In addition to their regular course of academic affairs, the students at IIT Tirupati are actively engaged in organising and participating in various technical, cultural, and sports activities that shape their innovative thinking and enhance their multidimensional talent. The Institute boasts of several active clubs in the fields of academics, photography, music, drama, dance, technology, astronomy, trekking, volunteering, social services, etc.
This section of the report summarises the events and activities organised by the students under the following heads:
(a) Technical and techno-cultural events
(b) Student clubs
(c) NSS activities
(d) Sports-related activities
1 TECHNICAL EVENTS
Several key events were held to advance technical skills.
The first Competitive Programming Contest introduced juniors to Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA). This was followed by a second contest covering intermediate DSA topics. The “Game Development and Web Development Workshop”.
A Git and Linux introduction workshop was conducted, and a Python Workshop focused on Data Science and AI/ML basics.
A cybersecurity session on Wireshark and Nmap was held.
Notable projects included the creation of the Techmaniacs website and a virtual reality game, along with an automated trading bot.
In collaboration with IISER Tirupati, an app was created for testing knowledge in biology. Saw the Algo University Hackathon, a hackathon win at Hackbell 2.0 in Kerala, the development of the IIT Tirupati website, and a Convocation App for the institute’s ceremonies.
1.1 Techmaniacs Club
Techmaniacs, the Electronics and Robotics Club of IIT Tirupati, has had a successful year, marked by several key achievements. The club revamped its structure for better resource management, adopted a new logo representing all its interest groups - Arduino and SBC, Robotics, Drones, and Electronics - and added a new Electronics Interest Group. The club built a vibrant community with 377 members in a WhatsApp group and conducted four introductory workshops, each well-attended. It revitalised its YouTube channel to feature workshop recordings, established vendor partnerships for discounted components, and registered on GitHub to document projects and events. The club also set up a system for documenting projects involving issued components. Noteworthy projects from each interest group were showcased at events like the Alumni Meet, where they garnered significant attention.
1.1.1 Arduino Interest Group
Techmaniacs held an Arduino workshop introducing the Interest Group in Arduino, SBCs, and IoT, covering Arduino basics. The workshop provided hands-on experience with two projects: an Obstacle Avoiding Robot, which uses an ultrasonic sensor to navigate around obstacles, and a One Key Air Piano, an interactive setup with ultrasonic sensors on stairs to produce sound when stepped on. Another notable project, Radar with Arduino, used an ultrasonic sensor to create a real-time obstacle map.
The Arduino Interest Group also focused on organising and managing their inventory efficiently and ordered new components for upcoming projects. They initiated two new projects: an Omni-Directional Robotic Arm and an Idea-Square Automation system. With progress on these projects expected to continue into early April, future plans include developing a Face Recognition Robot and a Snake Robot. The club has demonstrated significant activity and innovation, marking a successful year.
1.1.2 Drone Interest Group
Techmaniacs’ Drone Interest Group made significant strides with several projects. Hosted a well-attended workshop introducing drone technology, which piqued the interest of over 20 new members.
Major projects include:
Hexacopter for Package Delivery: Designed for autonomous delivery between campuses, with future enhancements for weather resistance and autonomous navigation.
Fixed-Wing Plane for Wildlife Tracking: Aims to create a cost-effective UAV for wildlife
documentation, with development challenges due to funding issues. They’re also collaborating with CSU Chico and Sigma Squad to develop an AI-enabled drone for
advanced videography, set to be completed by 2025.
1.1.3 Electronics Interest Group
The Electronics Interest Group achieved notable progress with several initiatives. Held an orientation and workshop showcasing their achievements, including a Bluetooth speaker system with multi-speaker connectivity and LiFi technology for enhanced data security and faster transmission. They also conducted a hands-on project where participants built piano keys using a 555 Timer IC.
The group developed a basic inventory of essential electronic components and tools and initiated new projects such as an FM Transmitter for wireless audio and a Digital Scoreboard. These efforts highlight their commitment to innovation and growth within the electronics community, setting the stage for future success and exploration.
1.1.4 Robotics Interest Group
The Robotics Interest Group conducted a ROS2 workshop, providing practical knowledge and hands-on experience with the Robot Operating System 2, including the
use of the turtlesim package. The group also secured first place at ROBOTRAC 2024 with their line follower robot, showcasing technical excellence and effective teamwork. Additionally, they are actively working with TurtleBot to explore mapping and localization techniques, integrating sensor data for improved decision-making. The group expanded its inventory with new components such as a stereo camera and LiDAR, supporting their latest projects. They also acquired specialized sensors, actuators, and development boards to enhance robotic experimentation and prototyping, ensuring all necessary tools and materials are readily available.
New Project – Autonomous Rover: A new project focused on developing an Autonomous Rover has been initiated. This rover will navigate and explore environments autonomously using sensors, algorithms, and software frameworks like Raspberry Pi, LiDAR, cameras, and ROS2. The project aims to achieve advanced capabilities in navigation, obstacle avoidance, and mapping.
1.2 Digital Wizards
Several key events were held to advance technical skills.
The first Competitive Programming Contest introduced juniors to Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA). This was followed by a second contest covering intermediate DSA topics. The “Game Development and Web Development Workshop”.
A Git and Linux introduction workshop was conducted, and a Python Workshop focused on Data Science and AI/ML basics.
A cybersecurity session on Wireshark and Nmap was held.
Notable projects included the creation of the Techmaniacs website and a virtual reality game, along with an automated trading bot.
In collaboration with IISER Tirupati, an app was created for testing knowledge in biology. Saw the Algo University Hackathon, a hackathon win at Hackbell 2.0 in Kerala, the development of the IIT Tirupati website, and a Convocation App for the institute’s ceremonies.
1.3 Navgati
NAVGATI - The Automobile Club embarked on a journey of automotive innovation, evolving from its early days of establishing a core team to achieving significant engineering milestones. In July 2023, the club outlined its vision to build a cross-cart, marking the start of its ambitious projects. By August 5, 2023, NAVGATI held its first offline meeting, fostering team cohesion. The following month, on September 17, the club unveiled its new logo, signalling its commitment to innovation. An orientation session on September 20, led by Aman Kumar, clarified the club's vision and operations. In October, the decision to design a novel frame showcased the club’s innovative spirit, deviating from traditional FSAE specs. December 2023 saw the start of chassis fabrication with AISI 4043 pipes, and by January 2024, efforts focused on sourcing essential components. A key milestone was reached on February 10, 2024, with a visit to Chennai for pipe bending. In March-April 2024, the selection of the KTM RC 390cc engine influenced subsequent subsystem decisions.
1.4 E-Cell
The year kicked off with position allotments for various roles, followed by the launch of “THE PITCHERS” from June 26 to July 16, 2023, where participants showcased innovative ideas, with 20 advancing to the second round. On August 5, 2023, “CASE MASTER,” a two-round competition on Unstop, drew over 1,000 participants with its business quiz and case study analysis. August 11 featured a guest lecture by Movidu Technologies’ CEO, Mridula Chhetri, on the Business Model Canvas. Later, on August 19, an IPR workshop was conducted with the IIC to highlight Intellectual Property Rights.
E-CELL created a WhatsApp community on August 26, 2023, and organised a workshop on startup funding with T-HUB and other investors on August 30. The “IITT Mock Stock,” held September 7-8, 2023, and “The Gordian Knot” on September 30, showcased trading skills and problem-solving. October 11-13 saw “THE BIG SHOT,” an inter-college trading fest, and on November 10, Advaith Mohan from Wagr shared insights into entrepreneurship. December 18 featured Dr. Manan Suri discussing faculty innovation. In January 2024, E-CELL hosted “The Stock BAZAAR” (8-10) and secured a dedicated office on January 23. The team visited IIT Madras on January 24 for the 4th GDC Symposium. February 28, 2024, included a session on venture capital with Aashish Gupta from IvyCamp, and on March 3, a resume optimisation workshop was held in collaboration with E-CELL IIT Madras.
1.5 Gagan Vedhi
The Gagan Vedhi Club introduced its goals to the new 2023 batch, followed by a workshop on basic astrophotography where participants learned to enhance star photos
using Adobe Lightroom. On September 3, 2023, the club held Memthon, a meme-making competition with an astronomy theme that showcased participants’ creativity and originality. The Moon and Star Gazing Activity on September 9, 2023, provided hands-on experience with telescope setup and star gazing for both core members and students. On September 15, 2023, a screening of The Martian attracted over 60 participants for a night of space-themed entertainment. The AstroTrivia quiz competition on October 22, 2023, featured over 10 teams from IIT and IISER, testing their knowledge of astronomy. Later that day, a professional astrophotographer led an Astrophotography Workshop, attended by over 100 students, which included practical training on camera techniques, lightroom painting, and long-exposure astrophotography. The JAM event on October 29, 2023, challenged participants to speak for one minute on a topic, with interruptions allowed for corrections, testing their quick thinking and speaking skills. Meme Madness, also on October 22, 2023, required participants to create on-the-spot memes related to the presentation theme, showcasing their creativity and humour. Star Quest, a two-day treasure hunt held on October 22 and 29, 2023, featured rounds at both the IIT and IISER campuses, with top teams advancing to the final round at IISER. The club conducted Star and Moon Gazing Sessions on January 19 and 24, 2024, teaching telescope operations and capturing moon images, with another special session on February 21, 2024, for graduating seniors. Finally, on March 23, 2024, Gagan Vedhi hosted gazing workshops at SV University as part of their technical fest, Cynosure, introducing participants to astronomical observation techniques.
1.6 SigmaSquad
SigmaSquad, the AI/ML Club at IIT Tirupati. Over the past year, the club has made significant strides in AI and ML, driven by our members’ dedication and innovative spirit. Our involvement in the InterIIT TechMeet hosted by IIT Madras and various workshops has exemplified our commitment to advancing AI/ML knowledge.
Throughout the academic year, SigmaSquad has actively participated in multiple AI/ML
hackathons and hosted numerous workshops. We organised sessions on machine learning principles and Python programming in collaboration with Digital Wizards and GDSC clubs. Our core members were engaged in project teams focusing on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision (CV), participating in hackathons and working on minor projects. Additionally, we invested in developing junior members’ skills to tackle InterIIT problem statements.
At InterIIT TechMeet 12.0, performance was notable. In the DevRev (High Prep) project, a sophisticated chatbot was developed using BERT and clustering algorithms, achieving an accuracy of 83.33%. Despite challenges like model overfitting, the project secured 7th place. In the Crypto Trading Challenge (Mid Prep), optimisation of cryptocurrency trading strategies was performed using Deep Reinforcement Learning with algorithms such as PPO and A2C, also resulting in 7th place. Plans are in place to enhance performance further by integrating multi-Agent DRL. Behaviour Simulation Challenge (Mid Prep), saw the prediction of user engagement and content simulation on social media. Models, including a Behaviour Prediction Head and a Content Generation Head, aimed to assist marketers in understanding audience behaviour and generating relevant content. IIT Tirupati got the 14th place, with future work planned around Psychographic
clustering to refine our approach.
As a relatively new club, SigmaSquad has successfully increased student interest in AI/ML and is poised to expand its vision further. Our achievements reflect our dedication and teamwork, and we look forward to continued growth and innovation in the coming year.
2 STUDENT CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES (CULTURAL)
The student club plays a pivotal role in organising events to extend life beyond the boundaries of textbooks and exams to extra-curricular development. Several events have been organised by the different clubs during the year 2023-2024.
2.1 Actomania-The Drama Club
The Actomania Club hosted a lot of online events using social media platforms. The club conducted a dialogue delivery competition titled “Lights, Camera, Action!” on Independence Day. Another entertaining event, “Dumb Charades” was also organised by the club. Besides, Actomania also successfully completed an online workshop, where participants enjoyed the session and learned some skills in acting.
2.2 Artista - The Art Club
2.2.1 Fresher’s Day Introductory Event: This event featured a simple sketching challenge where participants received words and created corresponding sketches on paper. It aimed to introduce new students to the club’s creative activities.
2.2.2 Independence Day Doodle: A doodling game with chalk on a board was organised on Independence Day. Students sketched words provided to them while others guessed the drawings, fostering a fun and interactive environment.
2.2.3 Basics to Drawing Workshop: A workshop focusing on shape theory in sketching was conducted. Participants received a demonstration of a complex drawing and engaged in hands-on practice to improve their sketching skills.
2.2.4 Janmashtami Painting Contest: The painting contest featured canvas artworks using acrylic paints with a “Janmashtami” theme. The criteria for judging the best painting included composition, style, originality, and neatness. The winning entry was submitted to the Janmashtami Committee and was subsequently awarded a prize.
2.2.5 Fresher’s Week Prompt Drawing: Participants were given a set of three words and asked to combine them into a single drawing. This event encouraged creativity and quick thinking among new students.
2.2.6 Ganesha Idol Making: A Ganesha Idol-Making Event involved creating clay idols, which were later joined with the institute’s statue for visarjan. Despite being interrupted by rain, the event saw participation from faculty and their families.
2.2.7 Intra IIT Events: The art activities included a range of engaging events and contests. Canvas Painting featured participants painting on-the-spot themes with acrylic paints, which also served as a selection criterion for Inter IIT. The Charcoal Art Contest involved artists creating detailed charcoal drawings based on provided themes, and the Live Sketching Contest required participants to sketch fruits and small articles, showcasing their skills in blending and shading. Additionally, the Millet Mission of India Painting Contest was an online event promoting millet cultivation through traditional and digital art. For Dussehra, a Ravan Dahan event saw the creation of a cardboard Ravan mascot, which, despite being smaller than planned, played a central role in the celebrations. The Halloween Haunted House transformed an old library office into a spooky experience with decorations like balloons, photo booths, and lighting. Finally, the
Diwali Diya Painting event involved painting traditional diyas and making rangoli at the OAT, South Campus, adding to the festive Diwali atmosphere.
2.2.8 Prop Making for Actomania Club: The Artista Club created props for a skit
performed by the Actomania Club during Ganesh Chaturthi 2023, including representations of Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and Ganesha.
2.3 Celeste
2.3.1 Newspaper Costume Making: Participants crafted various costumes using newspapers and ribbons, showcasing creativity and resourcefulness with unconventional materials.
2.3.2 Miniature Model Making: In this event, participants designed miniature costumes from paper (based on a specific theme), highlighting intricate detailing and design skills.
2.3.3 Costumes for Actomania Club: Celeste designed and created costumes using diverse draping techniques for the Actomania Club’s skit performed during Ganesh Chaturthi.
2.3.4 Inter IIT Fashion Show: Celeste participated in the annual cultural meet held at
Kharagpur, presenting costumes with the theme “Scattered Elegance” at the Inter IIT Fashion Show.
2.4 The Cultural Club
2.4.1 Freshers Orientation: The Freshers Orientation was a vibrant introduction to the institute’s cultural scene. The event featured various cultural activities designed to acclimatise new students to campus life and foster a sense of community.
2.4.2 Onam: Onam celebrations brought a burst of colour and excitement, with traditional games, indoor activities, and a Malayali fashion show. Events like Musical Chairs and “Lemon and Spoon” added to the lively atmosphere, uniting students in joyous festivities.
2.4.3 Janmashtami: The Janmashtami celebrations honoured the birth of Lord Krishna with spiritual rituals and soulful bhajans. A devotee from ISKCON led the evening’s ceremonies, enhancing the event’s devotional ambiance.
2.4.4 Ganesh Chaturthi: Ganesh Chaturthi was marked by the installation and worship of a clay idol of Lord Ganesha at the Open-Air Theatre. The week-long festivities included daily artis, games, a slow cycle race, and an auction for Ladoo prasad, culminating in the immersion of the idol.
2.4.5 Freshers’ Week: This event featured a wide range of activities from sports and cultural events to literary competitions. Highlights included paper dance, quizzes, debates, an open mic session, and a lively DJ night, culminating in the crowning of Mr. and Ms. Fresher.
2.4.6 Intra IIT Fiesta: The Intra IIT Fiesta, themed “Space and Cosmos,” hosted over 27 events across cultural and literary clubs. Competing houses engaged in various activities, with the Chaos House emerging victorious.
2.4.7 Dussehra: Dussehra celebrations included vibrant programs and competitions like Bathukamma, Dandiya Night, and Garba Night. A central feature was the Ravana effigy created by the cultural committee, which played a key role in the Ravan Dahan
ceremony, engaging faculty and students alike.
2.4.8 Halloween: The Halloween event featured a spooky haunted house experience followed by the screening of a horror movie. The night was filled with thrilling moments and excitement, making for an unforgettable Halloween celebration.
2.4.9 Diwali: Diwali was celebrated over two days with diya painting activities on the first day and a traditional Diwali pooja on the second. The festivities included the release of sky lamps, adding a magical glow to the campus.
2.4.10 Pre-Christmas Celebrations: Pre-Christmas celebrations brought festive cheer with carols, dances, and roleplay. The event fostered a sense of community and joy, setting a warm and festive tone for the upcoming Christmas season.
2.4.11 Sankranti Celebrations: Sankranti was celebrated with a Bhogi bonfire, Rangoli competition, authentic Pongal, and kite flying. The events were designed to promote creativity and community spirit, ensuring a vibrant and engaging celebration.
2.4.12 Formal Dance Night: The Formal Dance Night began with elegant waltzes and transitioned into a lively DJ night. The Rasoi Club provided a delightful array of cookies and chocolates, enhancing the evening’s enjoyment and camaraderie.
2.4.13 Holi Celebrations: Holi was celebrated with a traditional Holika Dahan bonfire and vibrant colour festivities. The celebrations included a lively day of colour, water, and music, fostering a joyful and inclusive atmosphere.
2.5 Sargam - The Music Club
2.5.1 Band Performance at Freshers’ Orientation
2.5.2 Independence Day Performance
2.5.3 Antara “Antara 8,” an exhibit event during Freshers’ Week, showcasing various performances and talents.
2.5.4 Alumni Reunion Performance: The Club’s bands perform at the Alumni Reunion Event, highlighting their collective talent.
2.5.5 Vibrato: a solo singing event, allowing individual performers to showcase their vocal skills.
2.5.6 Concerto: a solo instrumental performance event, highlighting the instrumental prowess of participants.
2.5.7 Pair on Stage: an open duo event where pairs performed together, demonstrating their collaborative talents.
2.5.8 Inter-IIT Preparation: The Club focuses on preparing for Inter-IIT, facing challenges, but delivering a noteworthy performance.