26th edition of Shaastra, hosted by IIT-Madras, to be held from January 3-7, 2025

Shaastra 2025 at IIT Madras, January 3-7, themed "Fractal Frontiers," features over 110 events and renowned speakers.

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.”

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.