Lodestone 2026
About the Program
Between May 6th and May 17th, 2026, Pravaha Foundation, in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad, hosted the third edition of LoDEStonE. The intensive program engaged a cohort of 30 students from grades 8 to 10 from across the country.
The curriculum was driven by a single core question: “Therefore, what is the Problem?” Through interdisciplinary learning, students were encouraged to look past quick solution, analyse complex real-world systems, and uncover the root causes behind broken systems.
Focus Areas
The Problem-First Mindset
Investigating real-world problems using physical, economic, and social evidence to identify root causes.
Systems Thinking
Mapping hidden rules, financial incentives, and human behaviours past superficial symptoms to evaluate broken systems.
Program Activities
multidisciplinary design modules
Students participated in specialized masterclasses spanning music, media, everyday AI applications, finance, startup, marketing, and aircraft design. They analyzed diverse industry lenses to gain forward-thinking skills and build cross-disciplinary perspectives across various design disciplines.
Design Thinking Fundamentals
Students learned the basics of design thinking to deeply investigate user problems. After developing independent concepts, teams tackled everyday spaces like schools and hospitals. Adopting roles as users, detectives, makers, and skeptics, they prototyped and stress-tested fresh solutions through skits.
biomimicry and structural design
By studying nature’s design (such as kingfisher beaks and termite mounds) alongside engineering and origami principles like Miura-ori folds. Students analyzed how space, efficiency, and structural transformation work under physical constrains.
Field immersion
A field visit to IKEA Hyderabad gave students a look into commercial functional design and product assembly. This was followed by an architectural and budgeting challenge to balance design choices with real-world financial constraints.
interactive behavioral simulation
Students engaged in decision-making scenarios, including the Dollar Auction, Prisoner’s Dilemma, and an LPG Crisis negotiation. They explore how individual rational choices can lead to collective systemic failure under resource scarcity.
capstone project
For the final challenge, students took a deep look into unwritten Indian systems, like long hospital queues and ‘dummy school’ setups. Rather than trying to solve the issue, they focused on identifying a problem statement backed by rigorous research.
Timelines
Cohort details
Program at A Glance
May 6 - 17
2026
8th - 10th
grade
IIIT-Hyderabad
campus
Program partners
The Program Portfolio
Other Initiatives
OUR Address
4th Floor, Vamsiram Jyothi Arena,
MCH No.8-2-120/86/2, Venkat Nagar,
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad-500034,
Telangana, India
Pravaha is an 80G and 12A certified organization.
© Copyright 2026, Pravaha Foundation