“Success is a journey, not a destination,” said Arthur Ashe, first and only African-American male tennis player to win the US Open and Wimbledon.
Located on the banks of Sabarmati river in Palaj , IITGN is a good example of this quote. Started operations during the year 2008-09, it is one of the fastest growing second-generation IITs in the country. This institute, spread over 400 acres, recently crossed the glorious 10-year mark of its journey. It is never easy to build anything from scratch. It always requires time, proper planning, hard work and perseverance to assemble, strengthen and improve upon numerous aspects to finally produce something unique. Most important of all, it takes tireless efforts to maintain the success achieved. Although still young in the IIT universe, IITGN has managed to carve a niche for itself by introducing countless avant garde curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular initiatives which have proven to be crucial for the all-round development of students.
With its core principle of Students First, this institute offers a multitude of vibrant study-abroad and visiting faculty exchange programmes with renowned universities across almost all the continents. A significantly large number of UG (40%), PG and PhD (75%) scholars receive opportunities in the form of research internships, semester/year overseas, summer programmes, etc. which is among the highest proportions in India and almost twice the average at an Australian university (according to International Education Association of Australia) and thrice the average at an American university (according to Institute of International Education).
The students are provided with the most liberal branch change policies, flexible curriculum, ground-breaking research, cutting-edge innovations and compelling placement opportunities. They have numerous choices regarding options of dual majors, minors, honours, course range and short courses. Project-oriented learning focuses on the concept of learning-by-doing. Emphasising on the importance of social and moral values, 20 per cent coursework is in the humanities and social sciences which is perhaps the highest in the country. The classrooms and laboratories are equipped with air-conditioning, exceptional facilities and latest technology, and are accessible to students 24 hours a day.
Interdisciplinary interaction is one of the USPs of IITGN. A significant number of the faculty is part of multiple disciplines and more than 20 per cent students have PhD advisors/ principal investigator/Co-PI from an outside discipline. The seven interdisciplinary research centres at the institute include Archaeological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Cognitive Science, Design & Innovation, Safety Engineering, Sustainable Development and Creative Learning. There are no department buildings and no heads of departments. The idea of open lab system prevails throughout the campus, visible in the form of common-sharing of research infrastructure. A zealous world-class faculty serves as the framework of this institute with more than 50 per cent having their PhDs from leading overseas institutions such as Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, Urbana, Uppsala, etc. Average publications record in 2017 was 3.2 publications per faculty. Presently, the institute hosts several Ramanujan Fellows, Ramalingaswami Fellows and Inspire Fellows.
Invent@IITGN is a unique and first-of-its-kind programme in India. The annual summer programme in inventing and patenting originated in 2013 at The Cooper Union, New York. It was initiated by professors Alan Wolf and Eric Lima. and was initiated at IITGN by them in the summer of 2018.
During the programme, students from across IITs in India participate in teams of two. They are given a budget of ₹50,000 to conceive a novel, feasible and solution-oriented invention, then build, refine and test its prototype, and write and file both Indian and US provisional patent applications for it. The teas compete for grand prizes of best inventions in a short span of six weeks. They also receive a stipend of ₹10,000 at the end of the programme.
The first campus in India to receive five-star GRIHA LD rating and several HUDCO national awards since 2013 for its sustainable design, the institute treats all the sewage in an eco-friendly sewage treatment plant and recycles the treated water for horticultural operations. Rainwater in also harvested in four underground Jal Mandaps (water reservoirs) having a storage capacity of five million litres. A passive cooling system provides thermal comfort to occupants and IITGN has also integrated a 500-kW solar power plant into the electric system of its green campus.
The objective is to not only produce successful future professionals but also to create various opportunities for the overall personality development of students. One of the very first distinctive initiatives started by IITGN in the country is the five-week, no-study Foundation Programme. It encourages students, through numerous indoor and outdoor activities, to adapt towards the rapidly-changing environments and contribute towards the welfare of the society by creating practical solutions towards day-to-day problems. The six-week annual summer programme, Explorer Fellowship, is another feather to its cap. The first-of-its-kind in India, this initiative by the institute empowers students to set off on a journey of discovering the unified diversity of India on a restricted budget. While on one hand, students enjoy themselves and create some very special memories, on the other they also understand the importance of financial management, bonding, negotiations and conflict resolution first-hand. Both these efforts have gained acceptance among several engineering colleges and have been implemented by NITs and IITs across the country.
In the present times, writing is a requirement in all the known careers across the globe in some form or the other. The Writing Studio is an effort which inspires students to nurture their writing skills by exposing them to the globally recognised writing practices and conventions of academic writing, professional writing and creative writing by means of interactive sessions, workshops and conferences. The students learn a wide variety of writing styles ranging from research papers, literature reviews, lab reports, research posters, resume and CVs, academic cover letters and scientific proposals all the way to e-mails, blogs, stories, poetry and many more.
Non-IITians can also take part-time or full-time courses and spend an entire semester at IITGN for credit or perform research, undertake projects and utilise other academic facilities of the institute by means of the Non-degree Programme. The objective of this unique initiative is to open the doors of IITGN for students from any educational institute of India or abroad. It ensures that students are no longer restricted to qualifying Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) or Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) to get the feel of an IIT. A certificate is provided to students upon completion of their term at the institute, which is beneficial for their future careers.
Apart from academics, an immense diversity prevails among its students, faculty and staff. Unlike a number of institutes in the country which have maximum number of faculty and students limited to a particular state or region geographically, the stats at IITGN beg to differ. Figures show that 90 per cent students are from outside Gujarat, including intake from overseas; 15 per cent of our visiting faculty is from India and abroad; 95 per cent faculty is from India except Gujarat; and six per cent is international faculty (both regular and contractual).
Developer of one of the friendliest and the most convenient hostel systems in the country, complete with centralised air-conditioning and a well-furnished student lounge, IITGN ensures that there is no gender bias anywhere in the campus. The boys and girls freely interact with one another without any restriction. The Panchayat Circle, open-area above the dining halls, sports grounds for basket ball, volleyball, football and cricket, gymkhana, table tennis and tennis courts with good instructors are actively designed as places of sports, music, dance and many more activities for having unlimited enjoyment with friends and peers. The upcoming constructions include new hostels and a sports complex which will house a swimming pool, stadium-type cricket ground and other such facilities.
IITGN has always aimed at equipping its students in the best possible ways to face the world by means of such initiatives and activities. Working along the lines – development is a continuous process and success is never stagnant – the institute will keep exploring more ways in future to contribute towards the 360° development of its pupil.
“We have to acknowledge the progress we made, but understand that we still have a long way to go, that things are better, but still not good enough.” – Barack Obama, former US President
The exemplary practices of IIT Gandhinagar in the fields of labour welfare and community outreach should be introduced in all IITs.
IIT CouncilCultural diversity is one of the most beautiful aspects of IITGN visible in the form of numerous regional groups and clubs performing together during festivals and celebrations. The dining halls are common for males and females and all the food items are kept together, encouraging maximum possible intercultural interaction which is different from what is generally followed by other Indian colleges and universities. Each member respects the identity of another and is treated unique here. Everybody learns together and embraces what is new, together.
