Autodesign contests, including the most famous BAJA, have long been an all-male affair, but a growing number of women are changing that.
09 Mar 2025 | 721 Views | By Yukta Mudgal
When life is rough, one must learn to enjoy driving on bumpy roads: This is the principle that guided Surekha Payidiparthy, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student, when she was given a variety of career choices—from IT to computer science. Even though she was told "nuts and bolts" were not her ...
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When life is rough, one must learn to enjoy driving on bumpy roads: This is the principle that guided Surekha Payidiparthy, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student, when she was given a variety of career choices—from IT to computer science. Even though she was told "nuts and bolts" were not her thing, Surekha was as passionate about driving vehicles as she was about making them. A mechanical engineering student at Shri Vishnu College of Engineering for Women in Vishnupur in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, Surekha hails from a small village where farming is the primary source of livelihood.
Her decision to choose mechanical engineering, mostly opted for by boys, was seen as an unconventional one. "Initially, my parents were not happy, but as I made progress with my projects, they began to accept it," she remembers. Fast-forward a few years, and Payidiparthy can be seen at the prestigious eBAJA SAE India 2025, behind the wheel in a four-wheeler hand-built by her classmates.
In addition to fulfilling a long-cherished dream, her role also served as an inspiration for the many other girls in her village who hold on to such dreams. BAJA SAE India is a competitive event for students held by SAE India, a non-profit engineering society and a part of SAE International, a global organisation that comprises over 1.28 lakh engineers.
The society includes executives from the automobile industry, government officials, academics and students and hosts four kinds of competitions – mBAJA for internal combustion vehicles, eBAJA for electric vehicles, hBAJA for sustainable fuel vehicles like hydrogen and CNG, and the newly introduced aBAJA for autonomous vehicles.
The events get their name from the BAJA California peninsula in Mexico, which is renowned for its rough, off-road terrain, mirroring the challenging conditions the student-designed vehicles in the competition are meant to navigate. At the event, teams of students from different colleges such as IITs, NITs, and private colleges compete to create fourwheeler buggies.
Each team comprises 25- 30 students and has an electric, designing, and mechanical department, all of which contribute towards the development of a vehicle capable of racing on the track for 4 hours. Every year, hundreds of engineering students participate in these events, aiming for glory and potentially a job in a leading automobile or components company.
Many students who participate in the race also sit for the BAJA Aptitude Test (BAT) to get placed with companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Renault Nissan and Michelin Tyre, with salaries of Rs 6-8 lakh per annum.
Breaking In
BAJA SAE India, which began in 2007, was largely male-dominated until 2017. However, female participation has steadily increased over the past few years. In 2020, the diversity ratio (number of female participants per male participants) stood at 11%.
By 2025, it had risen to 24%, and projections indicate it could reach 35% by 2026. Efforts such as waiving of fees with more female participation and monetary awards have also motivated female students' parents to push their child to pursue the competition held at various places in India.
Dr KC Vora, Advisor on BAJA SAE India Organising Committee, believes that the diversity ratio will soon reach 50%. "To encourage more female participation, we started giving Rs 1 lakh to the all-girls team." Such efforts soon bore fruit, with the number of all-girls teams rising from one in 2023 to three in 2024, and five in 2025.
"Initially, we were the only girls team among the 70-plus boys' teams to participate in BAJA SAE India. We still feel very proud of this fact," Surekha said. Vohra, who retired as a senior deputy director at the Automotive Research Association of India, notes that social attitudes towards female participation in such events has evolved considerably.
"In 2007, girls were accompanied by either of their parents, but in recent times, they have become more independent which has led to the increase in their participation," he notes. Earlier, only boys used to drive the vehicles at the endurance race. However, starting this year, BAJA SAE India has seen the participation of girls beyond the all-girls team.
"My team that comprises both male and female members were very concerned whether I would lcome back safe after the drive," says eBAJA participant Sakshi Santosh Kute from GH Raisoni College of Engineering and Management in Pune. Sakshi, an electric engineering student, takes care of the electronics systems of the buggy, ensuring the vehicle's control system functions smoothly by monitoring the brakes, battery percentage, and other essential electrical components.
"It was pure luck that I got the chance to drive this year when our primary driver couldn't meet the criteria. With no prior practice, I stepped in at the last moment. It was a truly thrilling experience," Sakshi said. The event has turned out to be a launching pad for former participants, such as Dhanasree Seemusuru, who cleared the BAT in 2023 and works as a product analyst at Michelin.
"Many people suggested I change my subject (mechanical engineering) in my second year to something else, but I was hell-bent on continuing this journey," she remembers. At eBAJA, she was a part of an all-girls team called Ziba – meaning "beauty with strength" in Arabic. Her team won the competition in 2020, marking a strong female presence.
"Events like the BAJA give platforms to girls to build vehicles from scratch. The whole process from designing to fabrication is not easy, but when you have the will and determination to win a position in the event, it drives you to work even harder," she says.
Apart from the technical learning part, these events provide grounds to learn from practical hands-on experience. "When you are a part of a team like Ziba, you only get better and better at your craft every year," she notes. She now aspires to progress in her career and come back to BAJA to judge vehicles as an alumna.
According to the Society of Women Engineers, an international organisation dedicated to advancing women in engineering, colleges approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) enrolled 658,191 undergraduate students during the 2020-21 academic year, with women comprising 30.2% of the total.
In the 2019-20 year, female students made up 29.2% of those enrolled in Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Technology programs. However, in mechanical engineering, only 5.9% of the students were women. Shradha Suri Marwah, president of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and CMD at Subros, says the change has to begin at home.
"You need to create a supportive ecosystem at home," she notes, calling for a change in the attitude. "Becoming gender agnostic in roles will help us win the battle. The challenge lies in overcoming centuries of conditioning that keep pulling us back. It's not easy, as this change needs to begin as early as primary school because its roots run deep," she notes.
As competitions like BAJA SAE India continue to evolve, the gradual shift in gender representation reflects broader changes in engineering education. While mechanical engineering remains predominantly male, these events offer valuable visibility for women entering the field. The road to equal representation may be long, but each female driver and engineer who participates helps pave the way for those who will follow—creating not just vehicles that can navigate difficult terrain, but also more diverse and inclusive paths within the profession itself.