IIT Madras hosts 25th edition of techno-entertainment festival Shaastra

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is hosting the 25th edition of Shaastra, Asia's biggest student-run techno-entertainment festival, from January 3 to 7 at its campus. Shaastra will focus on the theme 'Spokes of Time' in this silver jubilee edition, highlighting the evolution of technology over time.

Several events on cutting-edge technologies such as cybersecurity, AI, and machine learning will take place alongside sessions on robotics and other topics.

There are up to 110 events planned, with daily participation of approximately 2,000 people expected. The flagship lecture series of Shaastra will feature 12 eminent speakers, including former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind, minister of IT and digital services, Thiru Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and former lieutenant governor of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi.

IIT Madras director, V Kamakoti, said: “Innovators are on track to make India a superpower by 2047. These technical festivals offer a one-of-a-kind place for young innovators to connect, share, and compete, resulting in a very detailed evaluation of their innovations.”

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IIT Madras, co-curricular advisor, Sriram Venkatachalam said: “This year, students have created 34 competitions, allowing participants a unique opportunity to confront practical, real-life problems with original and innovative solutions. These events aim to empower attendees with hands-on experiences that transcend beyond the classroom. We also take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors for their support.”

Those interested in robotics can see exhibits of all kinds, ranging from the flipkart GRiD 5.0 robotics challenge to robo wars. More challenges across aeromodelling, programming, design and quizzing have been planned for individuals with a competitive drive.

The envisaged events will have several events spanning the days, including reflectorsphera, groove-a-graph, flash wave, tron dance and tech ambience projects. Techno-entertainment night is the festival's electronic music hub featuring sunburn campus and laser show India.

Following are the day-wise names of keynote speakers and guests invited to Shaastra tech fest:

Day 1: ISRO professor, Padma Shri awardee V Adimurthy, and paralympic swimmer, Punith Nanda Kumar.

Day 2: Former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind and minister of IT and digital services of Tamil Nadu Thiru Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.

Day 3: Ex-director of UDCT and padma vibhushan awardee Man Mohan Sharma, boltzmann medal and padma bhushan awardee, Deepak Dhar and former lieutenant-governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi.

Day 4: Director of the centre for wildlife studies and padma shri awardee, Ullas Karanth, Indian columnist and author, Palagummi Sainath.

Day 5: Computer scientist and padma shri awardee Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, and founder of hatsun agro RG Chandramogan.

Some of the important activities taking place as part of Shaastra 2024 include:

Ethical Tech Summit: It is a 3-day international conference that provides as a forum for students, enthusiasts, and professionals from all over the country to gather, ideas, network, and deliberate upon the future of innovations in technology and its humanitarian norms. The ethical tech summit will host an illustrious collection of dignitaries from all around the world.

Encryptcon 2024: It is a two-day international research conference on cybersecurity that will begin in January. Cybersecurity scholar V Kamakoti will grace the opening session of this prestigious conference.

Lecture Series - This year's lineup for the flagship lecture series features several notable individuals, including Kiran Bedi, Thiru Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, and former president of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind.

Techno Night at Shaastra: The festival's electronic music hub presents Sunburn Campus featuring Project 91, Nina Suerte, and headliner Julia Bliss. Techno Night at Shaastra is a dynamic merging of technology and entertainment, generating an atmosphere that characterises the festival's unique personality.