Professor Jayaram Ramakrishnan, Professor of Practice, Finance, IFMR GSB, recently presented a webinar on ‘Pricing for Profits – B2B Perspective’ to the members of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) on behalf of the MSME and Start up Promotion Board (MSPB) of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India on the 26 March 2026. The same was attended by over 500 plus professionals of ICAI and was presided by the Chairman MSME Board and Central Council member of ICAI.
Dr Salwa Yahya, Post-Doctoral Fellow, ‘Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, delivered a talk titled “Lower-caste Muslim activism and the post-colonial Indian state: Issues and evolving trajectories’ at Presidency University, Kolkata on 30 March 2026.
Dr Joya John, Assistant Professor, Literature, SIAS, has written an article titled ‘How social media reels about the LPG shortage obscure a harsh truth’ in Scroll.in.
The article critically analyses the gap between viral representations of LPG shortages and the underlying socio-economic challenges.
Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy, delivered a plenary talk at the symposium Beyond Access: A Symposium on Reimagining Student Support in Indian Higher Education, organised by Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, on 27 March 2026. The talk was titled ‘It Helped Me Speak English Without Thinking Twice: Insights from a Peer-Driven, Immersion-Based Approach to English-Language Support’.
About the Talk
In this presentation, Sayantan Datta highlighted the Centre for Writing & Pedagogy’s Conversation Partner Programme (CPP). Started in 2021 as a part of the Centre’s peer-support initiatives, the CPP recruits senior undergraduate student volunteers (“Conversation Partners”) who are trained to create a safe and judgement-free space for students and staff to practise speaking, listening, and reading in English. Instead of teaching grammar and spoken English, Conversation Partners facilitate engagement with the language through participatory and embodied reading, listening, and speaking exercises. Sayantan demonstrated some exercises developed and implemented by Conversation Partners. Then, drawing upon student feedback from four iterations of the Programme, Sayanted showed how the CPP helps L2 learners not only tide over their anxiety around English proficiency and inculcate confidence, but also fosters a larger culture of peer support in the University. Sayantan argued that peer-driven immersion-based approaches to English-language support, like the CPP, recentre care and joy in language learning while helping L2 learners form durable support networks that extend beyond language learning.
Dr Anannya Dasgupta, Director, Centre for Writing & Pedagogy and Associate Professor, Literature, SIAS, delivered the keynote address at the symposium Beyond Access: A Symposium on Reimagining Student Support in Indian Higher Education, organised by Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, on 27–28 March 2026. Her lecture was titled ‘Effective Writing Support in an Unequal Playing Field’.
For the very first time on 23 March 2026, Krea University witnessed a landmark moment in its campus life with the introduction of the Krea Community Awards, an initiative by the Office of Student Life. Conceived as a platform to recognise and celebrate the incredible work of student-led communities, the awards mark a significant step towards building a culture of appreciation, reflection, and shared achievement.
At its core, the Krea Community Awards aim to honour student organisations that embody the university’s values—collaboration, inclusivity, ethics, and meaningful impact—while also ensuring a transparent and participatory recognition process. More than just an awards ceremony, this initiative represents a celebration of the vibrancy, diversity, and dedication that define student life at Krea.
The awards were structured across two broad categories: University Awards, which recognise excellence across all programmes, and Programme-Specific Awards, which highlight outstanding contributions within individual schools.
At the highest level of recognition, the University Awards celebrated communities that have demonstrated exceptional impact while truly embodying Krea’s core values. The Spirit of Krea Award, the university’s highest honour, was awarded to SAHAS, the Adventure Club at SIAS. With over 1,000 members, SAHAS has built a deeply inclusive and vibrant community centred around connection and shared experiences. From Eastern Ghats bike trips to Himalayan expeditions and collaborations with initiatives like the Happiness Project, their efforts have consistently fostered belonging and reflected the very ethos of Krea.
Alongside this, the Krea Impact and Excellence Award was presented to Aikyatha, the Social Outreach Club at SIAS, for their sustained and meaningful contributions to social impact. Through initiatives such as their work with the Raise a Child orphanage in Sullurpeta and the Boystown programme in Gummidipundi, Aikyatha has demonstrated a strong commitment to responsibility and community engagement.
Equally inspiring was the recognition of sustainability efforts through the Most Sustainable Community Award, awarded to Prakriti, the Environment Club at SIAS. Prakriti has made sustainability both accessible and engaging for the campus community. From organising clean-up drives in collaboration with the Sri City Administration to promoting circular fashion through thrift initiatives, their work integrates environmental consciousness into everyday student life. Their exhibitions, newsletters, and upcoming sustainable fashion show further underscore their commitment to fostering awareness and inspiring change.
The Community Engagement and Advocacy Award was presented to Samarthan, Social Service Committee at IFMR GSB, for their consistent and impactful programming. Through initiatives such as blood donation drives with the Red Cross, Wish Tree, and Lakshmi Bal Mahotsav, Samarthan has created meaningful avenues for student participation while addressing real social needs. Their ability to combine creativity with sustained engagement has helped cultivate a strong sense of empathy and collective responsibility within the campus.
Recognising emerging potential, the Best Emerging Community Award went to Ascent, the BBA club at IFMR GSB. Despite being relatively new, Ascent has made a remarkable mark through innovative, high-energy initiatives such as Deal or No Deal, Ascent Banayega Crorepati, and Boardroom Breakdown. These events not only encourage participation but also bridge the gap between theory and practice, enabling students to develop leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking skills in dynamic environments.
A special highlight of this year’s awards was the introduction of the Best Initiative Award, presented to BOLT, organised by the Krea Sports Club at SIAS. This recognition celebrated BOLT’s successful transition into an intercollegiate event, bringing together over 15 colleges and more than 400 participants. This milestone reflects the growing ambition and organisational capability of student communities at Krea, setting a strong precedent for future initiatives.
The Programme-Specific Awards further showcased the breadth of talent and initiative across Krea’s schools.
In the MBA category for Social, Community, and Student Life, the IFMR Sports Committee, BSportive emerged as the winner. Their wide range of sporting events—from badminton and football to cricket and esports—has played a crucial role in fostering camaraderie, participation, and a spirit of healthy competition across campus. Their work highlights the importance of sports as a unifying force within the student community.
Within SIAS, the Academic Development Award was presented to INARA, the Business Club at SIAS. Through over ten events in a single academic year, INARA has worked consistently to make entrepreneurship more approachable and engaging. Their sessions, including ‘Intro to Taxes’, ‘Women in the Workplace’,and panel discussions with industry experts, reflect a strong commitment to peer-led learning and intellectual growth.
The Arts, Culture, and Performance Award recognised Mudra, the Dance Club at SIAS for its vibrant contribution to campus life. By creating inclusive spaces for self-expression and cultural celebration, the club has brought students together through initiatives such as Aarambham, Panchabhutam, and the annual Just Dance event. Their workshops—ranging from Garba to Kalaripayattu and Zumba—demonstrate both diversity and dedication to the performing arts.
In the Social, Community, and Student Life category for SIAS, the Psychology Society at SIAS was honoured for its efforts in making psychology engaging and accessible beyond the classroom. Through initiatives like psychology-themed Jeopardy and expressive arts-based activities, the society has fostered dialogue, reflection, and a deeper understanding of human behaviour, all while strengthening community bonds.
In addition to the award ceremony, Krea Community Awards also witnessed interesting student performances that made for an enriching experience.
What made the Krea Community Awards truly special was not just the recognition of achievements, but the stories behind them—the late nights spent organising events, the challenges overcome, the collaborations forged, and the passion that drives each initiative.
As the first event of its kind at Krea, the awards have set a strong foundation for a tradition that celebrates student excellence in all its forms. They serve as both recognition and inspiration, honouring what has been accomplished while encouraging communities to continue pushing boundaries and creating impact.
In many ways, the Krea Community Awards are a reflection of what makes the university unique: a deeply engaged student body, a commitment to meaningful work, and a shared belief in the power of community.
Input by: The Office of Student Life
Written by: Sanjana Raman, Campus Communications Associate
Photo Credits: Shutterbugs, IFMR GSB
A research article by Dr Tanmoy Chakrabarty, Assistant Professor, Physics, SIAS titled CaFe2O(PO4)2: A compound with S=5/2 corner sharing triangular saw-tooth chains has been published in Physical Review B. In this publication, Dr Chakrabarty is one of the two corresponding authors.
Geometric frustration and one-dimensional magnetism boost quantum fluctuations and leads to unusual states of quantum matter. To explore these effects, we used solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), which is a strong local probe to extract the true spin susceptibility and the spin network of a magnetic system.
Here we studied the magnetic behaviour of a well-separated S = 5/2 saw-tooth spin chain compound CaFe2O(PO4)2, which has two different 31P sites in the unit cell. Magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and 31P NMR measurements show evidence of strong magnetic frustration (with a frustration parameter ≈ |θCW|/TN) about 70) in CFPO. The major finding of our work came from the NMR measurements which show a broad maximum near 70 K , reflecting the low-dimensional nature and presence of short-range correlations. It is important to note that such a broad maximum feature is not seen in the bulk χ(T) or in heat capacity. Further investigating this broad maximum feature, we conclude that CFPO represents an interesting realization of a frustrated S = 5/2 sawtooth spin-chain.
(a) local environment of P1 and P2 in CFPO. (b) (T) vs. T at various magnetic fields. (c) Plot of T-dependence of the normalized 31P NMR spectra measured as a function of frequency
A research article titled Modeling Markers for Detection of Psychiatric Disorders Using EEG Signals has been co-authored by Dr Lakshman Varanasi, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, SIAS; Varun Viswanathan, Visiting Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS; Dr Debasish Mishra, Assistant Professor, Data Science and Information Systems, IFMR GSB; and Steven Chris, Teaching Fellow, Data Science and Information Systems, IFMR GSB. The paper has been published in the Journal of Data Science and Intelligent Systems.
Abstract
The diagnosis of mental (psychiatric) disorders is challenging, and there is a lack of consensus on objective diagnostic criteria that are based on definitive signs that accompany the disorder. There is a need, therefore, to develop objective tools for the examination of these disorders. We present here a novel machine learning (ML) approach that accurately identifies disorders. The approach uses electroencephalography (EEG) signals for diagnosis, which are processed to extract novel region based markers that are found to contain key information about the types of disorders. Subsequently, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is modeled, integrated with sequential feature (marker) selection (SFS), which identifies optimal and compact marker subsets for disorder detection. The proposed system has been validated using a publicly available dataset. The developed model was benchmarked against existing models and was shown to perform superior to the models it was extensively compared with; it demonstrated a 98.33% accuracy in detecting obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Our findings indicate that an accurate psychiatric diagnosis system can be achieved using EEG signals with significantly fewer, and more interpretable markers. This simpler and transparent approach improves the practicality and trustworthiness of AI/ML-driven diagnostic tools, making them more suitable for real-world clinical integration and understanding by medical professionals.
Professor Jayaram Ramakrishnan, Professor of Practice, IFMR GSB, has co-authored an article titled ‘Costing Approach Adopted for MSP Fixation: A Practitioner’s Perspective’ with Dr Lakshmi Padmakumari, Assistant Professor, Finance and Accounting, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA). The article has been published in Agri Bulletin, the quarterly flagship journal of the Agriculture Cost Management Board of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), in its March 2026 edition (Volume 4).
A paper by Dr Rakesh Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS, titled ‘Evaluating Continuous-Time Recurrent Neural Networks for State-Dependent EEG Forecasting’ has been published in the proceedings of the 2025 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Technologies (ACOIT).
About the Research
The paper explores how short-term brain activity (EEG signals) can be more accurately predicted using lightweight AI models. Such forecasting is critical for real-time neurotechnologies, including Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and neurofeedback systems. The study benchmarks a Continuous-Time Recurrent Neural Network (CTRNN) against both classical methods and complex deep learning models. It finds that even a compact, highly interpretable CTRNN can effectively capture the non-linear dynamics of human brain activity, offering a competitive alternative to “black-box” AI models in real-time BCI applications.
