An innovative, cross-cultural collaboration is using the power of play to solve real-world agricultural challenges in rural India. The Vidyut Project, a creative collaboration between the University of Chicago's STAGE Center and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay's Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (C-TARA), is leveraging storytelling and board games to promote energy-efficient irrigation techniques among farmers.
Supported by the Provost’s Global Faculty Awards at the University of Chicago and the UChicago Center in Delhi, the project aims to make complex scientific concepts accessible and practical for rural communities. The team developed two engaging board games, Capacitor Raja and Sinchan Sharyat, designed to teach farmers how to use low-cost tools like capacitors to improve electricity and water use, thereby addressing critical demand-side energy inefficiencies.
During a recent trip to Maharashtra’s drought-prone Beed district, the project team introduced the games to local farmers. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with farmers, women, and children showing strong enthusiasm for the games as an interactive learning tool.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the STAGE Center’s growth has been forging new partnerships and increasing our impact,” said Prof. Nancy Kawalek, the founding director of the STAGE Center. “Collaborating with IIT Bombay’s C-TARA allows for exactly the type of international, dynamic, and interdisciplinary work so crucial to the STAGE Center’s methodology.”
“The farmers were excited to recognize elements of the game board design, including symbols and icons inspired by the irrigation tools they use every day,” said Dr. Sunanda Prabhu-Gaunkar, director of science for the STAGE Center. “They participated in the game creation process by providing feedback to improve the games... listening to their commitment and dedication towards their profession was both humbling and inspiring.”
This new collaboration highlights the unique strengths of both institutions. Researchers from Dr. Priya Jadhav's lab at IIT Bombay provided the scientific foundation and the connection to the farming communities, while UChicago's STAGE Center brought its expertise in creating new artistic endeavors about science.
The project has also proven to be a valuable learning experience for the students involved, both in India and USA. Students were given the opportunity to explore art and science as interdisciplinary research. The science students learned interview and game design skills, as well as how to make science accessible to wider audiences, while the art students learned about scientific concepts and how to build games with rules based on science. The students also greatly appreciated the opportunity to work on a project with international visibility and impact at the grassroots level in India.
“Through this cultural exchange, the students discover new ways of imagining and creating, broadening their perspectives and enriching their collaborative experience,” said Prabhu-Gaunkar.
By transforming education into an engaging and collaborative experience, The Vidyut Project showcases how playful learning and cross-cultural partnership can drive meaningful and sustainable change.