Dr Madhavilatha Maganti, Associate Professor, Psychology, SIAS conducted an online session on ‘Critical Thinking and Research Methods’ for faculty from CMR university, Bangalore as part of their FDP on ‘Teaching and Research in Liberal Studies’ :Interdisciplinary Pedagogies on 23 December 2025.
Dr Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor, Economics, IFMR GSB, presented a paper, co-authored with Dr Narbadeshwar Mishra, IFMR GSB PhD alum, titled ‘Banning the Alcohol: Unintended Effects of Alcohol Prohibition on Children’s Learning Outcomes’ at the 2026 CSW Asia Meeting (AMES-CSW) of the Econometric Society held at New York University, Abu Dhabi from 23-25 January 2026.
Marking a celebratory beginning to the new year, Krea Kalotsavam 2026, Krea University’s annual cultural festival, unfolded at the SriCity campus for the second consecutive year as a week-long celebration from 27 to 31st January. Bringing together musicians, dancers, and artists from across the globe who are masters of their craft, the festival offered the Krea community a pause, a space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect through art. Students, faculty, and staff immersed themselves in an atmosphere that felt both tranquil and energising, a welcome respite from the pace of everyday academic life. Beyond showcasing artistic brilliance, the performances highlighted the cultural depth and diversity embedded within each art form, spanning classical and contemporary traditions, folk music, and movement-based storytelling. At its heart, Kalotsavam celebrated not just performance, but the stories, histories, and lived experiences that give art its meaning, resonating with a wide and varied audience.
The festival opened on January 27 with an evocative performance by Chennai-based musician Vedanth Bharadwaj. Trained in Indian classical music under Sri Ramamoorthy Rao, Vedanth is known for his ability to move fluidly across genres. His set wove together Indian classical elements with Bhakti and Sufi poetry, folk influences, blues, and Western classical textures, creating a soundscape that was both rooted and experimental. The performance struck a deep chord with listeners, setting the tone for the days to follow
On January 28, dancers Eveline Noth and Michel Casanovas presented Dream of an Elsewhere, a nuanced duet that explored themes of slowness, travel, and rediscovering childlike wonder. Through restrained movement and quiet intensity, the performance invited the audience to engage with stillness and introspection.
This was followed on January 29 by a Carnatic vocal concert organised by SPIC MACAY at Krea, led by Vidushi Amritha Murali. Accompanied by Sangita Kalanidhi Vidwan R K Shriramkumar on the violin, Vidwan Manoj Siva on the mridangam, and Vidwan Anirudh Atreya on the kanjira, the evening was marked by technical brilliance, emotional depth, and a deep reverence for tradition.
The celebrations continued on January 30 with an evening of folk music by Funkybodhi, featuring S. Rani’s Irular Ensemble. S. Rani, lead singer and social activist highlighted the oral traditions and the lived experiences of the Irular community, an indigenous Dravidian group from Tamil Nadu, in the performance to amplifiy voices that have long remained on the margins, blending music with storytelling and social memory.
Krea Kalotsavam 2026 culminated on January 31 with a Kalamkari workshop led by master craftsmen from Machilipatnam, alongside a vibrant Kalotsavam fair that transformed the campus into a lively gathering space. The fair featured caricature and live sketching, palm weaving, textile and craft stalls, interactive games, and a wide range of food offerings. The evening concluded with spirited student-led performances by Band BBB, Raag Band, Band Wildcard, and the TBD Dance Crew, reflecting the creativity and collaborative spirit of the Krea student community.
As Krea looks ahead, Kalotsavam continues to reaffirm the university’s commitment to fostering spaces where art, culture, and community intersect. With each edition, the festival strengthens its role as a platform for dialogue, discovery, and shared celebration, setting the stage for many more moments of creative exchange in the years to come.
Aarthi Venkatesh, a third-year Psychology student at SIAS, has been awarded the highly selective Founding Generation Fellowship by the International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS). As part of the fellowship, she will spend the summer at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, conducting research at the Centre for Infant Cognition under the supervision of Dr Kiley Hamlin.
Her research will focus on investigating the early developmental foundations of moral cognition in infants. Through this work, she aims to develop both conceptual and methodological skills in developmental cognitive neuroscience. The fellowship marks an important milestone in her academic journey, deepening her long-standing interest in early cognitive development and the philosophical questions surrounding the nature of mind, knowledge, and morality.
Dr Rakesh Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS delivered an online talk at IIIT Hyderabad in their Cognitive Science Seminar series on 28 January 2026. The talk was titled ‘Graph Surgery: Tuning the Connectome to Predict Distinct Neural Dynamics of Enumeration’.
Krea students recorded a strong showing at FLAME University’s Kurukshetra Fest 2026.
TBD Crew, Krea University’s official UG Western Competing Dance Team, secured first position in the Step-Off category. Led by Ananyaa Premanand, the team included Aarushi Chowdhury, Aashna Bhartiya, Ananya Sarath, Avani Bipinkumar, Diya Saravanan, Drishti Satpal, Ishita Vohra, Pranaya Khatri, Sanika Ostwal, and Trisha Bhar. The Women’s Football Team secured second position, and we also congratulate Aavya Kedia (Basketball) and Shilpi Rani (Football) for being recognised as Best Defensive Players.
At the 5th International Conference on Advanced Network Technologies and Intelligent Computing held at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (ABV-IIITM), Gwalior, India, Lekhana Priya Gundapaneni, SIAS alum and now a Teaching Fellow and Purvikalyani Prasannah, SIAS, Cohort of 2027 presented papers that will be published in Springer CCIS (Scopus indexed proceedings).
1. Contribution:Alpha Band Power Modulation During Covert and Overt Articulation
Presenter: Lekhana Priya Gundapaneni
Authors: Lekhana Priya Gundapaneni, Rakesh Sengupta, Sayantan Mandal, Madhavilatha Maganti
2. Contribution:Modeling Recurrent Neural Networks in Serial Recall Paradigm With
Dynamic Self-Excitation
Presenter: Purvikalyani Prasannah
Authors: Purvikalyani Prasannah and Rakesh Sengupta
Purvikalyani Prasannah has also won the prestigious Young scientist DST Travel grant for the same.
On 23 January 2026, Krea University marked an important milestone with the inauguration of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (CFE), supported by Catalyst. The launch brought together inquisitive and aspiring entrepreneurs among students alongside faculty members, and staff from across the Krea community to celebrate the setting up of an incubation centre dedicated to nurturing ideas and transforming them into viable ventures. Envisioned as a space for exploration, experimentation, and mentorship, the Centre aims to provide students with the right guidance, resources, and ecosystem support to build from the ground up.
The inauguration, titled Catalysing Entrepreneurship, was more than a ceremonial launch. It was a day rooted in reflection, dialogue, and learning. The sessions were anchored in thoughtful conversations on what it truly means to build from zero to one, scale with clarity and intent, navigate uncertainty, and engage with the systems that enable founders to grow. These discussions highlighted that entrepreneurship is not a linear journey, but one shaped by curiosity, resilience, and informed decision-making.
Bringing together a diverse group of voices from across the country, the event reflected the many perspectives that shape entrepreneurship in the real world. Founders, investors, incubator leaders, CEOs and VCs shared insights drawn from their own journeys, speaking candidly about early challenges, pivotal moments, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Their experiences offered students a grounded understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, beyond just ideas and ambition.
The Krea community benefited from the presence and generosity of distinguished speakers and panellists, including Mithun Sacheti, Vishesh Rajaram, Mahavir Pratap Sharma, Manish Saksena, Anand Sri Ganesh, Sujay S, Innu Nevatia, Amit Mehta, and Vipul Sekhsaria. Their conversations underscored the importance of building with purpose, staying adaptable in changing environments, and recognising the value of mentorship and collaboration.
The day culminated in the conferring of a seed fund by Lakshmi Narayanan, Chancellor, Krea University and Professor Nirmala Rao, Vice Chancellor, Krea University to three students from the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) – Mitansh Aggarwal, Adwitiya Roy, and Viney Jain – for their start-up Sibling, a digital mental health platform transforming how schools deliver student wellbeing, marking a tangible first step from idea to enterprise.
At its core, the Centre for Entrepreneurship, supported by Catalyst at Krea University, seeks to embed entrepreneurship as a mindset; one that extends across both academic and co-curricular life. The Centre aims to encourage students to think critically, identify real-world problems, and approach solutions with creativity and responsibility. By fostering an environment that values initiative, experimentation, and interdisciplinary thinking, CFE hopes to empower students to take confident steps toward building meaningful ventures.
As the Centre begins its journey, it does so with the belief that entrepreneurship thrives in communities that learn and grow together. The launch of CFE marks the beginning of such a shared endeavour at Krea; one that will continue to evolve alongside its students, faculty, and partners.
Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored an article in Down To Earth’s ‘State of the Environment 2026’ report titled India’s Climate Apocalypse?
The article discusses how regional hotspots of climate change are emerging across the country and this demands regionally tailored adaptation strategies contingent not only on the nature of climate change but on the exposure and vulnerability of local communities.
Pratibha Jain, an IFMR GSB PhD Scholar, has been selected for the Global Early-Career Accelerator for Representation (GEAR) virtual programme workshop in the field of Business and Society. The workshop is conducted by the Centre for Business, Organisations and Society (CBOS) at the University of Bath, UK.
The GEAR programme is designed to support early-career researchers by strengthening their theoretical, methodological, and writing capabilities, with a particular focus on developing high-quality research articles suitable for submission to leading academic journals.
