a work in progress

Hi! I’m Sagnik.

A quick introduction

I build things, research questions, and bring people together.

Recently, that has meant building a food-spoilage detector, researching harmful bot activity on X, and co-founding a publication for emerging writers.

This is my notebook of projects, experiments, and things I’ve learned along the way. The code to this website is entirely taken from perplexity, I do not know HTML at all, for the record.

Take a look at my work

Portfolio / 01 Projects below

01 — Food Safety Technology

AAHAR

Founder & IoT Developer 2024–Present
ESP / NodeMCU · IoT

AAHAR began with a simple question: why do food businesses still rely on guesswork to detect spoilage?

I built an IoT food-spoilage detection system using ESP/NodeMCU hardware, designed the MVP, and developed the detection workflow. The project earned a provisional patent and secured letters of intent from Swiggy and JW Marriott to explore real-world deployment.

AAHAR is my clearest example of taking an idea from problem to prototype to external validation.

ProblemFood spoilage is often detected too late, creating waste and safety risk.
BuildESP/NodeMCU-based IoT MVP with a spoilage-detection workflow.
ValidationProvisional patent; LOIs from Swiggy and JW Marriott.
NextImprove reliability, field-test the device, and move toward deployment.

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Fig. 01 — AAHAR MVP hardware

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Fig. 02 — Detection workflow or testing setup

02 — Applied AI Research

Harmful Bot Activity on X

NLP Research Intern SAAI × IIM Indore
NLP · Sentiment Analysis

Online platforms depend on trust, but coordinated and harmful bot activity quietly breaks it.

As an NLP Research Intern with SAAI in collaboration with IIM Indore, I researched harmful bot activity on X. I conducted a literature review of more than 50 research papers, studied sentiment analysis, and built an analyser-recommender prototype to surface potentially problematic accounts and content patterns.

I am currently drafting a research paper based on this work.

QuestionHow can NLP help identify harmful bot behaviour at scale?
MethodLiterature review, sentiment analysis, and prototype development.
OutputAnalyser-recommender prototype and a paper in drafting.
Scale50+ research papers reviewed.

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Fig. 03 — Analyser-recommender approach

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Fig. 04 — Research process

03 — Community & Publishing

Qissa Quarterly

Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief 100+ works published
30+ writer community

Qissa Quarterly started as a simple idea: emerging writers deserve a serious place to publish.

I co-founded the platform, designed its website, and served as Editor-in-Chief. Over three quarterly issues, we published more than 100 works and built a community of 30+ writers.

The project taught me how to build something people return to: editorial standards, a usable website, consistent publishing, and a community that feels ownership over the work.

ProblemEmerging writers lacked an accessible, credible publication space.
BuildWebsite design, editorial workflow, and quarterly publishing system.
OutputThree issues and 100+ published works.
Community30+ writers engaged and published.

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Fig. 05 — Qissa Quarterly website

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Fig. 06 — Published issue

04 — Social Impact Venture

Micro-Insurance for Gig Workers

NEC Jr., IIT Bombay National Finalist
4th in India

Gig workers often face accidents without adequate financial protection.

For NEC Jr. at IIT Bombay, I developed a micro-insurance solution designed to make accident coverage more accessible and affordable for gig workers. The project placed fourth nationally, and I later continued developing the idea with a competition panelist.

ProblemGig workers lack practical accident-coverage options.
SolutionMicro-insurance model designed for low-cost, flexible coverage.
Result4th nationally at NEC Jr., IIT Bombay.

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Fig. 07 — NEC Jr. pitch material

About

I am a builder from Mumbai interested in the point where hardware, AI, and real-world systems meet.

I do not start with a technology and look for a use case. I start with something observable — spoiled food, harmful bots, uninsured gig workers, writers without a platform — and ask what could make it measurably better.

Sometimes the answer is a device. Sometimes it is a research question. Sometimes it is a publication, a community, or a school-wide initiative. What stays constant is the move from idea to evidence.

BuildsIoT products, AI research prototypes, and community platforms.
LeadsTeams, editorial processes, school initiatives, and rehearsals.
ValuesAgency, execution, clarity, and proof of work.

Let’s talk

I’m always interested in conversations about building, applied AI, food systems, research, and community-driven products.

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