IIT Mandi’s 5th Foundation Day Celebrations, 24th Feb

IIT Mandi celebrated its 5th Foundation Day on February 24, 2014, at its permanent campus at Kamand, a township located 18 kilometres from the main Mandi town. On the occasion, the Director, IIT Mandi, Prof. Timothy A. Gonsalves welcomed the Chief Guest, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfram Ressel, Rector, Technical University (TU), Stuttgart, Germany; the Guest of Honour, Shri. Dinesh Kumar Jain, Former-Ambassador, Government of India; and., Dr. Wolfgang Holtkamp, Senior Advisor, International Affairs, TU, Stuttgart, Germany.

Five years ago, IIT Mandi’s foundation stone was laid on the same very day to mark the beginning of this Institute as a single destination for excellence, innovation, and learning in the Himalayas. The day was commemorated with various sports events, cultural activities, and an award ceremony for students, faculty, and staff of IIT Mandi. The sports events included games like the volleyball and tug-of-war between teams consisting of faculty and staff, and students. The volleyball game was won by a team of 3rd year and 4th year B. Tech. students. The tug-of-war for men was won by 1st and 2nd year B. Tech. students. Also, the tug-of-war for women was won by the girl’s student team.

The sports activity was followed by Director’s address. In his address, the Director welcomed the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour and highlighted the progress IIT Mandi had made in the last five years since its inception. He mentioned that building IIT Mandi is like building a house floor-by-floor, where the first floor has just got completed with the first batch of IIT Mandi students graduating in October last year. He said that before we construct the next floor, we also need to stop, take stock, and plan.

In his speech, the Director highlighted the impact IIT Mandi had created on the Indian society and particularly on the society in the central Himalayan region. For this purpose, the Director highlighted the contribution of the Uhl Centre for Innovative Technologies for the Himalayan Region and the field study of the effectiveness of MNREGA in the Mandi district undertaken by IIT Mandi. While concluding, the Director highlighted the role of IIT Mandi’s collaboration with the TU9 Institutes in Germany due to which a number of IIT Mandi faculty and students have visited these Institutes since 2011 for furthering teaching and research. This collaboration is intended to achieve a new level with increasing exchange visits by students and faculty, and joint development of labs and degree programs in the near future.

The Director’s address was followed by a cultural program. In the cultural program, a number of items were presented that depicted the social and cultural milieu of the region and Himachal state. Children of IIT Mandi’s Kamand and Mandi day cares put up entertaining dance performances on the upcoming spring season and a visit to the zoo. Other items included music, dance, and songs by IIT Mandi and Vallabh Government College students.

The cultural program was followed by the address of the Chief Guest. In his address, the Chief Guest mentioned about the growing collaboration between IIT Mandi and TU9 institutes in Germany. He mentioned that IIT Mandi had made significant progress in developing as an institute of academic excellence and research in just a period of 4 to 5 years. The Chief Guest also gave the faculty of IIT Mandi an invitation to visit any of the TU9 Institutes in Germany due to a grant by the German Federal Government. Under this scheme, the TU9 institutes have arranged from the Federal Ministry of Research, Berlin funding for TU9 and IIT Mandi faculty to travel to each other’s institute for a period of 3 months. The day also saw distribution of awards to the students, faculty, and staff for their achievements and excellence in their work at IIT Mandi. The day got to a close with a group photograph with the award winners and a lunch for all under a sunny and picturesque Kamand setting that marked the start of a new semester in the New Year at IIT Mandi.

For more Information contact:
Mr. Naresh Bhandari, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India Phone: +91-1905-237986; Mobile: 9816016376;
Email: nsbhandari@iitmandi.ac.in; Website: www.iitmandi.ac.in