FOCUS: IIT-KHARAGPUR

A committed player

IIT-Kharagpur's year-long golden jubilee celebrations conclude with a reaffirmation of its commitment to nation-building.

SUHRID SANKAR CHATTOPADHYAY

AUGUST 18, 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The Institute, the first of the chain of seven IITs, was also the first successful national experiment that not only led to the creation of the IIT system and the IIT "brand" but also brought about revolutionary changes in the field of science and engineering education in the country.

The birth of IIT-Kharagpur was in several aspects different from that of other Institutes of the time. First, it was an institute of higher learning established with no external support, either technical or financial. Second, it was created and nurtured by a team of dedicated faculty, students and supporting staff, who wanted to do something which was at once new and beneficial for the newly independent country.

The Institute's year-long golden jubilee celebrations was inaugurated on its foundation day last year. Union Minister for Human Resource and Development Murli Manohar Joshi and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were present on the occasion. In the course of the celebrations, the Institute organised a number of conferences, seminars and workshops which were presided over or attended by scientists of international repute. Numerous cultural programmes and exhibitions were organised by the Institute. Other highlights of the celebrations were an inter-IIT sports and cultural meet and a get-together of alumni.

The celebrations concluded on August 18, 2002. In his address, the chief guest, R.Natarajan, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi, said IIT-Kharagpur, being the eldest in the IIT family, had a special position in that it paved the way for the others. Stressing the need to move forward, he said: "If we (the IITs) restrict ourselves to India, then we are undoubtedly the best. But internationally, I feel, we still have some way to go." One major source of concern as far as technical education is concerned, he said, was the acute shortage of good teachers with doctoral degrees. "The last thing that engineering students in this country want is to stay back and get into research and development or academics," he said. However, he does not see Indian students going abroad and making a mark as "brain drain". "These are the people who can give India a good reputation internationally," he said. On why the IITs are not the preferred destination for foreign students, Natarajan said, "Probably because the quality of campus life, as far as social and civic amenities are concerned, is not as good as the kind foreign students are used to."

PARTH SANYAL
Students in the electronics laboratory under the Department of Electronics Engineering.

In his welcome address, S.K. Dube, Director, IIT-Kharagpur, said that the institution could well claim to be the best and the most diversified among all IITs. Over 200 applications for patents, including 15 international patents, had been filed so far, and in 25 cases patents had been granted to the Institute, he said. In order to protect the intellectual property rights (IPR) of its faculty members and participating organisations in a globalised economy, the Institute has created an IPR and IR Cell, which is again the first of its kind in any engineering institute in India.

The Institute has developed more than 60 technologies and a range of software, of which many have been purchased by entrepreneurs and industries. Major technology transfer agreements have been signed between the Institute and various organisations. Fourteen such transferred technologies have gone into commercial production. They relate to a range of products: novel puffing machine for cereals, plant tissue culture vessel, multipurpose controller, COSMO software, knowhow for acid-proof cement and allied products, fibre-dish antenna, fibre on silk industrial fabric, detergent powder without enzyme, magnesium aluminate hydrate, low-calorie natural sweetener, real-time simulator for power grid, bio-pesticides, insulated tiles, and portable weigh bridges.

According to Dube, most students prefer to go abroad rather than continue their higher education in the IIT itself primarily because the fellowship programmes that the Institute offers are "not so attractive". "But we have of late introduced some high-value fellowship programmes and are constantly trying to improve our basic infrastructure in the hope of attracting more students for post-graduate courses," he said.

Others who spoke on the occasion were R. Gopalakrishnan, executive director of Tata Sons Ltd, and Dr. Parvati Dev, president, IIT Foundation, United States, both eminent alumni of the Institute. In his speech, Gopalakrishnan urged the students to become "doers" and not to try and find shortcuts to riches. "You should work incessantly and challenge yourselves constantly. Broaden your horizons and open your window to the many streams of knowledge around you," he said. He also stressed the need to integrate social studies with the academic curriculum in engineering colleges, so that students broaden their perspective.

Parvati Dev spoke about her emotional attachment to IIT-Kharagpur and about the contributions of the alumni and the strong bond they have with their alma mater.

The IIT Foundation, an organisation of U.S.-based IIT alumni, has been instrumental in creating in Kharagpur, through collective and individual contributions, the first business school among the IITs; the Prof. G.S. Sanyal School of Telecommunication; and a worldclass VLSI (very large scale integrated) laboratory; and providing a personal computer for each student, with 24-hour Internet facilities through a Wide Area Network in the hostel rooms.

The Institute has a 32,000-strong network of alumni spread all over the globe, of whom about 28 per cent are settled abroad. The Institute retains its commitment to work for the benefit of society at large. It has made significant contributions to the betterment of its surroundings and the people there.

The Institute believes that cost-effective solutions to the problems at the grassroots - such as those relating to basic needs like food, shelter, drinking water, healthcare, education and communication - require high technology. The Institute will therefore continue to focus on imparting technological knowledge through quality education and research. IIT-Kharagpur has shown that given academic and administrative autonomy, a reasonable amount of funding and a suitable environment, it is possible to set up a world-class academic and research institute in India.