The Four days long  technical festival Shaastra- 2023 is set to start in  Indian Institute of Technology Madras after a gap two years from January 26  to January 29  to promote innovation and collaboration in the sector.

It will also organize a Space Tech Summit as part of this festival

Besides Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), IIT Madras students are partnering with the top space-tech entities in India. These include GalaxEye Space, and AgniKul Cosmos, for the Space Tech Summit.

It will also bring together top minds in space industry.   

Workshops will also be held on technologies such as machine learning, robotics, astronomy and Web 3.0 besides management and finance, among others.

‘Symbiosis 2023,’ a mini-fest under Shaastra 2023, brings together experts and enthusiasts from AI, ML, and DS to explore the theme of the new era.

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said told media, “There will be several open-house workshops on the top technologies that IIT Madras has invented which include 5G and Hyperloop.

IIT Madras looks forward to motivating people on both rocket and satellite development. 

“One of the outcomes expected is on the understanding of what the applications of commercial space are”, Director said.

“This can be a seed for startups to help decide what kind of satellites need to be built in the future”.

Shaastra will also host school students  who will interact with researchers who will present their work.

The fest will also witness the final round of the ‘Junior Make-a-Thon,’ where school students will exhibit the prototypes they built through the mentorship process, aimed at solving real-world problems.

Prof. Nilesh J Vasa, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, said, “Boeing's Aeromodelling contest and the finals of Flipkart GRiD 4.0 Robotics Challenge are some exciting events to look out for!”.

Prof. Ratna Kumar Annabattula, Co-Curricular Advisor, IIT Madras, said, “Shaastra 2023 will feature keynote lectures by industry professionals from Google, Siemens and Subex, among others, as well as workshops and events that allow participants to demonstrate their talents”.

The event will also host programming hackathons supported by brands such as M2P, Wells Fargo, L&T and Schlumberger, among others, to challenge students' programming prowess.  

They compete against the brightest minds of the country to tackle practical, real-life problems with original and innovative solutions. 

‘Hack-cidents,’ a hackathon is focused on developing technology solutions to improve road safety in India by RNTBCI.

Open to all students and start-ups, Hack-cidents offers the chance for participants to pitch their ideas and receive support of up to Rs. 5 lakh INR for prototype development.

The winning teams will be eligible for additional grants of up to Rs. 10 lakh to bring their solutions to life. 

The students are spreading awareness on the negative impacts of fashion waste.

They are educating consumers to upscale existing clothing and encouraging them to donate clothes to the underprivileged and small support groups that can turn them into handicrafts.

 Shaastra will also host a show on 28th January 2023 by Mr. Sonu Sebastian, an EDM percussionist.

The fest will also witness a humanoid robot exhibition, alongside exhibits by premier companies like Hitachi and PDRL.”

‘Spotlight’ is the flagship lecture series of Shaastra which brings visionaries from across the world. 

Shaastra's latest initiative, Debunk, India’s first ever student-run outfit against misinformation.

It will organize the Misinformation Regulations Conference to discuss tech and policy solutions for misinformation.