India’s Mega Tinkering Day: Inside India's Largest School Innovation Drive

It’s not every day that you see a vacuum cleaner being assembled in the remotest corners of India — let alone by schoolchildren. But on Mega Tinkering Day, that’s exactly what happened. From the icy terrains of Leh to the coastal tip of Kanniyakumari, from the hilly stretches of Mizoram to the deserts of Kutch, classrooms buzzed with energy, curiosity, and the unmistakable sound of young minds at work.

In a landmark initiative, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), under the aegis of NITI Aayog, brought together more than 4,73,350 students from 9,467 schools equipped with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) for a synchronized innovation challenge — the largest of its kind in India’s history. The mission? Design and build a working DIY vacuum cleaner using everyday materials.

Mega Tinkering Day

The scale was unprecedented. Over 10,000 ATLs across all 35 states and union territories participated in the live, online challenge. A step-by-step tutorial guided students, but the execution was left to their creativity.

This wasn’t just a science project — it was a real-time celebration of grassroots innovation. Students collaborated with peers, teachers, and mentors in their respective schools, each working toward the same goal, at the same time, regardless of geography.

From Leh to Kanyakumari, Bhuj to Itanagar, the event transcended borders, languages, and cultures. In remote aspirational districts like Virudhunagar, students joined hands with peers in bustling metros, proving that innovation truly has no boundaries. Even the leadership at AIM rolled up their sleeves and built vacuum cleaners alongside the students.

“India’s Moment to Lead”

Calling the event a “milestone demonstration of the power of grassroots innovation,” Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of AIM, remarked:

“Over 10,000 ATLs came together in one synchronized hour of creativity. No other country has mobilized innovation at this scale inside its school ecosystem. This is India’s moment to show how young minds, when empowered, can create solutions for the nation and the world. The future is being built in our classrooms today.”

Since its inception, AIM has been working to strengthen the foundation of innovation in India’s education system. The 10,000+ Atal Tinkering Labs set up across the country are equipped with 3D printers, robotics kits, IoT devices, and other cutting-edge tools, enabling students to learn design thinking, prototyping, and problem-solving from an early age.

The Mega Tinkering Day was not just a one-off challenge — it marked the kick-off for the academic year’s tinkering activities. More importantly, it brought together students, educators, industry partners, and higher education institutions in a single, unified innovation movement.

The exercise went beyond technical skills. It taught collaboration, critical thinking, and adaptability — qualities essential for future innovators and entrepreneurs. By making the challenge fun yet practical, AIM has reinforced its mission to nurture a generation that doesn’t just consume technology but creates it.

Positioning India as a Global Innovation Hub

With this initiative, AIM has reaffirmed its vision to place India at the forefront of technology-driven education. By fostering a culture where curiosity meets creativity, and problems turn into projects, AIM is not only strengthening the country’s startup pipeline but also preparing students to become global problem-solvers.

On this Mega Tinkering Day, India didn’t just host its largest school innovation event — it showed the world what’s possible when millions of young hands work together, guided by the belief that innovation is for everyone, everywhere.