Chitkara University co-hosted a high-level interaction with the BAJA SAEINDIA Organizing Committee and leading industry experts, reaffirming its commitment to experiential learning and industry-integrated engineering education. The event brought together distinguished leaders from the automotive sector, including Mr. Balraj Subramaniam, Chairman, Organizing Committee, BAJA SAEINDIA; Mr. Jatin Garg, Honorary Secretary, Organizing Committee, BAJA SAEINDIA; Dr. K. C. Vora, Senior Advisor, BAJA SAEINDIA Organizing Committee; and Mr. Balraj Bhanot, Automotive Homologation Expert and Former Director, ARAI.
Representing academia were Dr. Madhu Chitkara, President and Co-founder, Chitkara University; Dr. Sandhir Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University; and Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Registrar, Chitkara University. Welcoming the gathering, Balraj Subramaniam, Chairman, Organizing Committee, BAJA SAEINDIA, highlighted BAJA SAEINDIA's enduring legacy in nurturing engineering talent through hands-on learning and innovation.
Dr. Sandhir Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University, underscored the importance of strong partnerships between academia and industry in preparing students for emerging technological challenges. A presentation on the journey and legacy of BAJA SAEINDIA showcased how the competition has evolved into one of India's most respected experiential learning platforms.
Today, BAJA SAEINDIA serves as an umbrella platform encompassing Electric Vehicle(eBAJA), Mechanical BAJA (mBAJA), Autonomous BAJA, and Hydrogen BAJA (hBAJA), enabling students to explore diverse future mobility technologies through competitive engineering challenges. Students participating in BAJA SAEINDIA 2027 will conceptualise, design, analyse, fabricate, and validate single-seater all-terrain vehicles in accordance with the BAJA SAEINDIA Rulebook before competing in rigorous static and dynamic evaluations that assess engineering excellence, innovation, safety, and endurance.
A total of 186 teams have registered for the 2027 season. 102 eBAJA teams, 26 hBAJA teams and 58 mBAJA teams from across the country will participate in the Virtual Round where industry experts will be assessing and providing guidance to the Preliminary design of the buggies. Also, a technical quiz will be conducted based on automotive Engineering.
Virtual Round of eBAJA, MBAJA & BAJA SAEINDIA 2027’ are scheduled from 17th July to 19th July 2026, at Chitkara University, Punjab Campus. Digital engineering tools and simulation-based assessments will evaluate vehicle design, engineering analysis, and innovation before teams advance to the subsequent stages of the competition.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Madhu Chitkara, President and Co-founder, Chitkara University, spoke about the University's continued association with BAJA SAEINDIA and emphasised the transformative role of experiential learning in engineering education. She noted that such initiatives inspire students to translate classroom learning into practical innovation while strengthening their technical expertise, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.
The interaction also explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, ensuring engineering education remains aligned with the evolving needs of the automotive and mobility sectors.