Guwahati, Aug. 21: The 19th edition of Techniche, a three-day annual techno-management festival of IIT Guwahati, will begin on August 31.

A host of events have been lined up for the festival. The 9th Guwahati half-marathon, comprising Spirit Run (6km), Glory Run (21km) and the General Championship for schoolchildren, is one of the highlights of the festival. The marathon, with the theme Organ Donation-Live Life, Give life, will be held on Sunday.

It will start and end at Bhogeswari Phukanani Indoor Stadium, Dispur.

Durga Boro, a striker with the Northeast United Football Club, will flag off the run. Prizes worth Rs 2 lakh in cash have been announced for the winner of the marathon which will witness participants from Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

"Team Techniche has been contributing to social development of the area around the IIT Guwahati campus by organising free health check-up camps, providing education to the children and ensuring the basic needs and resources for the people," an organiser said.

Assistant registrar of public relations of IIT Guwahati Labanu K. Konwar said, "Techniche is completely organised by the students. The event tries to uplift the technological aspects of the region. The festival provides a platform for students to prove their capabilities on a national level."

Eminent personalities such as Nasa deputy director Thomas Barclay and Emmy winner and senior vice-president of Taj Hotels, Farhat Jamal, Father of DNA nanotechnology, Nadrian Seeman, will attend the festival and deliver lectures.

A corporate module for potential entrepreneurs will test the business acumen of the participants through contests like virtual stock market and portfolio pitching.

Techolympics, a collection of specially-designed competitions, will test the knowledge of the participants on a particular subject.

Festival convener Animesh Jain said, "Techniche is a confluence of some of the most logical and technically-proficient brains from around the world. It is all about showing your calibre and appreciating and respecting your mettle to your opponent."

Tech Expo, an exhibition of 150 best projects submitted by the students from across the country, will be another attraction of the festival. A competition for the top best projects will see the winners walk off with prizes worth Rs 3.5 lakh.

Automated solar water-purifying robot, Tenkiv, two interactive robots, Wall-e and R2D2, and a 6.5-feet humanoid robot, Indro, are likely to be the top draws at the exhibition.

Korean dance group The Animation Crew, guitarist Dhruv Vishwanath, and Nalayaak, a music band, will perform at the festival.

Shot at: Three motorcycle-borne men shot at and injured traders Biplob Dey and Devajit Dey at Lanka in central Assam's Hojai district today.

The two have been admitted to HAMM Hospital in Hojai and Biplob's condition is stated to be critical. Police have found a 7.65 bore pistol from the spot.