Elan & nVision 2026, the 17th edition of IIT Hyderabad’s flagship techno-cultural festival and South India’s largest student-run fest, was inaugurated on January 8, 2026, at the institute’s Kandi campus. The Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Government of Telangana, Shri D. Sridhar Babu, presided over the ceremony. The three-day festival, scheduled from January 9 to 11, is expected to bring together over 30,000 students, innovators, artists and young entrepreneurs from across the country. The event features high-impact technology competitions, innovation showcases, cultural performances and thought-provoking dialogues that reflect IIT Hyderabad’s vibrant student ecosystem.
Addressing the gathering, Shri D. Sridhar Babu emphasized the importance of innovation in reshaping every aspect of life. He stated that ELAN & nVision is a premier platform for young minds to share knowledge and engage with emerging technologies. The Minister commended IIT Hyderabad for its cutting-edge innovations, including the Autonomous Navigation Vehicle, and urged students to go beyond being job seekers. He encouraged them to become innovators of ideas and pioneers of tomorrow’s technology, highlighting that students stand at the crucial intersection of academics and invention.
This year’s festival is guided by the powerful theme “The Last Ronin”, which symbolizes resilience, independence and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, explained that Elan & nVision embodies the spirit of the institute where technology, creativity and culture come together to shape responsible innovators. The festival provides a platform for students to think beyond classrooms, collaborate across disciplines, and transform ideas into impactful solutions. The inauguration ceremony featured a vibrant cultural programme, including a Kuchipudi dance performance by Nrityangana, Guinness World Records holders, celebrating India’s rich cultural heritage alongside contemporary student creativity.
The festival features an extensive lineup of technical competitions and innovation challenges, including robotics contests, hackathons, Enigma CTF, design challenges, and hands-on workshops on Electric Vehicles, Generative AI, robotics and cybersecurity. The cultural segment includes competitions in dance, music, drama, fine arts and literature, along with immersive performances by IIT Hyderabad’s student clubs and visiting college teams. Renowned Bollywood playback singer Mohit Chauhan will headline the festival’s musical evenings, along with performances by Pranav Sharma, Anuj Rehan, DJ Tasha, Shreya Baruah, The Deccan Project and rapper Shivam, offering a dynamic mix of Bollywood, indie, electronic and hip-hop music.
A major highlight this year is the launch of nVisionX’26, a first-of-its-kind technology summit under Elan & nVision, scheduled for January 10, 2026. Focused on “Sustainability and Green Energy”, the summit brings together experts, innovators and young technologists to discuss solutions for climate change, clean energy and sustainable development. The initiative reinforces IIT Hyderabad’s leadership in socially relevant innovation and provides a platform for meaningful dialogue on critical environmental challenges facing the nation and the world.
IIT Hyderabad, established in 2008, has been ranked 7th among Engineering institutes in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF-2025) and 6th in Innovation. The institute currently has over 340 full-time faculty members, 360 non-teaching staff and 5,700 students. With a strong research focus, IITH has undertaken over 5,260 R&D projects worth more than Rs. 1,650 crore, produced 12,890 publications, filed 710 patents, and supported approximately 335 start-ups that have generated over 1,100 jobs with a combined revenue of more than Rs. 1,500 crore.
