Chennai, Jan 11 : Students of the IIT-Madras are developing a virtual, futuristic
rendering of the campus and showcasing the its landmarks through 3D navigation
for users to explore the platfor as part of the 22nd edition of Shaastra, one of India’s
biggest annual student-run technical festival to be held from January 13 to 16.
This edition will be held completely virtually in view of the COVID pandemic.
A total of 50 events will be organized, featuring a total of 30,000 participants this
year, a steep rise compared to a total of 20,000 participants last year.
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 digitisation.
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 travelling’ 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 on to the experience.
Shaastra 2022 features events and competitions in diverse disciplines ranging from
Aeronautics and Biotechnology to Business.
Addressing a virtual press meet today, IIT-M Director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi “I must
give all credit to students for managing the change in scenario and moving to the virtual
platform smoothly. Conducting Shaastra virtually would not have the same impact as it
would have if the event was held on campus. But, the team is trying to achieve a good
traction by imagining different ways in which they can reach out virtually to provide
students from IIT Madras as well other institutions a good exposure on what is
happening
in the field of technology.”
The competitions, lectures, and other events sound attractive and it will be useful for
students across the country, he said.
One positive aspect is that the footfall has increased as students from across the country
are able to participate. It has opened up opportunities to many people who otherwise
might not have been able to participate in Shaastra physically, he said.
Shaastra Summit includes a virtual conference every year on a new topic. This year the
focus topic is Gaming and Gaming Technology. The goal of the conference is to facilitate
networking of enthusiasts, students, and professionals in gaming industry to learn from
each other.(UNI)