New Book Records IITs’ epic journey from symbol of the freedom struggle to Global Innovation Hub
New Delhi [India], June 12: The recent book, IIT: The Story of India’s Most Prestigious Educational Ecosystem, by Prabhat Kumar, IRS officer...
New Delhi [India], June 12: The recent book, IIT: The Story of India’s Most Prestigious Educational Ecosystem, by Prabhat Kumar, IRS officer and Chairman of PanIIT Alumni India, presents an extensive report on the evolution of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) from an ambitious post‑Independence nation‑building project to a globally influential educational and innovation hub.
The narrative traces IITs’ history from 1951, when the foundation stone of the first IIT, IIT Kharagpur, was laid at a site that had been used as a colonial prison: the Hijli Detention Camp in West Bengal. The book contends that the conversion of a colonial prison into an institution of learning was symbolic of India’s future, marking a critical turning point in India’s scientific and technological development.