1st₹1,00,000
Lakṣaṇa-Parīkṣā: The Algorithm for Perfect Definitions
Shreyas D and J Guru Sarran
Amrita School of Computing, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bengaluru, Karnataka
The story so far
Past chapters
Two chapters, 260 team applications and young researchers from 19 states. Here is what they built, who judged them and how the finales unfolded.
Chapter 2
December 2025 to April 2026
Chapter 2 drew even greater enthusiasm than the first, with registrations from 19 states, from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to Manipur, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar. An eminent jury shortlisted 25 teams, and 17 of them presented their research at the grand finale before an audience of over 500.
110
Applications
19
States
25
Teams shortlisted
17
Teams at the finale
Launched
18 December 2025
Preliminary evaluation
28 March 2026
Grand finale
26 April 2026
Outreach and engagement
25
Institutions visited in person by Vineet Vats Tyagi
50+
Institutions reached through on-ground sessions
500+
Schools, colleges and universities reached digitally
Grand finale · 26 April 2026
Winners
1st
2nd₹51,000
Traditional Ethnoveterinary Therapeutics and Preventive Care in Farm Animal Health: An IKS Perspective
Yashas V and Dhanush A
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry
3rd₹31,000
Meghamārga: Monsoon Mapping in Kālidāsa's Meghadūta
Saurabh Rajendra More and Saurabh Rajendra Patil
Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune, Maharashtra
Teams placed 4th to 20th also received cash prizes. The finale featured a Bharatanatyam performance by Mrs. Devikaa Rajaraman, rooted in the Nāṭyaśāstra. Shri Tarun Chugh, National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was chief guest.
Chapter 2
The jury
Twelve scholars and practitioners of Indian Knowledge Systems evaluated the entries and the finale.
Prof. Ganti S. MurthyNational Coordinator, IKS Division, Ministry of Education
Dr. Mahesh KAssistant Professor, CoE for IKS, IIT Kharagpur
Dr. Anurag TripathiIIT Kanpur
Dr. Srinivas JammalamadakaDirector, IKS Research, Brhat
Akash Sharma(ISS) Delhi, IKS Research Centre, Ministry of Education
Sushant GangoliBrhat Educational Trust
Dr. Arnab BhattacharyaŚIKṢĀ Centre for IKS, IIT Kanpur
Switi GuptaFounding member, GI4QC
Kavita Krishna MeegamaDirector, University Relations, Brhat
Sushant BhartiConservation architect, IKS faculty and author
Raghava KrishnaFounder, Brhat
Jyotiranjan BeuriaResearcher and Lead Scientist, (ISS) Delhi, IKS Research Centre
Chapter 1
Where it began
Chapter 1 set a strong foundation for the competition, attracting 150 applications from 17 states and proving that young people across India want to engage with the country’s scientific and knowledge heritage.
150
Applications
17
States
Chapter 3 is next
First prize ₹1,00,000. Teams of up to 3, aged 16–25.