IIT Bhilai celebrates 76th Independence Day
The Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai celebrated the 76th Independence Day with great enthusiasm and exuberance. The celebrations began with a flag hoisting ceremony by Prof. Rajat Moona, Director, IIT Bhilai, in front of the academic block, which was followed by the singing of the National Anthem and a grand parade by students and security guards. A tree plantation drive was held to mark the occasion.
Prof. Moona began his address by greeting those assembled with his best wishes for "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav", which commemorates 75 years of independence of our country. He also hailed the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign of the Govt. of India. He spoke about the freedom fighters of India and pointed out that in this 200-year struggle for independence, contributions were made by many unknown freedom fighters. He recounted the story of Assam’s Maniram Dewan and his revolt against the British during the 1857 uprising, for which he was hanged. He also recalled the stories of Haryana’s Pandit Nekiram and Chhattisgarh’s Pandit Sundarlal Sharma, before speaking about the greatness of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal among other national heroes.
Prof. Moona said that in order to meet the immense expectations of an eminent country like ours, IIT Bhilai must spearhead the national drive towards research and technological development. He spoke about the academic achievements of students, the establishment of nearly 40 MoUs, the institute’s success with student placements, and the formation of 14 start-ups by the students and faculty members of IIT Bhilai through the IIT Bhilai Innovation and Technology Foundation (IBITF), which is a Section 8 company responsible for executing the activities of TIH.
Celebrating the achievements of meritorious students, three awards were presented on this occasion. Shashwat Jaiswal received the P. K. Jain Memorial Award, set up by Smt. Sharada Jain, for his contribution towards the growth of the institute. The R. P. Singh Memorial Award for Leadership and Social Work, offered by Mr. Akash Keshav Singh, an alumnus of IIT Gandhinagar, was given to Ananya. Anjana Kannan received the Gayatri Devi Leadership award, instituted by Mr. Ketan Mishra, an alumnus of the first batch of IIT Bhilai.
The award ceremony was followed by a fancy dress competition by the children of faculty and staff members of the institute. There were also some cultural performances by the students of IIT Bhilai followed by a quiz competition. The programme ended with a vote of thanks. The entire event was also streamed live online.