The 26th edition of Shaastra, hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, will be held from January 3 to 7, 2025. The Hindu is the media partner for IIT Shaastra
Themed on “Fractal Frontiers,” Shaastra 2025 draws inspiration from the intricate shapes and patterns found in nature. Preparations are underway and over 60,000 people are expected to participate in India’s largest student-run techno-entertainment festival.
Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, said, “This year, we are introducing two new areas in the Shaastra Summit and Research Conference: ‘Future Cities’ and ‘Smart Manufacturing’. We are looking forward to the contributions from all the stakeholders towards sustainable approaches in these domains.”
Over 110 events
With over 110 events ranging from dynamic hackathons and biotechnology challenges to exciting workshops by industry experts, the festival serves as a premier hub for intellectual engagement.
Co-Curricular Adviser Murugaiyan Amirthalingam said, “Shaastra serves as a dynamic platform for learning and innovation, bringing together over 50 workshops on several topics. It offers students and tech enthusiasts a unique chance to gain invaluable hands-on experience in cutting-edge domains.”
Shaastra’s flagship Spotlight lecture series, presented by Shaastra’s title sponsor the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), features 10 eminent speakers, including Arokiaswamy Velumani, Founder-CEO, Thyrocare Technologies; Ruchira Kamboj, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations; and Dr. Subir Sachdev, Herchel Smith Professor of Physics at Harvard University.
This year’s event lineup features Caterpillar Autonomy Challenge, presented by Caterpillar Inc., which showcases the autonomous capabilities and precision picking skills of robots designed for space exploration. The FedEx SMART Centre, an IIT-M body, will host the pilot edition of its flagship hackathon to recruit students for a summer internship.
Comedy Night
Speaking about the entertainment at Shaastra, Vaishnavi, who leads the Shows & Exhibitions vertical of Shaastra, said, “For the first time ever, we’re hosting a Comedy Night with the incredible Gurleen Pannu on January 6, 2025.” Other highlights include the electrifying RoboWars on January 4 sponsored by IDFC FIRST Bank and Bajaj Auto, the Techno-Entertainment Night on January 5, featuring headliners Karan Kanchan and international artist Camilla Lynx, and Jarvis Lab’s tech-entertainment production Envisage 13.0 on January 3.
Co-curricular Affairs Secretary Sukheth Kallupalli shared, “Shaastra 2025 will be a testament to IIT Madras’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. By replacing all plastic and vinyl banners with reusable cloth-based branding and implementing measures to drastically cut our carbon footprint, we are proud to align with the UN SDGs and India’s mission to achieve net zero by 2070.”
Adding to its intellectual appeal, Shaastra’s International Research Conference, sponsored by Temenos, will host 160+ dignitaries exploring groundbreaking ideas on Industry 4.0, culminating in a one-of-its-kind publication. Meanwhile, L&T’s International Summit on Future Cities will bring together professionals and students to envision the future of urban landscapes, fostering innovative and sustainable solutions. Boeing is set to host its iconic national aeromodeling contest in association with IIT Madras across four different IITs.
Focus on farmers
This year’s campaign, “Uzhavu,” focuses on empowering Indian farmers through AI and technology, aiming to bolster the agrarian economy. In addition to upskilling sessions for farmers, awareness programmes have been held in schools and colleges, while a national hackathon has been launched among others.
Sukheth said of the social campaign, “Through initiatives like tech-enabled soil testing and precision farming in Chengalpattu, we aim to provide hundreds of farmers with crop cycle recommendations based on geolocation data, weather patterns, and economic feasibility in a six-month project. Uzhavu also seeks to create and distribute pollinator pods to support the declining bee population. The support of firms such as National Agro Foundation, Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and School of Sustainability, IIT Madras, has been instrumental in making this vision a reality.”
Through initiatives like Macmillan’s Budding Scientists Programme and the Junior Make-a-thon, school students will also be a part of the festivities. This edition of Shaastra also introduces Rewire, a cognitive enhancement initiative to promote multisensory learning and neuroscience-backed teaching methodologies. Rewire hosted a national toy-designing competition sponsored by the organisation Help Them Shine, and will organise a national teachers’ conference on January 4 and 5, 2025 during the festival to develop action plans for inclusive pedagogies, particularly for neurodiverse students.
Tickets for Shaastra are available on the Shaastra website. To register for the event, scan the QR code.
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Published – December 26, 2024 11:07 pm IST