Location: Christ University, Bengaluru
Program: Advanced Internet Operations Research in India (AIORI) Regional Faculty Workshop
Associated Partner: Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter
On July 28, 2025, Christ University in Bengaluru hosted the landmark AIORI Regional Faculty Workshop. This was a big step forward in the attempt to improve India’s digital infrastructure and encourage the next generation of technological innovators. The event showed how important it is for everyone to work together to improve the country’s digital infrastructure. It brought together excited students, dedicated academics, and important technology leaders for a whole day of specialized learning, professional conversation, and hands-on lessons about important Internet Standards and network engineering principles. This program showed clearly how committed AIORI is to helping young people and bridging the gap between what they learn in school and the digital problems they face in the real world.
The spirit of the day was even better thanks to the warm participation of schools and colleges from Tamil Nadu and the surrounding area, such as Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Kings College of Engineering, St. Joseph’s Institute of Technology, K. Ramakrishnan College of Technology, VIT Chennai, Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering and Technology, Roever Engineering College, Agni College of Technology, Anand Institute of Higher Technology, Panimalar Engineering College, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, M.A.M. College of Engineering and Technology, KCG College of Technology, and M.A.M. School of Engineering, among others. The fact that they were all there showed that they all wanted to help raise a generation of learners who are ready to help shape India’s digital future. The mood was warm, collaborative, and full of purpose.
There was a clear sense of excitement and energy in the air at the start of the day. The host institution gave a warm welcome and set the tone by talking about how important it is for researchers to work together, how important it is for communities to encourage technology adoption, and how important it is for schools to promote high-quality technical education. By hosting such a high-quality technical event, Christ University proved once again that it is a top place for sharing important knowledge and coming up with new ideas.
The Backbone of the Internet: Engineering and Standards
The first major segment of the workshop was the crucial Technical Session, titled “AIORI & Internet Engineering,” led by the expert Mr. Anand Raje (Chair, Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter). His session offered a deep and insightful dive into the technical backbone of modern internet infrastructure. Mr. Raje masterfully covered critical topics such as DNS operations, the architecture of core network protocols, the design of future-ready network architectures, and the national significance of developing indigenous technological capabilities.
Mr. Raje’s masterful explanation of how AIORI’s various initiatives are actively supporting research, standardization, and capacity-building across the country deeply inspired the audience, compelling them to consider how they could contribute meaningfully to these national efforts.
Following this, the highly engaging session on “AIORI Ambassadors” was delivered by Mr. Anupam Agrawal (Chair – IIFON). He offered students a unique and actionable perspective on actively participating in national-level hackathons, focused research sprints, and collaborative, community-driven workshops. He strategically positioned students as essential knowledge carriers who can create a tangible impact by promoting awareness about internet standards and fostering open-source collaboration within their own spheres of influence.
A Coordinated National Effort: Governance Meets Engineering
The workshop advanced with a thoughtful and illuminating segment that emphasized the vital, interconnected role that public institutions, technology foundations, and specialized research bodies play in the collective endeavor of building an accessible, efficient, and secure internet for India. This segment served to powerfully reinforce the understanding that true internet engineering is a coordinated national effort, requiring cooperation across multiple sectors.
A key session focused specifically on MeitY and NIXI, highlighting the ongoing national mission to strengthen internet governance and significantly enhance the reliability of nationwide services. This discussion expertly bridged the perceived gap between governance and engineering by offering valuable insight into precisely how policy decisions and technical leadership converge to drive large-scale digital transformation and infrastructure development.
Hands-On Innovation: The AIORI Anchors Program
As the event went on, participants learnt about the AIORI Anchors program, which is another important project that Mr. Anand Raje is very concerned about. This technical demonstration showed how powerful and useful AIORI’s platforms and tools are. It gave students a chance to see for themselves how the AIORI Anchors give researchers and learners access to real-time network data, create their own measurement solutions, and help drive the national digital innovation momentum. There were 23 AIORI Anchors set up, which made the academic community feel like they were part of something much bigger than their own campus: a countrywide endeavour to better comprehend and build the internet.
The next half was all about the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which gave everyone a great basic grasp of how worldwide open standards are officially made, suggested, and debated. Students were strongly encouraged to look into IETF working groups and ways to get involved, making the AIORI workshop a key way to get involved with global internet governance communities and have a say in how the internet changes around the world.
7th Regional Faculty Workshop – BENGALURU
The workshop at Christ University on 28 July 2025 was marked by high participation from 33 faculty members representing 22 engineering institutions. Central to the event was the AIORI 2 Ambassador Program: the region is now championed by three AIORI Ambassadors: Rakoth Kandan Sambandam, Col Jai Govind, and Dr. Manu Elappila. Demonstrating their training, the faculty members utilized their skills to conduct two national student workshops, reinforcing the AIORI Measurement Network.
Paving the Way for a Brighter Digital Future
The highly productive workshop ended with a memorable closing session in which participants expressed their thanks and received certificates. The event met both of its goals: it taught students and teachers about the internet of the future and greatly encouraged them to take active, informed roles in shaping it.
We would like to give a special thank you to the Associate Partner, Internet Society – India Kolkata Chapter. Our direct involvement, which was based on the Internet Society’s main goal of promoting the open development and useful use of the Internet, was a key factor in the workshop’s success. Our contribution made the event more collaborative and strongly supported the shared national aim of establishing a digitally powerful ecosystem through focused education, ongoing innovation, and community engagement.
The AIORI Workshop at Christ University in Bengaluru is a clear and strong example of what can be done when academia, business, and government work together towards a common, strategic goal. This will help India have a brighter, safer, and more technologically advanced digital future.
