Under the guidance of Ar. Vinod Kumar, Assistant Professor, students from the School of Architecture and Landscape Design (SoALD), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), brought distinction to the university by securing first positions in both the Video and Poster competitions at “Engaging Young Changemakers: A Health Conclave.” The conclave was a collaborative initiative jointly organized by the National One Health Mission (NOHM), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in collaboration with Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA). The event was hosted at the Regional Coordinating Institute (RCI), Indian Institute of Technology Jammu.
In the Video Competition category, a team of fifth-year architecture students — Killi Harsha Vardhan, Aman Chajgotra, Swayum Dubey, and Prathna Gandotra — secured first place in the “Eco Walk” Video Competition. Their winning entry, titled “On the Streets: What People Are Really Facing,” presented a structured public survey examining the everyday challenges faced by local communities. The video captured authentic street-level perspectives, highlighting issues related to social concerns, cleanliness, sanitation, and overall quality of life.The project aimed to raise awareness and encourage constructive dialogue toward practical, community-driven solutions. By documenting real experiences and concerns, the students offered meaningful insights into prevailing ground realities and demonstrated the potential of architectural education to engage directly with societal issues.
In the Poster Competition category, Mr. Anirudh Gupta, also a fifth-year student of SoALD, secured first position for his poster titled “One Health Initiative – Healthy People, Healthy Animals, and a Healthy Environment.” The poster’s central message — “One Earth, One Health, Our Shared Responsibility” — underscored the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. It called for collective action and community participation to foster a healthier and more sustainable future.
Notably, both the video and the poster were developed as part of a studio assignment for the subject Town Planning, coordinated by Ar. Vinod Kumar, titled “Neighborhood Transformation Initiative along Sirah-Dhirti Connecting Road to Improve the Quality of Life of Villagers.” The project focuses on the redevelopment of the link road connecting SMVDU with villages adopted under UBA through the application of neighborhood community planning concepts, integrating academic research with field-based engagement. This initiative reflects SoALD’s strong commitment to experiential learning, community outreach, and socially responsive architectural practice.
The achievement highlights the excellence of SMVDU’s architecture students in blending design innovation with real-world problem-solving, reinforcing the critical role of architecture in advancing public health, sustainability, and rural transformation.On this remarkable accomplishment, Vice Chancellor Prof. Pragati Kumar, Head of SoALD Ar. Abhiney Gupta, Associate Head Ar. Naveen Gupta, and other faculty members congratulated the students for bringing recognition to the university. They commended the students’ dedication, creativity, and commitment to addressing community challenges through impactful academic work.