Bengaluru: Have you ever wondered what an entire exhibition based on the principles of consciousness using modern scientific principles would look like? If you were at a bustling exhibition hall at Tripura Vasini, Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, between January 29 to February 1, 2026, you would have seen the extraordinary ways this was unfolding right in front of you.
Vedantha Makethon & Dakshinasya Darshini, was an audacious initiative exploring the confluence of science, innovation and philosophy. Param Foundation, with Vedanta Bharati and Mythic Society, conducted the event with the vision of understanding how ancient philosophical wisdom can inspire contemporary innovation and education.
In keeping with Param’s living labs idea, this experiential learning program integrated Indian Knowledge Systems(IKS) with modern science and technology. The public exhibition attracted over 4,000-5,000 visitors daily, featuring 50+ interactive exhibits, where exhibits like the Mirror of Maaya, AI Guru, Lissajoui’s cursive, Vision AI based motion, Chess playing robot, All Seeing Eye from Param captured the imagination of children and adults alike.
Vedantha Makethon
The two-month Makethon engaged over 1000+ students aged 8 to 24 years from diverse backgrounds including school, college, engineering and non-technical learners from more than 100+ schools, colleges and science organisations. 200 Shortlisted Participants from around 15 schools worked on engineering philosophical concepts from the 10 verses of Dakshina Stotram through distributed making at their own locations, with access to Param MakersAdda for tools, mentorship and technical support when required.
HackWire Hardware Hackathon
HackWire represented a unique experiment in philosophy-driven engineering, conducted from January 22-24 at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Yelahanka. From 123 team applications, 30 teams were shortlisted for a 36-hour continuous build cycle that challenged participants to translate abstract principles of life into working hardware systems. Participants represented leading institutions including MIT Bangalore, MIT Manipal, BMSIT&M, Nitte University, and PES University.
Unified Vision for Science 7
During a comprehensive panel discussion, the moderator Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy of Chanakya University and the 3 panel members Mr. Vinay Kulkarni(Founder & CEO of ALCHMI), Dr. Prathosh A. P (Assistant Professor, Dept of ECE, IISc) and Prof. Shailaja D Sharma (Professor, Mathematics, Azim Premji and NIAS) discussed the past, present and future of Indian Knowledge Systems.
Daily Science Shows
Two engaging shows conducted every day for 800+ engaged per show, designed to spark curiosity and scientific thinking among visitors
Wall of Illusions
As visitors walked in the space, the wall were lined with illusions that make you think and question your reality
The inaugural ceremony was graced by His Holiness Sri Sri Shankara Bharati Mahaswamiji, His Holiness Sri Sri Brahmananda Bharati Swamiji, S. Somanath (Former Chairman, ISRO), Vikram Sampath(Historian and Columnist), Srinivasa Gupta (President, Param Foundation), S S Naganand and Shri Laksmeesha Simha (Trustees, Vedanta Bharati).
A significant milestone was achieved with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between Param Foundation and Vedanta Bharati to enable long-term collaboration in IKS-based innovation and learning initiatives.
The competitions produced remarkable innovations spanning multiple disciplines. HackWire projects included EEG-based drone control systems, robotics orchestras with synchronized motion, Wi-Fi-based person detection and CubeSat prototype-all developed within the intensive 36-hour timeframe. Teams that built Tick and Sorty (a swarm of robotic arms), Insight Syndicate (Showcasing that Wi-Fi signals are more than just communication carriers) and BitForge (Drone controlled via EEG signals) took away prizes.
