22nd edition of Shaastra goes fully virtual

The students of IIT-Madras are developing a virtual, futuristic rendering of the campus and showcasing the Institute landmarks through 3D navigation for users to explore the platform. This novel initiative is part of the 22nd Edition of Shaastra, one of the country’s biggest annual student-run tech festivals.

This edition is being held completely virtually between January 13 and 16, 2022. Many of the events are free to access for the public. A total of around 50 events will be organised, featuring a total of 30,000 participants this year, a steep rise compared to a total of 20,000 participants last year.

A promo for the event can be downloaded from this link - https://fromsmash.com/IIT-M-Shaastra-2022-Promo-video

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting humanity on a completely different trajectory, Shaastra 2022’s theme - ‘Code to Chaos’ - aims to shine a light on the new reality shaped by rapid digitization.

Towards this, Shaastra 2022 is set to take place in a virtual re-creation of IIT-Madras at a futuristic Martian landscape. A ‘virtual Hyperloop’ has been used for ‘virtual traveling’ between various Shaastra venues and gives the users a futuristic experience. The setup on a Mars dome will be the platform for lectures, events, exhibition booths along with interactive games to add to the experience.