The award was presented by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Minister of State for Culture, in the esteemed presence of Fields Medalist Prof. Manjul Bhargava, adding weight to the recognition of cutting-edge work bridging heritage and technology.

Dr. Sarvadevabhatla’s project aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence to decode, interpret, and digitally preserve India’s rich corpus of ancient texts, many of which remain inaccessible due to linguistic complexity, degradation, or lack of systematic digitization. His proposal stood out among numerous submissions for its scholarly depth, technical feasibility, and potential cultural impact.

The winners of the GyanSetu Challenge, including Dr. Sarvadevabhatla, will now be part of a funded pilot project supporting the broader goals of the Gyan Bharatam initiative, which was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the same day. This initiative seeks to revive, digitize, and globalize India’s traditional knowledge systems using advanced technologies.

Speaking after the award ceremony, Dr. Sarvadevabhatla expressed gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. “Ancient manuscripts are not just texts — they are living repositories of India’s civilizational wisdom. With AI, we have a unique opportunity to make them accessible to scholars, students, and citizens worldwide,” he said.

The Gyan Bharatam International Conference brought together researchers, technologists, and policymakers to explore ways of integrating India’s knowledge heritage with modern scientific frameworks.

Award ceremony link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd4dRB0YqNI&t=3882s