Shivam Saini wins BR Chowdhri gold medal at CUH

BR Chowdhri, a beloved post-press teacher at the Northern Regional Institute of Printing Technology (NRIPT), spent years nurturing the next generation of print professionals before serving as press manager at Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. The Offset Printers' Association (OPA), in a tribute to his pioneering contributions to print education in India, instituted this annual competition to carry forward his mission of advancing modern print practices and empowering the youth.

This year, the competition attracted 46 registrants, but only 28 students took up the challenge of the preliminary written MCQ test. From this group, five outstanding students — Aaditya Kesarwani, Shivam Saini, Karan Singh, Akash, and Kodle Narender — earned their place in the final round, a thrilling oral competition that showcased their knowledge, skills, and passion for the industry.

In the finale, each student was given a topic on which they had five minutes to prepare. Their presentations were judged not only on content quality and reliability but also on presentation style, confidence, and their ability to respond to questions. The competition’s excitement reached its peak when the audience participated in the evaluation, making it a truly interactive experience.

After an intense round of presentations and careful deliberation, Shivam Saini, a final-year student, stood out as the clear winner. His articulate presentation, confidence, and depth of knowledge earned him the prestigious BR Chowdhri Gold Medal and a cash prize of Rs 25,000.

The final, held in the CUH seminar hall, saw the contestants face a distinguished five-member jury, comprising industry veterans: SK Joshi, former business manager ICAR, New Delhi; KB Nagpal, former principal technical officer, CSIR-NISCPER, New Delhi; Sumesh Sharma, former deputy general manager, The Times of India, New Delhi; Sanjay Kathuria, director, Print Pack, Sonipat; and Vinay Baveja, MD of Viba Press, New Delhi. The competition's evaluators included Dr Bijender Kaushik, assistant professor at GJUS&T, Hisar, and Annu, the National Champion of Print Olympiad 2024.