cell, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Mr. Guruprasad Datra, Director, Financial Services, Deloitte India, Dr. Hemanth Agrawal, Manager (Mining), Science and Technology, Department of Central Mine Planning and Design Institute, (CMPDI), Ministry of Coal – all Nodal Centre Heads, SIH, Mr. K. M. Suceendran, Head - Global Academic Alliances, TCS, and Dr. S.N. Murugesan, Principal, Rajalakshmi Engineering College.

SIH, conducted by the Innovation Cell, Ministry of Education, is a premier nationwide initiative to engage students in solving pressing challenges and fostering a culture of innovation.

Rajalakshmi Engineering College Celebrates 23rd Graduation Day: 1,601 Students Graduate, Including 20 Gold Medalists

January 10, 2025: Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker and former international cricketer, encouraged students to strive for excellence and embrace lifelong learning during the 23rd Graduation Day of Rajalakshmi Engineering College. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Ashwin reflected on the significance of school and college years as some of the most formative times in one’s life. He urged graduates to dedicate themselves to a greater purpose as they move forward in their careers and personal lives.

“Whether it is your career, financial independence, or any other goal, anchoring yourself to a meaningful cause will give you the strength and resilience to face life’s challenges,” he said, inspiring the audience to approach the future with determination and purpose. A total of 1,601 students received their degrees, including Ph.D. holders, with 20 graduates earning gold medals for their exceptional academic performance.

Mr. Ashwin also handed over degree certificates and medals to meritorious students who had excelled in their respective specialisation, in the presence of Chief Guest Dr. Prabu David, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, U.S.A., Dr. (Mrs.) Thangam Meganathan, Chairperson, Rajalakshmi Institutions and Mr. Abhay Meganathan, Vice Chairman, Rajalakshmi Institutions 

In his address, Dr. David said that throughout its culture and history, India had given a lot of importance to education and pursuit of knowledge and Gurukul system of education was a testimony to this. Several Indians who were born and educated in India have brought laurels in the areas of education and economic growth by marking their stamp of excellence in various spheres the world over. Today the need to hone skills among youth to ensure a successful career had superseded the importance of character development.  

Senapathy "Kris" Gopalakrishnan Inagurartes AICTE Idea Factory at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai (REC)

July 20, 2023: Senapathy "Kris" Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys, declared at Rajalakshmi Engineering College that there is more information available online than any one person could possibly know. The institution's AICTE Idea Factory (AICTE Idea Lab) was opened by Gopalakrishnan. Speaking after today's inauguration, he asserted that the time has come for knowledge to be applied in order to produce something valuable for people. REC-IDEA Factory is established under AICTE IDEA Lab scheme and objective behind opening the lab is to transform it into an organization and provide the opportunity to the students and society at large to enhance their innovative capabilities and bring out entrepreneurs, thus promoting Make in India, an initiative of the Government of India.

IDEA Lab is housed on space spanning across 30000 Sq Ft and provides a platform for youngsters across the nation to experiment with their creative ideas. This lab is equipped with state-of-the-art modern applications, tools, components and equipment under one roof, for the conversion of an idea into a prototype. The Immersive Technology Experience Centre, Internet of Things (IoT) Tech Lab, Drone Innovation Hub, E-vehicles, 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, Computer Aided Design Centre, Production Centre, Laser Cutting Centre, CNC Router, and PCB Design Lab are among the amenities available in this lab. Additionally, students are taught how to use IoT solutions, which have the power to alter a number of industries in the contemporary world by boosting productivity, sustainability, and efficiency. With facilities made available 24/7, they lead to the creation of avenues for incubation of innovative products, ultimately resulting in entrepreneurship for the graduating engineers. By visiting this lab, all the other stakeholders will also have an opportunity to get an exposure to the flavour of the recent technologies delivered by the college.

REC has been Ranked 86th in the NIRF Rankings 2023 in the Engineering Category

June 7, 2023: Rajalakshmi Engineering College has been ranked 86th in Engineering by NIRF in 2023.  REC has climbed an astonishing 9 ranking positions from the previous year to be rated 86th. Rajalakshmi Engineering College is on the Top 100 list as one of only TWO self-financing engineering institutions from Chennai. 

Rajalakshmi Engineering College Organises a National-level Inter-Collegiate Cultural Fest " Recharge"

March 27, 2023: Recharge 2023, a three-day annual national-level intercollegiate cultural festival hosted by Rajalakshmi Engineering College (REC), kicked off on Thursday and will feature more than 35,000 participants from throughout the nation.  Events from music and dance to sports will be held as part of the festival with the intention of giving the participants a forum to express themselves and highlight their talents. Clash of Stars, Battle of Bands, Blue Lock, Pitch it Perfect, Fashion Walk, Photo Montage, and Futsal are just a few of the events and contests.  Singer Jonita Gandhi performed a professional presentation at the cultural festival on Thursday. Cricketer Suresh Raina will be the special guest on Friday, and the Masala Coffee Band will play. On the third day, the director Gautam Vasudev Menon will be there. As part of the pre-cultural celebrations, students observed an ‘ethnic day’ where they came dressed in traditional ethnic attire and had music and dance performances on March 20. The Thisram band held a music concert from Arts Central and the college’s own Unison Band.

Rajalakshmi Engineering College's (REC) annual three-day national intercollegiate cultural festival, Recharge 2023, came to an end on Saturday. Nearly 35,000 students from institutions all over the country attended the festival. The Folk Tales band performed on stage on the opening day of the festival and displayed conventional folk arts. Playback vocalist Jonita Gandhi gave a concert. Cricketer Suresh Raina was the Chief Guest for the annual sports day. Additionally, the Masala Coffee Band played. On the last day, Recharge 2023 featured stand-up comedian Jangan Krishnan in front of a sizable audience and DJ Siana Catherine's immersive musical performance. Gautam Vadudev Menon, an actor and director, was the special guest. Prizes totalling 7 lakh were handed to competition winners during the cultural festival.

Rajalakshmi Engineering College Inaugurates Robotics Laboratory ‘ISAAC ASIMOV’

May 13, 2022: On May 9, R.Senthil Kumar, Assistant Vice President, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Chennai, inaugurated a state-of-the-art Robotics Laboratory called "ISAAC ASIMOV" at Rajalakshmi Engineering College in Thandalam, Chennai. The occasion was presided over by M.Abhay Shankar, Vice Chairman of Rajalakshmi Institutions.

"As companies become more dependent on robotics, this lab will assist students to close the gap between industry and academia by giving hands-on robotic sessions to the students," the Chief Guest said during his speech. “With the training provided, students will be industry ready 4.0, which will be extended to aspiring engineers", he continued

M.Abhay Shankar, Vice-Chairman, Rajalakshmi Institutions, said, "This lab is integrated with cutting-edge technology, and we ensure that after graduation when our students are exposed to real-time difficulties, they would be up-to-date with the latest advances in the industry."

The Isaac Asimov lab will focus on areas such as intelligent autonomous cars, swarm robotics, search and rescue robots, aerial robotics, human assist robots, and robotic exoskeletons. Rajalakshmi Engineering College wants to use its research capacity to identify new uses of industrial robots that will benefit society through the Isaac Asimov Robotics lab. This lab will herald in a new era of robotics research and educational opportunities for students.