And though technically, they may be Champion Runners-up this E Week, in all other ways they are the true E Week champions who gave it their all to spread the spirit of entrepreneurship. Some had exams on their heads, others ran into vacations and dealt with empty campuses, but they all fought hard and well - the more so for their constraints.

In the end, they made headlines. All leading newspapers in Bangalore highlighted the efforts of MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology students in partnering with Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to expedite a pending infrastructure project. In fact a news clip on them made into the most viewed videos on the NDTV website! Abhishek of MSRIT E Cell is now planning to start an action-oriented campaign, similar to Lead India, with NDTV. "We feel motivated after our experience with civic agencies during E Week. We will now organize events that will have an impact, not just in our lives or campus, but the world around us," Abhishek feels.

Students of Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology in Bangalore became publicity strategists too, ensuring that E Week received wide media coverage. The E Cell team had very little time to bounce back to action post-semester exams, but they did it enthusiastically and organized some 68-odd events. Darshan of SMVIT E Cell says he looks forward to strengthening the relationships they have built with a blind school and government school at Bettahalasurmadda over the E Week. "Interacting with students in these schools was a great experience in social entrepreurship. We are planning to do more such activities in the coming months," Darshan feels.

Looking ahead is what other runners up like Hiraben Nanavati Institute of Management for Women in Pune, Pailan School of International Studies, Kolkata and Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad are also doing. "We were expecting to win the Championship, but its okay when we didn't. It was fantastic learning for us, to have nine leading entrepreneurs of the city visit our campus and share their experiences," says Leena Bandal of Hiraben Nanavati Institute.

Kavita, E Cell Coordinator of Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai is elated to receive the runners-up. "We are very excited about receiving the Champions Runner up Award. E Week was lots of fun, where we tried to be as different as possible. We look forward to winning the Championship next year," she says.

Students Shobana, Jayashree and Manoj of JJ College of Engineering and Technology, Trichy, echo Kavita's sentiments. "E Week has inspired us to explore the entrepreneurship spirit in us. Awareness about entrepreneurship is very low in a city like Trichy. We plan to focus on organizing programmes that will create an ecosystem that will help entrepreneurs grow," Shobana says.