Aakash Ravindra Babar – NPTEL STAR
Learning, for Aakash Ravindra Babar, has always been quiet, consistent, and focused – much like the man himself. Originally from Sangli, Maharashtra, Aakash holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s in Structural Engineering. Currently based in Navi Mumbai, he works as a structural design engineer, bringing five years of solid industry experience to the table.
Though he doesn’t see himself as a top performer, he consistently landed a spot in the top 10. It was during his undergrad years that he stumbled upon NPTEL. “In engineering, they don’t teach us everything. We have to learn a lot on our own. And there weren’t enough online resources for my course available back then”, he recalls. “Somehow, I got to know about the video lectures of NPTEL by Professors from IITs, and I found them very useful. The concepts became clearer, and from my third year onwards, I started scoring more”, he shares.
What began as concept clarification soon turned into a steady learning habit.
His first proper NPTEL course was “Design of Reinforced Concrete Road Bridges” by Prof. Nirjhar Dang of IIT Kharagpur. “It was a simple 4-week course, and I took it out of pure excitement and inquisitiveness”, he says, adding that bridges weren’t covered in his curriculum, but he wanted to learn. He scored well above 90% in the course and secured a gold medal. This ignited more deeper interest. “Since the first course itself was very good, and well structured, I thought- why not take up many and continue this journey?”.
And so he did. Aakash’s gold medal collection grew with the next couple of courses he took, and he went on to complete multiple technical certifications. Eventually, he also took up non- technical courses such as “Enhancing Soft Skills and Personality”, which he credits for helping him grow personally and professionally.
Speaking of challenges, he points to time management. “Assignments were always due on Wednesdays, and I was working full-time. So I used to watch the videos on the weekends and finish up the assignments on Mondays and Tuesdays whenever I have active courses running,” he explains. He also added that back then, internet access was a bit of a hurdle as well, with data not being cheap or unlimited like today. “Most of the lectures were an hour long, and watching all 12 weeks’ content took real commitment”.
He appreciates the introduction of the live sessions taken up by course Teaching Assistants (TA) – a new feature that significantly improved the learning experience.
He emphasises not missing the live sessions taken by the TAs and to take proper notes with their own handwriting.
He also shares how initially, his course choices were based on personal interest or only to fill in a knowledge gap. But later, as he discovered the Domain Certifications, he started planning more strategically, and once he aligned things together, he soon became an NPTEL STAR.
He also expresses a hopeful wish that while NPTEL is well-recognized in academic institutions, its awareness in the industry still needs to grow. He often finds himself explaining the platform and its significance during interviews, a situation he believes shouldn’t be necessary. Aakash hopes that NPTEL’s reach would grow stronger within industry circles, encouraging more working professionals to explore and benefit from its offerings, just as he did.
From an undergrad seeking clarity to a professional handling high-stakes projects, Aakash has come a long way. The technical courses he chose directly supported his role in structural design. “Some courses helped right away. Others made sense two years later as well when a challenge came up at work”, he mentions.
His journey truly showcases the power of self-driven interest and leveraging the right learning resources. In his quiet yet consistent manner, he’s demonstrating that the best engineers are always building – not just structures, but also their knowledge.
P.S. Aakash has recently gotten to work on a one-of-a-kind project in India – confidential for now, but certainly something to watch out for! We wish him the very best!!
– Written by Asha Thangaraj