What begins as a classroom problem does not always end with an assignment submission. At BITS Pilani, one student project on managing queues eventually evolved into a technology startup working to make fuel stations more efficient across India.The journey is among the examples that underline why Prof. Vinay Chamola, Associate Professor at BITS Pilani, has been recognised with the National Award for Teachers 2026.The award, conferred by the Ministry of Education, recognises his contributions to teaching, technological innovation, experiential learning and student mentorship. President Droupadi Murmu presented the national honour to him at Vigyan Bhawan on Teachers’ Day, September 5, 2026.
From a classroom problem to a real-world solution
The startup, Nawgati, grew from a student course project focused on queuing systems. The basic problem was familiar to millions of motorists: long waits and congestion at fuel stations, particularly during busy periods.What began as an academic exercise gradually moved beyond the classroom. With mentorship and support from BITS Pilani’s innovation ecosystem, the idea developed into a technology venture seeking to reduce congestion, improve operational efficiency and make fuelling more convenient.Nawgati’s technology uses data and intelligent queue-management systems to understand congestion at fuel stations and help improve the movement of vehicles. The startup was incubated at BITS Pilani and has gone on to deploy its solutions at fuel stations across India.For Chamola, the example captures an important dimension of engineering education: students should not only learn how technology works but also understand how it can address problems people encounter every day.
Teaching that extends beyond textbooks
Chamola’s work at BITS Pilani spans the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, drones, cybersecurity and healthcare technologies. He has also established an IoT Tinkering Lab, providing students with an environment to turn concepts into practical projects.Through PIEDS, the Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society, he mentors student entrepreneurs and early-stage startups, helping them move ideas from prototypes towards real-world applications.His approach to education also extends beyond technology. Chamola leads an interdisciplinary course on the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, bringing questions of values, purpose, clarity and wellbeing into the student experience.
Why the award matters
The National Award for Teachers 2026 places Chamola’s contribution in a larger context: the role of a teacher is not limited to lectures, examinations or research papers.In his case, the impact can be seen in laboratories, student projects, startups and interdisciplinary learning.The story of a queue-management project becoming a technology company is particularly telling. It demonstrates how a classroom question can become an entrepreneurial opportunity when students are encouraged to experiment, solve practical problems and take their ideas beyond campus.For an institution such as BITS Pilani, the journey also offers a compelling model of experiential education — where the distance between classroom learning and real-world impact becomes much smaller.And for Prof. Chamola, the national teaching honour is recognition not just of what he teaches, but of what his students can go on to build with that learning.
