Among the plethora of upcoming college festivals, the students of National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) Mumbai are gearing up for an event with a cause. MahaMandi 2010 is a day-long event in which a thousand students from top business schools in Mumbai will hit the streets on July 31 to sell educational toys and khadi, manufactured by the NGO Navnirmiti and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission respectively.

“This is the brainchild of one of our professors, who believes that what we learn must be implemented. It’s a unique blend of learning and social responsibility,” says student Anupam Kumar.

Besides generating revenue, the event is also targeted at giving the participating students hands-on experience of sales, logistics, strategy and marketing. MahaMandi, now in its sixth year, has constantly been innovating and expanding from its modest beginning in 2005. It has grown to involve other top business schools and is generating more revenue every year.

“From Rs 2.5 lakh in 2008, the revenue increased to Rs 3.5 lakh in 2009. This year, since other institutions have also been involved, we hope to generate four times the amount. All the proceeds of Mahamandi 2010 will go to Navnirmiti and the Khadi Commission,” says Kumar.