Ansh Kansagra
The importance of inspiration in one’s life can hardly be overemphasised. For Ansh Kansagra, a third-year B.Tech student at Charotar University of Science and Technology in Gujarat, this inspiration came in the form of two figures he’d known very closely throughout the years: his father and his teacher. Currently studying Electronics and Communication Engineering, Ansh once had a fiery interest in robotics, which was the thread through which he navigated his life. However, the COVID-19 pandemic was a hurdle from which he emerged a changed man. The massive changes around the world fell upon his world too, which is how he currently stands where he is: feet firmly rooted in the ground that NPTEL has given him to jointly pursue both of his passions.
The journey from Robotics to Electronics and Communication Engineering was guided by his professors. Encouraging his enthusiasm for further research in M.Tech, they introduced him to the expanding domains beyond robotics, which would allow him to pursue his dreams while also making them come true in newer ways. It was from one of these professors that Ansh was introduced to NPTEL in his second semester. From there, he has completed ten courses to date, is currently enrolled in four, and was certified an NPTEL Believer— owing to this relentless dedication. When asked what motivated him through these many courses, his professor, who takes up ten NPTEL courses per semester, came up again! Pushing him to believe in himself once again as he did pre-COVID, Ansh has ever since been expanding his limits. His study routine involves an early start to the day, college lectures, a lunch break he dedicates to his NPTEL courses, and a post-dinner session of working on NPTEL assignments. He says he hasn’t had lunch in four months! His love for robotics feeds him, yet keeps him hungry enough for more.
Fuelled by a newfound confidence learning from NPTEL had afforded him, Ansh climbed his way right up to the finals of Techfest 2025 at IIT Bombay! He was aided by his repertoire of courses, including “Advanced Robotics Applications”, which improved his problem solving skills and furthered his knowledge of specifics. He was elated to have such a platform. Not only did NPTEL provide a way for him to learn, but also aided him in interacting with minds like his; he returned with new connections he was glad to have made. He is now nurturing his IIT dreams further: the courses he has taken up on NPTEL are also helping him along in preparing for GATE. He plans to keep on learning from this platform which has provided him with such ease of acquiring knowledge and taken him to the heights he dreamt for himself, suggesting the introduction of courses in smart logistics to keep up with the newer demands of career-oriented minds such as his. Yet, he also spoke gladly about one of his classic favourites: ‘Introduction to Machine Learning’ by Professor Balaraman Ravindran of IIT Madras, claiming Professor Ravindran to be his favourite instructor on the platform!
Ansh wants his fellow-NPTEL learners to take his story as one of focus, discipline and consistency, learned from the efforts of his father. He believes that if you engage with it deeply enough, NPTEL just might make you into who you always wished to be.
~written by Eshani Bhattacharjee