About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is one among the foremost institutes of national importance in higher technological education, basic and applied research. It was established in 1959 by the Government of India with technical assistance from the Federal Republic of Germany, in the city of Madras, today Chennai, Tamil Nadu. IIT Madras was the third institute to be set up under the IIT system and the institute has established itself as a premier centre for teaching, research and industrial consultancy in the country.
Main Entrance, IIT Madras campus. Source: Photo taken by the Archive Team
About the Archive
The Archive Project was inaugurated as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of IIT Madras in September 2019. The Archive of IIT Madras aims to preserve the institutional memory through the acquisition and preservation of records documenting teaching, research, administration, and the lives and activities of students, faculty and employees. The archival records of IITM are not only crucial for the history of the institute but also for the history of science and technology in general. As of now, the project is in its initial state, and the Archive Team is working simultaneously on several tasks.
Our work focuses on establishing an archival repository on campus, where permanent records will be kept and made accessible for research and to the public. The Archive will facilitate the study and understanding of the history of IIT Madras and its people. Preserving the archival records of IIT Madras, and making them accessible to researcher and the public, is also important for understanding the broader history of higher education and science and technology in independent India and beyond.
We plan to open the Archive of IIT Madras as a unit with permanent premises and visiting facilities in 2022. Please contact us at archive@iitm.ac.in and we will assist you with your query.
To know more about archiving and the progress of the archival project at IIT Madras, cick here.
Mission and Vision
The Archive at IIT Madras will preserve the rich historical records of IIT Madras and its people and make them accessible to researcher and the public. We are committed to provide resources for writing the history IIT Madras, but the history of science, technology, and higher education in general.
We understand archiving not as a product but as a process that connects to producers and users of archival records as well as a wider public that facilitates a dialogue about history. The Archive will not just be an administrative unit but a vibrant hub that enrols a variety of academic fields and students in research and teaching projects with its own outreach program.
A Brief History of IIT Madras
It all began in 1956, when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, was on an official visit to West Germany and was offered assistance by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, to set up a higher technological institute in India. This resulted in the signing of the first Indo-German Agreement in Bonn in 1958, for the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology at Madras. The Indo-German agreements provided for the services of German professors and foremen, training facilities for Indian faculty members and the supply of scientific and technical equipment for the establishment of the Central Workshop and laboratories at IIT Madras. In 1959, the Institute was formally inaugurated by Prof. Humayun Kabir, Union Minister for Scientific and Cultural Affairs. Dr. A. Lakshmanaswamy assumed office as the first Chairman of the Board of Governors and Dr. B. Sengupto as the first Director of the Institute. The Institute was declared as an 'Institute of National Importance' by the Parliament of India in 1961.
In 1973, Shri C. Subramaniam, Minister for Industrial Development and Science and Technology, inaugurated the Industrial Consultancy Centre. The same year, the first IBM System 370 Model 155 digital computer was dedicated to the Institute. 1974 witnessed the commencement of the fourth Indo-German Agreement with the objectives of setting up inter-university partnerships in R&D projects and strengthening of the industrial consultancy service. The Employees Welfare Scheme was introduced in 1975 and evening D.I.I.T courses were started for the benefit of engineers in and around the city.
Source: https://www.iitm.ac.in/history
People
PLANNING COMMITTEE OF THE ARCHIVE
- Dr. Roland Wittje (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences) : Chair of the Committee and Principal Investigator of the Archive Project
- Prof. R. Nagarajan (Department of Chemical Engineering): Co- Investigator of the Archive Project
- Mr. Kumaran Sathasivam (Heritage Centre): Committee Secretary
- Prof. Koshy Varghese (Dean Administration, IIT Madras): Member
- Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula (Dean of Alumni & Corporate Relations, IIT Madras): Memeber
- Prof. P. Sriram (Department of Aerospace Engineering): Member
- Mr. G. Sundar (Director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai): External Member
- Mr. Venkat Srinivasan (Archivist at NCBS, Bangalore): External Member
ARCHIVE TEAM
- Dr. S. Ponnarasu: Project Leader
- Ms. A.Raveena Sree: Project Associate (Present)
- Mr.Arun S Project Associate (Present)
- Ms.G EshwariGanesan Project Associate (Present)
- Ms. Anika Chinnu: Project Associate (Present)
- Ms. Ananya Deka: Project Associate (2022-2023)
- Ms. Minnu Ann Mathew: Project Associate (2021-2022)
- Ms. Rashmi: Project Associate (2019- 2021)
- Mr. Goutham Sukumaran: Project Associate (2019- 2020)
CALL FOR MATERIALS TO THE ARCHIVES
Welcome!
The Archives collects the personal papers of alumni (students, faculty and staff) who have had a significant relationship with IIT Madras and whose records have historical value.