Chennai-based neurodiverse students code NFTs of freedom fighters

CHENNAI: While the nation has come up with innovative ways to celebrate 75 years of the country’s freedom, Chennai-based HackHashCode, an inclusive tech education centre, which works with neurodiverse students, is taking the celebration one step ahead to a better future.

Speaking to DT Next, Manu Sekar, founder of HackHashCode says, “This Independence Day we wanted to do something different to celebrate the freedom fighters so we created three NFTs of the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Nehru using polygon art technique.”

NFTs of Bose, Nehru and Gandhi

Manu says that the entire process, from figuring out the code to carrying out the output, was a collaborative effort of neurodiverse individuals who are a part of their centre.

The polygon art was made through SVG and Java Script and has the tricolour scheme on the portraits to honour the national flag.

“The students who made the NFTs are Sarvana Raj (21), Manas (15), and Ananth (22) and are people with autism. Saravana and Ananth are pursuing their BBA, while Ananth just finished Class 12. They are very talented and learn and apply concepts very quickly. I wanted to showcase their talent and push their boundaries to do more,” he says.

The NFTs will be auctioned on an NFT auction platform and the proceeds from the sale will be used to support other neurodiverse students to learn to code.

Manu says that the idea of the company is to ensure everyone is presented with an equal opportunity and also help them hone their skills to make them both field and job ready.

Talking about the stereotypes that come along with neurodiverse individuals, Manu says these individuals receive primary and secondary education but are not able to advance further in their careers due to the unwillingness of several companies to hire such people.

“When one thinks about a person with autism, you can’t help but wonder if they will be able to do anything different than their routine; they very well can. That is what our company is trying to prove. We have been training several people with autism for coding and they are wonderful coders,” he remarks.