When an Institute of Technology preserves precious Madras heritage

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The Heritage Centre astatine  IIT Madras

The Heritage Centre astatine IIT Madras | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

It has been raining acquisition institutions connected me. Last fortnight, I was astatine the Sri Kanyaka Parameswari College and past week, I was astatine the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT M). The second had invited maine to the 20th-year celebrations of the institute’s Heritage Centre. One communal diagnostic was that astatine some places, I was talented caricatures of myself, and some credited maine with much hairsbreadth than I possess. But beryllium that arsenic it may, I came distant filled with a large consciousness of happiness. The Heritage Centre is simply a installation that is doing large work, arsenic befitting the centre of excellence that the IIT is.

Having worked for implicit 25 years present connected compiling the past of institutions, I person often been struck by however overmuch of the past is mislaid owing to faulty record-keeping. Government departments and institutions, which should pb by example, sadly are the worst-off. Most documents and photographs vanish, galore due to the fact that of deficiency of continuity oregon sheer disinterest of those astatine the helm. Then travel shifting of premises, the large occurrence (which happens astatine immoderate constituent oregon the other), and past the large flood, which happens each excessively often these days. Thankfully, the large plague is simply a substance of the past. And past comes wilful destruction, to “save space” oregon due to the fact that idiosyncratic up apical said it was each a discarded anyway. And lastly, determination is stonewalling – everything is apical secret, 1 that tin beryllium utilized to physique deadly missiles.

Watch: Browse done uncommon records astatine IIT Madras’ caller archive

Published - March 11, 2026 06:00 americium IST

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