Technology Adventure Society is a non-profit organization under Technology Students’ Gymkhana, IIT Kharagpur founded by Ankit Joshi in the year 2008 with a vision to promote adventurous sports and activities in the young and enthusiastic minds in IIT Kharagpur. The motto “For Doers, Not Viewers” itself defines the Adventure Enthusiasm of Society.
Events Conducted by TAdS, IIT Kharagpur
Cycle Trip
The Technology Adventure Society organizes a variety of adventurous events throughout the year, beginning with a Cycle Trip. The campus of IIT Kharagpur is so large, spanning 2100 acres, that you could go around looking for treasure, and it wouldn’t be strange if you did! Exploring the various nooks and crannies of the campus cannot be more enjoyable than when you are accompanied by your pals and your bicycles. There will be no greater opportunity for such a thrilling and enjoyable session than this event of Cycle trip.
This event has been organized for Freshers, who visit the campus for the first time and the main motto of this event is to explore all the places on campus by cycle. The cycle journey begins at the Students’ Activity Centre “Technology Students’ Gymkhana” and continues through Old Architecture Building to the Helipad, where participants play games and enjoy refreshments.
Following that, the trip continues to Hijli Forest, where freshers enjoy music, dance, camp, and a variety of fun games. The tour has an equal number of girls and boys to maintain the gender ratio. This excursion also aids in the formation of new friendships and improves camaraderie among students who are new to campus.
Rappelling and Zipline
Rappelling is the act of going down a very steep slope by holding onto a rope that is fastened to the top of the building and here in IIT Kharagpur that building is the MMM Hall of Residence. Participants descend from the top of MMM hall with the help of rope while taking all safety measures.
Another event for adventure enthusiasts to get from one point to another is a zipline. This time, instead of descending down the height, you glide from one spot to another between two sites of Gymkhana lake, riding on a steel cable protected by safety belts.
Trips and Treks
Treks and Trips are a major highlight of TAdS. TAdS organizes 3 Treks/ Trips around the year. In these treks, you start the journey with unknown people, who by the end turn into best friends or sometimes even friends for life. The nights spent around a bonfire, listening to stories, finding new friends, camping and trekking experience gives enough moments that can cherish for a lifetime.
Kuari Pass, Hampta Pass, Pangarchulla Peak and Brahmatal Trek are some of the treks conducted by TAdS. Apart from good sceneries and new experiences, these treks provided a much-required break from academics. TAdS also conducted their first road which was also the first-ever international trip to Bhutan in 2019.
Adventure Weekend
The Adventure Weekend is a 2-day event full of craziness, adventurous activities, and a fun-filled weekend. TAdS organizes a lot of events like Paintball, Laser Tag, Meltdown, Bull Ride, Zorbing, Archery, Human Foosball, Kartmania, and a lot more. Let’s know a little bit about the events under Adventure Weekend. Meltdown features two rotating logs that players must either jump over or squat under to avoid being hit.
TAdS understands that a meltdown isn’t enough for Adventure junkies, so Paintball is there, which is a demanding team activity that incorporates strategy, shooting, elimination, and a little bit of pain, and of course unlimited fun. Participants form a gang, load their guns with colour pallets, put on protective gear, and prepare to take over the arena. They will do whatever it takes to win, including ducking, jumping, hiding, and running.
If paintball wasn’t enticing enough, how about a game of laser tag? Instead of colour pallets, using laser guns this time. Laser tag is an adventurous shooting sport conducted in an arena created in the Old Gymkhana where 2 teams are formed and each player is given a laser pistol and a sensor jacket.
Both teams contest with each other and the team with the highest hits wins the round. Moving towards a complete stress buster, i.e., Zorbing, find ways to relieve your frustration by chasing and hitting your friends. But remember for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction!
Moving on to the penultimate event under the banner of Adventure Weekend!! That is, Kartmania. TAdS builds great tracks where you can show your skills in drifting, burnout, or even you can compete in a timed trail with your friends! Also, because TAdS cares for bikers, it offers ATV Bikes to provide an experience of quad-biking and four-wheel pleasure in addition to racing automobiles.
TAdS is more than just organizing adventure activities; it also encourages young minds by bringing experts who have done things that are full of adventure in their life to speak at the “Guest Lecture” event.
Online Events
So, in the above section, you read about TAdS’s offline events. When the Covid-19 caused nationwide lockdown, people wondered what the TAdS would do, but it didn’t give up and tried exploring new areas by hosting online events such as the Virtual Cycle Trip and E-sports tournaments such as Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, and Valorant.
You must be wondering how an event like Cycle Trip was organized virtually. It is essentially a treasure hunt in which participants must solve interesting riddles to get to different locations of the IIT KGP campus virtually, hence fulfilling the aim of the offline Cycle trip
This is all about the Technology Adventure Society, which is not just a society, but also a family for all team members because it has a unique level of bonding among all teammates that is formed by working together beyond the bounds of day and night. That’s why it is called the TAdS Family.