Kolkata :
Freedom to experiment has always been a strong point for IIT-Kharagpur. And now, this freedom will take budding innovators across the globe to realize their dreams. On Wednesday, two alumni of the institute, Arjun Malhotra and Srigopal Rajgarhia, came up with a generous ‘gift’ of Rs 16 crore for their alma mater.
While Malhotra, with his Rs 6 crore plus grant, is setting up the innovation centre inside the campus, Rajgarhia has donated Rs 10 crore to connect the Kharagpur campus with best-known institutes abroad. This is not just an “exchange” link in the form that we know it otherwise. Under this international programme, 30 best students of IIT-Kharagpur will be sent abroad to complete portions of their projects/credits there. This will be added to their degrees and the entire cost for their travel, stay and tuition will be borne by the institute from the endowment.
A part of Rajagarhia’s grant will be used to bring top-notch faculty from abroad for specific teaching hours.
For Malhotra, donating to IIT has become routine now. “I am aware of the talent in the boys here, which sometimes don’t come to the fore for lack of funds. The innovation-centre is a no-holds barred place where any one within the campus can soil his hands to bring alive any bright idea,” promised Malhotra.
“We need to build the confidence among students so that they inculcate the ability to start experimentations from the very beginning. The institute wants them to get exposure from the very first year. Innovation should not be limited only for a handful of students,” said alumni affairs and external relations dean Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay.
PP Chakraborty, director of the institute, was happy that finally IIT-Kharagpur has shed its conservatism in teaching-learning process and moving towards globalisation. “It is not enough to be just a premier tech school of the country. Our students do need foreign exposure. Each selected student’s curriculum will be framed in such a way that they are able to do a lot of reference work in the libraries and laboratories, attend lecture hours and also visit industrial houses abroad.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / November 06th, 2014