Sometimes, the best part of a competition isn't the result. It's everything you learn along the way.
Recently, our team, Eklavya, participated in the Sentinel Hackathon 2026 at iHub Gujarat, Ahmedabad, organised in collaboration with Gujarat Police.
Our challenge was to build DRISHTI, a unified video management and analytics platform designed to bring CCTV camera infrastructure, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), vehicle detection, and vehicle movement tracking together in one place.
With 300+ teams participating across students, startups, individuals, and professionals, the hackathon brought together people with different experiences, ideas, and approaches to solving real-world problems.
The experience was exciting. From developing our solution and preparing the presentation to interacting with other participants, every part of the journey gave us something new to learn.
We didn't win the hackathon, and naturally, we had hoped for a different result. But competitions like these are about more than the final outcome.
They push you to think differently, work under pressure, communicate your ideas clearly, and see how others approach the same challenges. They also help you recognise the gaps in your own approach and understand where you can improve.
One of the most valuable parts was the people we met, the conversations we had, and the connections we made along the way.
It was also a refreshing break from our usual routine, giving us the opportunity to step into a different environment, take on a new challenge, and learn outside our everyday work.
We returned without a trophy, but with new experiences, useful connections, and plenty of things to reflect on.
Not every competition ends with a win, but every experience can leave you better prepared for the next one.
Grateful to the team for the effort and collaboration, and to everyone who made this experience memorable.
On to the next challenge.