Sure, the robowars spark the fire, workshops sharpen the skills, CTFs crack open skulls, hackathons fuel the caffeine economy, and the Clash Royale tournaments bounty aura points, but none of these make up for cover page stuff.
The true headline act isn’t the bots or the brackets—it’s the brains. An evening of tech talks from the people who actually move the gears of innovation, topped off with a punchline from the most successful engineer in the room: the one who figured out comedy pays better.
In the mythical land of MIT, clear skies may be a myth in odd semesters, but TechTatva is a guarantee. With a legacy of hosting some of the country’s most fabled names- from Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Anuradha T.K. and Smita Prakash to Varun Mayya, Tanmay Bhatt, Harsh Gujral and Karan Singh ‘Magic’ among others, the TechTatva Conclave holds majority expectations. As TechTatva’25 gears up to take centre stage, the undergrads await the mega unveiling.
The heavily hyped and publicized lineup reveal event for the headliner was scheduled to take place at the MIT Kamath Circle, aka Student Plaza, on the evening of the 27th of September. A banner labelled “#KaunClave – reveal at 6pm’ was put up, adding to the razzmatazz.
As the evening dawned, the audience steadily assembled, typically comprising of, as it always is, the ever so dreamy freshers. The majority of the centre of SP was closed off. In one corner, a distinctly appearing group in blue were seen cheering on, jamming and swaying to music, ready to pounce to action as soon as the word “conclave” was mentioned. As the minutes passed, the crowd built, with a buzz of audible enquiries from the first-timers. By 6.45pm, the most popular question was,” When does the reveal start?”
Image by Sirish Saraf for MTTN
Within the next five minutes, the now sizeable crowd had circled the cordoned-off center, brimming with anticipation. At 6:51 pm, the event roared to life with a crisp “Good Evening, Manipal!” from one of the two all-female anchors, who had secured top billing. The opening monologue set the stage:
“Tech is the new magic”—the theme of TechTatva ’25—was officially unveiled. Title sponsors included the Manipal Alumni, with Campa Energy Drinks stepping in as co-title sponsor. Blinkit, Taghash, Blackberryy’s, and Polkadot rounded out the list of notable supporters. In a savvy advertising move, stamp ticket holders were informed of a chance to win access to the festival’s marquee events. Marketing 101!
As the audience waited for the promised headline act, a cascade of hands formed a living canopy, while the skies above lived up to their unpredictable MIT reputation. A few spectators sought refuge at the shaded periphery, but most held their ground.
Then, the conclave OCs arrived. Dressed in “Netflix high school cheerleader” blue, they surged into the circle with infectious energy and electric dance moves that spanned American hip hop to Punjabi anthems, because what screams MIT fests better than flashing lights and loud music at SP. Banners fluttered, reels rolled, and the atmosphere crackled with excitement—the perfect prelude for the grand reveal.
Conclave Reveal Performances
Moments before the telling act, the anchors invited the crowd to guess the identity of the speakers. Amidst shouts of Madhur Virli and Varun Mayya, one name dominated the speculation: Anubhav Bassi, the elite comic whose recent shows and connection to last year’s guest, Harsh Gujral, made him the audience’s clear favourite.
With the build-up done, the circle shrunk and people huddled in, all in readiness for the final showdown. So, without any further pitstops, let’s get straight to action.
The first to be announced carried a legacy rooted in MIT itself — an alumnus from the Chemical Engineering batch of ’84 who went on to redefine the country’s fibre optics landscape. Now the Managing Director of Indore Composite, Mukesh Sanghvi took the mantle as the event’s chief guest.
The next figure on the list shifted the energy toward ideas and intellect. Introduced as an entrepreneur whose “case studies rival Netflix originals,” he co-founded one of India’s fastest-growing ed-tech ventures, one that reimagines the classroom for a YouTube generation. When the name Ganeshprasad Sridharan of Think School flashed across the banner, cameras rose almost instinctively.
Then came the big guns. A name for the digital natives — a face many had already seen on their late-night run of doomscrolls and ‘brainrot’. A creator who built a platform simplifying code snippets for millions of developers and, in doing so, turned tech education into entertainment. The cheers swelled as Neeraj Walia, founder of EzSnippet, appeared on the SP walls, his reveal marking the loudest moment yet.
Poster Unfurling
Few, if any, in the crowd would agree that they had showed up to the reveal for anything other than this - the most anticipated part of any fest, the final act, the headliner. The punchline to weeks of buildup and speculation. The banner dropped to unveil a familiar grin — Aashish Solanki, Comicstaan Season 3 winner, Delhi University alumnus, and full-time laughter engineer. An entertainer who proves that sometimes, even at a tech fest, the best circuit is the one that connects straight to the funny bone.
Amidst the cheers, groans, and a flutter of camera flashes, the TechTatva ’25 Conclave Lineup Reveal wrapped up—punctuated, of course, by a few firecrackers to make sure no one missed the finale. The verdict? A little divided, as any good lineup should be. But come October 8, the codes will compile, the circuits will spark, and Manipal’s caffeine reserves will once again take a hit—all in honor of the species that runs on logic, late nights, and just a hint of chaos: the engineers. Where will you be?