Tech One

IF you8217;re a former student or an academic staying at the Technology Guest House at IIT Kharagpur, and in the mood for a hot debate, you...

IF you8217;re a former student or an academic staying at the Technology Guest House at IIT Kharagpur, and in the mood for a hot debate, you don8217;t have to go far to vent your logic. Just head for the breakfast table at the guest house where, every morning, resident intellectuals congregate to discuss IIT-related concerns over toast and tea.

The animation of such discussions is a clear pointer to the high expectations and involvement IIT Kharagpur demands of anyone who calls it his alma mater. As the institute celebrates its 50 years, it will be banking heavily on the strong feelings it arouses to determine its future course.

8216;8216;That the IIT experiment, which began here in Kharagpur, has been a great success story does not need to be stated. The flower has bloomed and its fragrance has spread far and wide,8217;8217; says G S Sanyal. With 49 years of teaching experience here, Sanyal is a living legend and IIT8217;s oldest faculty member. A former student has even set up the G S Sanyal School of Telecommunications after him.

8216;8216;From my experience I can tell you that we at IIT Kharagpur can change 8212; and change for the better 8212; very quickly. That is the inherent strength of this institute,8217;8217; Sanyal says.

The veteran professor vouches for the fact that the debates are not restricted to the breakfast table. Apart from Sanyal, faculty members like V V Satyamurty, A K Sahoo, and Dr Gunashekharan have been 8216;8216;brainstorming8217;8217; on the future of IIT Kharagpur; they have already reached consensus on issues as prickly as self-reliance, faculty standards, innovative new courses, result-oriented research and publications and better networking with the alumni.

One of the institute8217;s primary targets is to relieve the Centre of the financial burden it poses. In recent years, IIT Kharagpur8217;s non-plan budget has been around Rs 100 crore, while the plan budget is between Rs 30-40 crore. To this end, the institute plans to lay greater emphasis on Institute-Industry interface. Already, the IIT earns Rs 35-40 crore as consultants in various projects; another 100 projects sponsored by top notch international and national industries and funding agencies are in the works.

The Institute has also pioneered the Intellectual Property Rights Management and has been able to secure over 200 patents. At least 14 technologies innovated by the institute have been transferred to industries and gone into commercial production.

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At a more basic level, the IIT is changing its curriculum to accommodate the changing needs. On the anvil are fewer contact hours, major-minor categories, larger choice of electives and a five-year 10-semester integrated dual degree programme encompassing B.Tech and M.Tech in 14 disciplines. More interdisciplinary courses are also being devised for the post-graduate level as well. The introduction of a Master8217;s course in Medical Science and Technology MMST, which brings together medical science, physical science and technology, is considered a significant step.

Apart from this, 14 areas in various disciplines have been identified for accelerated research, keeping national priorities in mind. In focus are power, rural development, restoration of degraded/waste land, agriculture and biotechnology.

Another area of concern is faculty standards. While entry norms for students are among the most stringent in the country, IIT Kharagpur does feel the impact of 430 teachers against a sanctioned strength of 506. While some say strict quality control delays recruitment, Board of Governors chairman Sanjiv Goenka says that they must work towards roping in faculty from well-known universities outside India as well. 8216;8216;It doesn8217;t matter if it costs a couple of crore more. IIT Kharagpur can spare that money,8217;8217; says Goenka see interview.

The 33,000 strong global alumni network of IIT, Kharagpur, is yet another area that the institute is keen to tap. And it is also looking at wooing students from abroad. After all, if good students from across the world can make a beeline for MIT or Stanford or Oxford and Cambridge, why should IIT Kharagpur be deprived of its share?

Why indeed?

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8216;Maybe the Nobel will come in the next five years8217;

Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Kharagpur for last two years, and a Board member for the last six years, Sanjiv Goenka believes his faith in the institute helps him to dream big. In an exclusive interview, he tells Subrata Nagchoudhury about his plans for the institute.

As Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT, Kharagpur, what are your plans for the institute?
IIT Kharagpur is undoubtedly the Number One technological institute in the country. But it is just not enough to be Number One. I and an overwhelming majority of the IIT Kharagpur Board members believe there is an urgent need for repositioning, refocusing the priorities of this institute. The curriculum, the courses should be contemporised so that IIT Kharagpur becomes the Most Favoured Institute for students all over the country. It should also turn be the Most Preferred Destination for employers looking for bright young talent.

How do you plan to achieve the goals?
First, we need to introduce modern courses. The three year8217;s masters in medical science and technology MMST is a case in point. The programme, which was introduced in the 2001-2002 academic session, offers a unique opportunity to bring medical science, physical sciences and technology on a common platform. This is part of an overall exercise undertaken to benchmark IIT Kharagpur with other top-grade educational institute in India. In the next few years, IIT Kharagpur must woo talent from neighbouring countries. Introduction of a smart card that will function as a debit card, an attendance register and an identity card is under process. Why should IIT Kharagpur be any less that any other institute?

What other steps do you envisage for long-term benefits?
Another thrust area will be recharging the alumni of IIT Kharagpur. We haven8217;t done much in this respect. Former IITians have been at the helm of world affairs, they can provide ideas, inputs, infrastructure and even substantial funds. We will have to be aggressive in enlisting their patronage and backing. The positive thing is that many of them are keen to help.

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How do you assess the past 50 years ?
Without ignoring the success of IIT Kharagpur, I must say that we have been too confined at looking at the IITs in the Indian context. Why not look at greater heights? We have been receiving the Bhatnagar Award of Excellence fairly regularly. But why not aim for bigger, international goals? In fact, at the last Board meeting last week, members asked why we weren8217;t looking at the Nobel. Who can say it won8217;t come in the next five years?