Sustainability Beyond Borders: The SDG Stall by Liberati x SDG Cell

Written By: Saptarchi Biswas

Edited By: Ishwari Deshmukh

Graphic Design By: Parinaaz Bains

The Indo-Korea International Conference 2025 at Christ University, Bannerghatta Road Campus, was a coming together of cultures, thoughts, and collaborations. As students, academics, and Indian and South Korean delegates, scholars and delegates from India and South Korea gathered to consider lines of collaboration, one project was a living, breathing, and effective example of both collective action and innovative determination—the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Stall organized by the SDG Cell of the Liberal Arts Department in cooperation with KIND (Korean Indian Network for Development). This student-run, interactive stall was not just an exhibit—rather, it was a living, multisensory environment in which sustainability and storytelling converged, charity and creativity joined, and innovation and empathy collided.

A Shared Canvas of SDG Engagement

Centrally located on Day 2 of the conference, the SDG stall was part of an overarching scheme with SDG Cells from every department within the university, each contributing with their own perspectives on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Liberati (the official student body), under whose banner the Liberal Arts Department's SDG Cell operated, stood out with a highly interactive, innovative, and cause-oriented approach.

The partnership with KIND, an Indo-Korean developmental and cultural network, further infused international solidarity into the stall. Liberati and KIND together showed that cross-border youth collaboration can take global visions—such as the 2030 SDG agenda—to real local action.

Highlight on SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The stall of the Liberal Arts SDG Cell decided to highlight SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, a goal that is especially relevant in the modern-day world, which has fragmented into many pieces. The group put up huge, manually prepared charts and posters outlining why inequality needs to be reduced, not only in the world, but also on campus, in classrooms, and among communities. The presentation was special in that it blended scholarly engagement with grassroots action. In addition to SDG 10, the booth also featured Liberati and its diversity-focused platform LibSpace—a student-led safe haven promoting free speech, conversation, and intersectional thinking. Resources on international partnerships with Seoul National University (SNU) and the Summer Course with the American University in Cairo (AUC) also highlighted how Liberal Arts education at Christ is training globally aware and socially engaged learners.

Sustainability in Every Stitch and Shade

The physical stand itself reflected the philosophy of sustainability. The decor—earthly, colourful, and very student-made—employed buntings and fabric hangings repurposed from abandoned cloth gathered during a past drive for sustainability. Rather than plastic or shop-bought embellishments, the stall was swathed in recycled charm—a metaphor in itself for what the SDGs aim: reframing value and revitalising purpose. Featured at the sale were hand-woven khadi tote bags, potlis, and carefully fragrant re-used candles, all crafted by Liberal Arts students. Proceeds from the sale went to charitable causes, bringing creative expression and community impact together. These weren't products—they were narratives of youth entrepreneurship, responsible making, and meaningful design. KIND's stall extension complemented their own creative touch with jewellery, stickers, and keychains, all being sold to fundraise for other welfare causes. By working together, KIND and the Liberal Arts SDG Cell showed how global solidarity and grassroots action can go hand-in-hand.

Where Art Meets Advocacy: Interactive Installations and Face Painting

Among the stall's most memorable aspects was an AI-driven thought installation, created by students to encourage reflection and discussion. Volunteers could engage with a screen-based prompt system, which offered individualised reflections or challenges on SDG topics like inequality, sustainability, and cultural exchange. This fusion of technology and compassion made the stall not just a showcase—it was a space for dialogue between people and the ideals we strive for. Blending in with the youthful, colourful vibe was the face painting station, where students painted face designs promoting SDG-themed messages: broken chains for breaking free from inequality, rainbow spirals for diversity, olive branches for peace, and suns and trees for climate justice. It was a manifestation of embodied activism—action that individuals literally wore on their faces, smiling and strolling through campus, raising awareness by mere presence.

A Celebration with a Conscience

What really made the stall stand out was its intertwinement of celebration and consciousness. It did not simply inform; it invited participation through touch, interaction, dialogue, and art. It offered a moment of pause amidst the academic hubbub, where delegates, students, and faculty members could step back, talk, and participate. In a world too often besieged by the magnitude of problems confronting it, this humble but powerful effort reminded all of us that change frequently starts with a table, a chart, a question, or a handmade candle.

Reflections and the Road Ahead

The SDG Stall by Liberati x SDG Cell, in association with KIND, was not merely an ornamental feature of the Indo-Korea International Conference. It was an embodiment of youth-driven sustainability, of global collaboration brought to reality through concrete action, and of educational institutions going beyond theory to build active citizenship.

As the sun went down on Day 2 of the conference, participants didn't merely depart with rosy cheeks or fresh potlis—no, they departed with hope, with agency, and with a future in which borders fall away in the face of common purpose. A future in which youth, gifted with ideas and empathy, are poised not merely to inherit the world, but to remake it.