IIT-Madras gears up for tech fest, over 40K to take part in events

More than 40,000 students are expected to participate in over 50 talks, workshops and competitions. Some of the events include Hovercraft Racing, Green Energy Summit, Research and Innovation Expo. 

This year’s fest will also see the launch of Shaastra Research Conference on ‘Smart and Sustainable Future’, which will be an annual event. This will be a platform for young researchers to gather to solve existing problems and discuss new found knowledge, said sources from the institute.

Also, the Green Energy Summit acts as a platform for learning among students as well as experts. This year, it aims to address the energy crisis by initiating discussions on innovative technology, optimisation, energy politics, business opportunities and implementation.

Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT Madras, said, “Shaastra is entirely a student-run activity and the kind or experience students get in organising and participating in co-curricular activities like this is unparalleled. Many famous personalities will be come and share their knowledge with the students during the event.”

The students of the institute have also undertaken a social campaign – Bubble. “We approached government schools where we train the children to turn washing their hands into a habit using techniques of behavioural sciences. It involves a 21-day programme ‘Mission Cleanse’ that caters to more than 1,300 students in 10 government schools in Arumbakkam, Saidapet, Kodambakkam, Taramani and Thiruvanmiyur,” said MS Sivakumar, dean (Students), IIT Madras. 

The schools are provided with liquid hand wash, made by recycling and treating soap and obtained from city hotels.

The students of IIT have worked for months to make this event a success. “As a run-up to Shaastra, we have an intensive outreach programme. For instance, Spark is a technical fest for school students where we invite kids from all over the country. Those selected from every region are invited to an all-expense paid trip to the campus where they participate in Shaastra Junior Conference,” said Lakshmi Narashiman, a student of IIT. 

Students will also have an opportunity to loosen up a little in the evening during the fest. They will have techno-entertainment show. Apart from that, we have an EDM night by DJ Mariana BO and a tech magic show by Suhani Shah.