Week-long Elysium-2025 concludes with grand celebration at ITER, SOA

Bhubaneswar, April 5: Elysium-2025, the much-anticipated week-long annual extravaganza of the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), the engineering faculty of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University, came to a vibrant conclusion on Wednesday. The festival served as a dynamic platform for students to explore and exhibit their talents across diverse domains—from coding and business to literature, art, music, dance, fitness, and fashion.

"Each event was curated to challenge and inspire students to push their limits—and they responded with remarkable creativity and enthusiasm," said Prof. Renu Sharma, Additional Dean (Student Affairs). She added that Elysium was not merely an event, but a convergence of talent, learning, and opportunity.

Chief guest Prof. Damodar Acharya, Chairman of SOA’s International Advisory Board and former AICTE Chairman, urged students to think innovatively and consider entrepreneurship. “Simply aiming for a degree and a job is no longer enough—students must stand out through creativity and social engagement,” he said, warning of a shrinking job market in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

Also addressing the gathering were Bijay Kumar Sahoo, Regional Manager, NRDC, and Dr. Manisha Acharya, Project Director at Ernst & Young, both of whom encouraged students to embrace innovation and pursue start-up ventures.

SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda and ITER Director Prof. Manas Kumar Mallick were present during the closing ceremony.

Elysium-2025 featured 70 events—40 technical and 30 cultural—alongside 32 sports competitions in disciplines including futsal, cricket, basketball, kabaddi, volleyball, badminton, and kho kho. Over 350 students took part in flagship programs like Business Decoded and Founder’s Arena at the Atal Innovation Centre (AIC), where they tackled real-world business challenges under expert mentorship.

More than 400 prizes were awarded during the valedictory ceremony, celebrating student excellence and participation. The event's success was driven by enthusiastic student-led clubs, including ITER Robotics Club, SOA Radio Club, Codex, Shristi, SOA Flying Community, GDG, Vogue, Literary Club, Toneelstuk, Music Club, Coding Ninjas, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell, Danza, Virtual Showreel, SOA Photography Club, Odanza, and the SOA Fitness Club.