It’s early morning at the Rajarambapu Institute of Technology campus in Sangli, Maharashtra. The corridors are still waking up, but inside a computer lab, three young engineers are already at work — fine-tuning code, testing responses, and training an AI system to do something deeply human: support.

For 21-year-olds Vaishnavi Rajkumar Patil, Abhishek Shivprasad Patil, and Ganesh Ramchandra Mahadik, collectively known as Team Neurostars, this is a personal mission. 

Their AI-powered chatbot, designed to help parents of children with autism navigate everyday challenges, recently won GRASP 2026 — a national AI hackathon conducted in partnership with ASME India. 

Competing against over 5,000 students, the trio secured first place in the “AI for Social Good” category, earning Rs 1 lakh, mentorship opportunities, internships, and a chance to collaborate with a European university.

Their work signals something worth paying attention to: young engineers in India choosing to build for people first.

Three villages, one lab

All three students come from small towns and agricultural families in Maharashtra, where life is shaped as much by the land as by aspiration.

Vaishnavi, who grew up in Karve village, recalls how her interest in technology began during the pandemic while observing her cousin sister’s work-from-home routine.“I was just curious about what she was doing and what these codes were, and gradually I started learning from her and decided to pursue computer science,” she tells The Better India.

She lives with her parents, younger brother, and grandparents, all of whom share the weight of farming and daily life. “My father works as a quality testing engineer, but along with that, he also looks after our farm; my grandparents are more into agriculture,” she adds.

Abhishek, from Kavalapur, traces his journey back to a childhood fascination. “I got my first computer when I was in Class 7, so I decided that when I grow up, I would pursue computer science engineering,” he shares.

At home, responsibilities are split between business and farming. “My father owns a shop, and along with that, he looks after our farm, and my mother is a homemaker.”

Ganesh, from Nevari, followed a similar path, growing up in an agricultural household before stepping into engineering. He now works as an intern while continuing to build on the project.

What unites them is not just their academic path but a grounded understanding of everyday challenges, where access to resources is limited, and solutions need to be practical.

A classmate’s story changed everything

The trio’s journey into autism awareness began with a friend's story.

Through the IUCEE (Indo-Universal Collaboration for Engineering Education) student club at their college, the three were encouraged to engage with real-world problems. And one day, a classmate opened up about his sister's autism and the toll it was taking on his family.

“Until entering engineering, we had no understanding of autism,”........

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