IIT-M’s student run tech fest ‘Shaastra’ ends with a bang
Shaastra welcomed many influential speakers from diverse areas such as policy, science, defense, technology and sports through its Lecture Series. Shaastra saw five-time world Chess champion Viswanathan Anand, Governor of Kerela P. Sathasivam and many others.
Abhishek Venkat, INN/Chennai, @infodeaofficial
With IIT Madras’ Shaastra coming to an end this Sunday, the campus was a melting pot for technology and avant-garde ideas. Spanning for duration of four days from the 3rd to the 7th of January, Shaastra boasted a wide plethora of events. From Tech competitions like RoboOceania, Hackathons to Laser shows, Shaastra had something for everyone.
Shaastra welcomed many influential speakers from diverse areas such as policy, science, defense, technology and sports through its Lecture Series. Shaastra saw five-time world Chess champion Viswanathan Anand, Governor of Kerela P. Sathasivam and many others.
Some of its notable competitions were RoboWars and RoboOceania. Former pits two robots in a caged structure where the last robot intact won. It also featured a race between nitro-powered RC cars which is a madcap idea brought forward by the students. Rather than having boring workshops, these competitions put the fun in innovation.
Like every year, Shaastra’s social campaigns enhanced the living conditions of the common man. This year – ReACH was supported by Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi, former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble among more for their innovation to improve rural schools in an eco-friendly manner.
IIT Madras is at the forefront of research and development in India and always is the catalyst to innovations. This year’s Exhibition promoted many of these projects. The International exhibits focused on Business, Academics and Research.
Some projects include ‘Radio Frequency Spectrum’ by a collaboration between IIT Madras and the University Of San Diego which gives a real estate like angle to frequencies and measures traffic to give the optimal location for transmitters. One of the exhibits was so far ahead in scope that it was not relevant until scientists develop a quantum computer.
Shaastra also held an Institute Open House which gave participants a tour of several laboratories in IIT Madras which is a dream come true for enthusiasts and academics alike.
This year Shaastra brought Entertainment and Technology under one banner through ‘Envisage’, where Shaastra discovered the entertainment factor of technology. Other Shaastra Nights include a Giant Bubble Show and Mirage, a mesmerizing laser show. The showstopper was a Sand Art Show from famous artist Vivek Patil with his gorgeous sand canvas.
Shaastra 2019’s theme is ‘Breakthrough’. Focused on major developments in the field of engineering and technology, Shaastra aimed to go beyond what we can observe or quantify as a trip into the unknown. Their Zeal and Thirst for innovation is what drove the theme this year.
Unlike many ISO certified events, Shaastra was totally student-run and was proud of it. According to a student of IIT Madras “Shaastra aims to fuel the inner engineer and inspire aspiring students to share their love for technology. We believe Fests like this a way to learn how different industries interact with each other and provide feasible solutions to real-world problems”. These collections of madcap ideas are what made Shaastra 2019 interesting.
