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In the image, the distinguished guests stand for the invocation. Standing from left: Prof. R. K. Gupta (HOD, Humanities and Social Sciences), the artist who painted the portrait, Prof. M. S. Thacker (Director General, CSIR), Dr. A. L. Mudaliar (Chairman, Board of Governors), Prof. A. Ramachandran (Director, IITM), Prof. S. Sampath (Deputy Director). A special event was held at the Institute’s Open Air Theatre in honour of Prof. B. Sengupto, the first Director of IIT Madras. A life size portrait of the first Director was unveiled and speeches were made at the event. The chief guest at the…

In the image the dignitaries are seen conversing with one another at the venue. Seen in the image from the left: Prof. A. Ramachandran (Director, IITM), Prof. M. S. Thacker (chief guest and Director General, CSIR) and the artist. A special event was held at the Institute’s Open Air Theatre (1968) in honour of Prof. B. Sengupto, the first Director of IIT Madras. The event consisted of the unveiling of a life size portrait (of the former director) and a series of speeches given by distinguished guests who were present at the event. The chief guest for the event was Prof. Maneklal…

In the image Prof. M. S. Thacker (Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) addresses the audience. Seated on the dais from the left: Prof. R. K. Gupta (HOD, Humanities and Social Sciences), the artist who painted the portrait, Dr. A. L. Mudaliar (Chairman, Board of Governors), Prof. A. Ramachandran (Director, IITM) and Prof. S. Sampath (Deputy Director). The painting initially graced the Building Sciences Block (which was known as the admin building at that time) and later the Department of Management Studies (previously known as Central Library). Finally it was…

Institute Days in the 1960s were held to award prizes to students and staff who contributed to the Institute in various fields, including extra-curricular and academic fields.  The chief guest, Mr. Ramaswamy Venkataraman was the Minister of Industries for the Government of Madras during this time. He would go on to serve as the eighth President of India from 1987 to 1992.   Seen in the photograph, standing, facing camera, Mr. Srinivasan (Physical Training Instructor), Mr. R. Natarajan (Registrar, extreme right, seated) and Prof. W. Koch (Physics Department, seated next to Mr.…

Institute Days were known for having entertainment programmes wherein residents as well as students performed. There were one or more performances by children that were a part of the day’s event on the Fifth Institute Day in 1964. It is likely that Vanavani School organised the entertainment programmes.  The Vanavani School was founded on 8 July 1963 and Kendriya Vidyalaya was established in the 1964-1965 academic year. Both the schools were established on the IIT Madras campus. It is also possible that the children in the performances were campus children. 

The chief guest, Mr. Ramaswamy Venkataraman was the Minister of Industries for the Government of Madras during this time. He would go on to serve as the eighth President of India from 1987 to 1992. In the image, seated, from right Mr. P. Ananda Bhat (Student Secretary), Prof. D. Venkateswarlu (Gymkhana President), Prof. B. Sengupto (Director) and Dr. A. L. Mudaliar (Chairman, Board of Governors).    The Student Secretary P. Ananda Bhat was a student of Chemical Engineering who hailed from Karkala, Karnataka. According to the Annual Number of 1963-64, he played most games and…

The photograph was taken during the Fifth Institute Day in 1964. Prizes were given for various cultural, literary and academic activities on Institute Days in the 1960s. However, the details of the prize being given in the photograph are unavailable.  The chief guest, Mr. Ramaswamy Venkataraman was the Minister of Industries for the Government of Madras during this time. He would go on to serve as the eighth President of India from 1987 to 1992.   Seen in the photograph, standing, facing camera, Mr. Srinivasan (Physical Training Instructor, third from right) and Mr. R.…

This photograph was taken during the Fifth Institute Day in 1964. Dr. Mudaliar was the first Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute. He served as Chairman from 1959 to 1969 for a period of 10 years and made significant contributions to the Institute during his term. On the dais from left, Prof. W. Koch (Physics Department), Mr. R. Natarajan (Registrar) and Mr. R. Venkataraman (Minister of Industries, Government of Madras and chief guest).

Dances, magic shows, plays, music performances and various cultural activities were a hallmark of Institute Day in the 1960s. It was a community event which brought together students, professors and staff members of IIT, children from Vanavani School, campus children and other residents of the campus.  The play that was staged by the actors in the photograph was Pushpalatha (yet to be confirmed). Seen are actors who include students, from left, Mr. Kannan, Mr. C. S. Mahadevan, Mr. T. K. Ramakrishnan, Mr. Natesan, Mr. Kumaraswamy (Maths Department), Mr. K. V. Rangaswami, Mr. K. S.…

Mr R. Natarajan, the Registrar, was known for his oratorical skills. His speeches and articles both were eloquently presented. His popular articles centred on the game of cricket are available in various Annual Numbers, and several other publications. In an Oral History Narrative interview conducted and documented by the Heritage Centre of IIT Madras, Mr. R. Mahadevan of the first batch of IIT Madras talks about Mr. R. Natarajan’s Institute Day talks: “The highlight of the Institute Day, always used to be his talk. He would talk for about half an hour, and he used to give an absolutely…

Institute Days were known for having entertainment programmes wherein residents as well as students performed. It appears that the children have just staged a play based on Hindu mythology, as one can observe the characters of Shiva, Parvathi and other popular figures. It is likely that Vanavani School organised the entertainment programmes.  Two schools were established on the IIT campus. The Vanavani School was founded on 8 July 1963 and Kendriya Vidyalaya was established in the 1964-1965 academic year. Both the schools were established on the IIT Madras campus.

The photograph was taken during the Fifth Institute Day in 1964. Children participated in programmes on the Institute Days in the 1960s. It is likely that Vanavani School organised the entertainment programmes.  The Vanavani School was founded on 8 July 1963 and Kendriya Vidyalaya was established in the 1964-1965 academic year. Both the schools were established on the IIT Madras campus. It is also possible that the children in the performances were campus children. The person to the extreme left is yet to be identified.

This photograph was taken during the Fifth Institute Day. Prof. B. Sengupto (Director, extreme right) hands over what appears to be the Fifth Annual Number to Dr. A. L. Mudaliar (Chairman, Board of Governors, second from right). The Annual Numbers, an important part of IIT Madras in the early years, were released on Institute Days in the 1960s. They contained articles, reports, the various events and news from the IIT Madras campus.    In the image, from left, Prof. W. Koch (Physics Department), Mr. R. Natarajan (Registrar) and Mr. R. Venkataraman (Minister of Industries,…

R. Venkataraman was the chief guest for the Fifth Institute Day. He visited IIT Madras several times in his lifetime. There is evidence from the Fourth Annual Number that Mr. R. Venkataraman was present for the Stone Laying Ceremony in 1962. Mr. Venkataraman continued to be associated with IIT Madras even later on in his life. During his tenure as President of India, he came to IIT Madras for the eighteenth convocation as the chief guest.  In this photograph we can see Prof. R. A. Kraus (Advisor to the Government of India for the Indian Institute of Technology, extreme left), Prof. B…

Institute Days were known for having entertainment programmes wherein residents as well as students performed. It appears that the children have just staged a play based on Hindu mythology, as one can observe the characters of Shiva, Parvathi and other popular figures. It is likely that Vanavani School organised the entertainment programmes.  Two schools were established on the IIT campus. The Vanavani School was founded on 8 July 1963 and Kendriya Vidyalaya was established in the 1964-1965 academic year. Both the schools were established on the IIT Madras campus.