We are particularly happy to welcome Professor C.N.R Rao today. He was not only a distinguished faculty of this Institute but also a key member of the team that envisaged the academic and research character of this Institute. He was a passionate teacher and a visionary researcher. We are grateful to you, Sir, for your invaluable contributions to this Institute. We hope that your counsel and guidance would serve as beacons for the growth of this Institute in the years to come.

While recalling the events of the academic year 2002 - 2003, it is only appropriate that I begin by mentioning the remarkable research work done by Professor Manindra Agrawal along with two of his students, Neeraj Kayal and Nitin Saxena. They developed a polynomial-time algorithm to solve the primality problem. This work drew appreciation from experts all over the world as the most stunning discovery of the decade. We are very proud to note that this single event brought international fame not only to IIT Kanpur but to the entire IIT system.

On December 25, 2002, a team of IIT faculty, researchers and students demonstrated successfully a new technology of wireless network communication called Wi-Fi or 802.11b. It proved that we could establish a novel technique for data, video and graphics communication even from a remote village like Saroha in Unnao district. This work has already received wide appreciation. We hope that this technological development would promote a new paradigm of digital empowerment for revitalizing the rural economy of India.

On January 17, 2003, a gala pan-IIT convention was organized at San Jose, CA, USA. The primary purpose was to celebrate the 50 years of the IIT system. This single event demonstrated that the IIT system is the most successful educational experiment across the globe. I am happy to inform all of you that the contribution of IIT Kanpur stands tall in this effort.

During the academic year 2002 - 03, the Institute had 1766 undergraduate students on its roll. We also started the B. Tech.-M. Tech. dual-degree programme. At present, 108 students are enrolled in this programme. It is hoped that this strength will double in the next few years. The Institute is committed to increasing the strength of the postgraduate students in a significant way over the next three years. The postgraduate strength in the academic year 2002 - 03 was 1050. As the country has witnessed a significant growth in the number of engineering undergraduate students, we earnestly hope that the IIT system would continue to strengthen the quality of the undergraduate programmes as well as to increase the intake in the postgraduate programmes in the coming years. During the convocation today, 430 students will receive their undergraduate degrees (B.Tech.: 370, M.Sc.: 60), and 390 students will receive their postgraduate degrees (DIIT : 02, MBA : 31, M.Tech. : 318, Ph.D. : 39) A unique feature today is that the first batch of students of the Master of Business Administration programme is also graduating.

All the new academic programmes such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Design, Master of Technology in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering as well as Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering have received an enthusiastic response from students as well as the industry.

The Institute is proud to announce some new initiatives. The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) is a national initiative to produce web-based as well as video-based courseware. The Institute is participating in this national programme so as to produce a set of course packages which will be available to students of engineering colleges and which can be broadcast on the technology education channel of Doordarshan. In the NPTEL programme, the Institute is also developing a new technology of Multicast. It can be used for audio as well as video broadcast over the Internet. The National Programme on Earthquake Engineering Education (NPEEE) is another major initiative coordinated by IIT Kanpur. Through this initiative, the educational curriculum and training in other engineering colleges will be upgraded to include the component of earthquake engineering. The Institute is actively participating in another ambitious programme entitled, National Programme on Human Resource Development in Information Technology (NP-HRD in IT). This involves several sub-programmes, such as, for example, establishment of high-bandwidth network of institutions, improvement of courses using the paradigm of information science-based engineering and development of information technology systems for academic resource planning. I am happy to inform you that several academic procedural tasks including the registration for courses is now done using on-line computerized systems.

The Institute is actively involved in conducting a continuing education programme for the last several years. We also offer postgraduate training programmes for officers of defence, nuclear and broadcasting establishments. However, the need for professional engineers to upgrade their knowledge of technology, information systems and management techniques is increasing in today's global economic environment. The technology of communication also offers several novel means such as television, satellite or Internet technologies to deliver knowledge to such professionals. The Institute has drawn up a plan of establishing an Outreach Education Programme. This programme will offer credit-based, flexible courses. It will allow professional engineers and managers to credit these courses and acquire a degree, diploma or a certificate. I am hopeful that this scheme will provide a role model of how IITs can help improve the quality of knowledge of engineering professionals in our country. For this activity, the Institute has already established one electronic classroom and the second one will follow soon.

Reporting about the awards and honors won by our faculty and students is always a proud moment for the Director. I am happy to inform you that during the academic year, several honors were bestowed on the distinguished members of IITK family. Professor Manindra Agrawal of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering was honored with the prestigious Clay Research Award 2002. Professor Ashutosh Sharma of Chemical Engineering Depart-ment was honored with the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar award 2002 in engineering sciences. We have just received the news that Professor Sanjay Mittal of Aerospace Engineering Department and Professor F.A. Khan of Chemistry Department have been awarded the Swarnajayanti Fellowships 2003. Professor C Venkatesan of Aerospace Engineering was chosen for the V. M. Ghatge award 2001 by the Aeronautical Society of India for his contributions in the field of Helicopter Engineering. Professor V. Chandrasekhar of the Department of Chemistry and Professor Kalyanmoy Deb of the Department of Mechanical Engineering were awarded the Friedrich Willhelm Bessel prize by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Professor R. K. Dube of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering has been selected for the Distinguished Alumnus award by Banaras Hindu University. Professor S. S. Katiyar, formerly faculty in the Department of Chemistry and presently Vice-chancellor of CSJM Kanpur University was honored this year with the prestigious Padmashree award. He was also given the Millennium Scientist honor. Professor D. Balasubramanian, formerly faculty in the Department of Chemistry, was awarded the National Order of Merit by the French Government. One of our alumni, Shri Bhupendra Raja, B. Tech., EE, 75 has been conferred the prestigious Order of British Empire (OBE) by the British Government this year.

Several faculty members have been elected Fellows of different academies. Professor Deepak Mazumdar of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering and Professor Sudhir K. Jain of Department of Civil Engineering have been elected Fellows of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Professor T. K. Chandra-shekar of the Department of Chemistry has been elected Fellow of Indian National Science Academy. Professor G. K. Dubey of Department of Electrical Engineering has been elected Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Professor N. S. Gajbhiye of the Department of Chemistry has been elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor V. Chandrasekhar of the Department of Chemistry has been elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. Professor R. K. Dube of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering has been elected Life Fellow of the Indian Institute of Metals. Professor Shafi Qureshi of Electrical Engineering Department and Professor Pankaj Jalote of Computer Science and Engineering Department have been elected Fellows of Institution of Electrical and Telecommunication Engineers. There are several other awards and it is not possible for me to mention them all here. I urge all of you to refer to the report.

During the academic year 2002–03, the faculty of IIT Kanpur have published twelve books in different areas of science and engineering. The details are included in my report. IIT Kanpur is proud of the fact that the Institute ranks number one in terms of books published by faculty.

Generation of knowledge is becoming as important for a technological institute like IIT Kanpur as the process of imparting knowledge. I am happy to share some of the salient success stories of research and development that have been achieved in the last academic year. The Institute has been awarded 344 research projects consisting of sponsored, consultancy and testing categories with a total funding commitment of over Rs. 3400.00 lakhs - an increase of almost 36 % over the previous year. The detailed list of major sponsored projects is enclosed in this report. I urge you to refer to this information.

As mentioned earlier, the Institute achieved a remarkable breakthrough in terms of developing a polynomial-time algorithm to determine if a given number is a prime number or not. This work has catalyzed a series of new research activities at many other research centers in the world. It also holds a strong potential to develop new techniques in the field of computer security.

IIT Kanpur, which is the birthplace of multilingual GIST technology, ISCII code, phonetic keyboard design, and other issues related to information technology for Indian languages has now developed a machine translation system named ANGLAHINDI. This technology can be used for translating from English to Hindi. It can take input from a file or through OCR and can output a Hindi version either in written or spoken form. The software is also available in a web-based format. Other versions such as English to Urdu translation as well as simple Hindi text to English version translations are also now available from the research group of IIT Kanpur.

We are witnessing the use of smart-cards in business transactions. In order to use this technology effectively, there is a compelling need to develop a standardized operating system. I am happy to announce that the Government of India has adopted the system that we developed at IIT Kanpur as the standard operating system for the smart-card technology.

The Departments of Electrical Engineering as well as Computer Science & Engineering deserve accolades for the development of 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless technology. The prototype network developed between IIT Kanpur and Lucknow passing through the villages of Mandhana, Bithhoor, Safipur, Saroha and Rajajipuram is an eloquent testimony to the fact that our research is not simply limited to the laboratories but can also be successfully demonstrated in the field as well. Using this infrastructure, a group of faculty members have developed a series of information technology based applications such as telemedicine, digital mandi, infothela, infosculpture, education for rural children and learning by robots. All these activities carried out under the auspices of the Media Lab Asia have unleashed a new spirit of innovation amongst our students.

An "anesthesia monitor" for measuring the depth of anesthesia has been developed by the Institute. This device is capable of detecting the effect of even a light dose of anesthesia on the level of consciousness and overall muscle relaxation. Under the IIT Kanpur - SGPGI Lucknow collaborative project, a set of advanced numerical processing schemes have been developed to improve tissue contrast, reduce noise and for de-blurring of magnetic resonance images. A robotic device has also been developed to assist the anesthetist during surgery. Under a project jointly funded by Samtel group of industries and Department of Science and Technology, two types of polymers have been successfully developed for fabricating green as well as red light emitting diodes. Efforts are underway to further improve the performance of these devices. The Department of Chemical Engineering has developed an innovative process to recover the precursors for widely used plastics and petrochemicals contained in natural gas.

In order to increase the level of research activity in the Institute, it is necessary to reinforce our research infrastructure. Several new equipment have now been made available to our students and faculty. A unique facility called SQUID - Superconducting Quantum Interference Detection - system has been established. SQUID is a highly sensitive instrument capable of measuring changes in a magnetic field as small as one trillionth of a Gauss. The Institute has acquired a new all-composite, two-seater, modern trainer aircraft Hansa III. The aircraft has been designed and developed by NAL Bangalore. This aircraft will be used for conducting advanced experiments of flight mechanics laboratory and also for experiments in the field of surveying. The other set of specialized instruments acquired by the Institute are as follows: Thermal analyzer equipped with thermal-gravimetric analysis features; NOX and THC emission measurement system for internal combustion engines; X-ray diffraction system; spectroscopic ellipsometer for non-destructive characterization of surfaces; a five-axis CNC machining center as well as a turning center, a water jet abrasive machine, a non-destructive, white-light scanner for reverse engineering, an advanced version of FDM rapid prototyping machine. In addition, several state of the art research equipment such as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), single crystal X-ray diffraction system, atomic force microscope, automated DNA sequencing and fragment analysis system are on order.

The Institute has signed a number of MOUs of mutual interest for academic development with various national agencies. A Memo-randum of Understanding has been signed between IIT Kanpur and the Government of Chhattisgarh for acceleration of the economic development of the state through appropriate application of science and technology. IIT Kanpur and Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh have signed an MOU for cooperation in the field of research, development, education, training and dissemination of knowledge. Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between IIT Kanpur and Khadi and Village Industries Commission to trigger off and strengthen rural industrialization through timely, continuous, and appropriate science and technology inputs, R&D support and technology backup. For advancement of neurosciences, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between IIT Kanpur and National Brain Research Center, Gurgaon.

Students of IIT Kanpur are encouraged to actively participate in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Such participation, we believe, fosters an all-round development of the personality of students. This year, the Student Gymkhana pursued a very active calendar of sporting and cultural events. An inter-hall sports competition, Spardha, was organized at the beginning of the academic year. The inter-IIT annual sports meet was held in December 2002 at IIT Delhi. An intercollegiate sports festival, Udgosh, was organized in October 2002. A trekking expedition to Khatling glacier was organized by the Adventure Sports club. They also organized a water rafting expedition. The NCC unit is doing a commendable job in promoting adventure sports as well as social awareness activities. They organized a rock climbing course at Nainital as well as a training program for micro light flying.

Antaragni, the annual cultural festival, was organized in January 2003. Several cultural events were organized and about 600 students participated in these events. Student Film Society organized a movie festival, Umang. The cultural society Spic-Macay organized about seven performances of nationally well-known artistes. Several clubs, such as Music Club, Dance Club, HAM Radio Club, Astronomy Club, Photography Club, Electronics Club, Business Club, Vivekananda Samiti were active this year. The Theater Club staged two plays to great acclaim, including an originally composed experimental audio-visual dance-drama. The Lecture and Discussion Club of Student Gymkhana organized five lectures this year. The student magazine, Meander, is now in its third year and has been supplemented by a web-version as well. The annual science and technology festival, Techkriti, was held in February 2003. About 450 students participated in this festival. An annual entrepreneurship competition aimed at motivating and guiding our students, Megabucks 2003, was very successfully conducted. Students from universities in India as well as from foreign countries participated in this event. A novel workshop known as the Winter Academy was organized at this Institute in December 2002. The major highlight of the workshop was a series of lectures on advanced research topics by the participating undergraduate students from IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Guwahati. The event was sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service and University of Erlangen Nuremberg.

The Student Placement office continues to play a vital role in assisting the students in career planning and job placement. About 110 organizations invited applications from our students. About 57% of registered students were provided job opportunities through our placement services. In spite of a difficult employment situation in the country, the performance of our Institute has been better than many other institutions. About 50 students of pre-final year were offered summer training opportunities with financial assistance this year.

We are grateful to our alumni as well as friends and well-wishers who have donated liberally to the Institute Endowment Fund. Mrs. and Dr. Prabhu Goel have contributed to establish the Prabhu Goel Research Center for Computer and Network Security. I am sure the research being done in this center will be valuable for developing several techniques of security for databases, operating systems and transactions. Mrs. and Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy have established the Research I Foundation. This foundation will provide support to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering for exchange of faculty, students as well as researchers. It will help the department to grow in quality as well as research stature. I am also happy to announce that with the support of Shri Narayana Murthy two other major initiatives have been undertaken by the Institute. All hostel mess halls, kitchen facilities and canteen facilities will be modernized. The work for modernization of Halls of Residences 1 and 2 has already started. I am sure this change will be a pleasant gift to our students. The second project is for the construction of twelve apartments for visiting scholars and faculty. These apartments will be fully equipped with all amenities and furnishings. The construction work has already started and we hope to complete the project by October 2003. Mr. Ajit Gill has pledged a significant amount for promoting research in the area of biological sciences. There are many individuals and families who have showered their love and affection for the Institute by contributing amounts small and large. We wish to express our sincere thanks to all of them.

The Institute also wishes to place on record the continued support from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, New Delhi.

A walk around the campus will convince even a casual visitor that the infrastructural facilities of the campus have improved significantly during the past couple of years. The first phase of rejuvenation of the hostels covering the rooms, toilets, bicycle stands, and outdoor landscaping has been completed. The Hall of Residence No. 7 was inaugurated in January 2003. Construction work has started for Hall of Residence No. 8 which would accommodate 480 students. The Research Associate Hostel, Phase II has also been undertaken by the Institute. A set of 60 apartments will be made available for project employees. Construction of Samtel R&D building has been completed and the SIDBI Innovation and Incubation facility is also ready for occupation. The road carpeting work has been completed with some additional roads built as the campus expands in terms of facilities and buildings. A computerized railway reservation counter has been established on the campus. This facility is effectively serving the campus community. An additional block of 8 lecture halls has been added to the Lecture Hall Complex. Out of these eight halls, one has been built as an electronic classroom. The new telephone exchange is now fully installed with ADSL facility. The mobile connectivity on the campus has also improved significantly. One ATM banking facility has been established and a couple of more such ATM outlets will soon be made available to the residents. Finally, the Institute is establishing a good quality infrastructure for cable television.

The Institute wishes to emphasize that it is absolutely necessary to strengthen the quality of support staff as we develop new academic programmes and infrastructure. Several continuing education programmes were organized on campus for the staff of the Institute. Several staff members and officers were also deputed for courses organized elsewhere. A new cell for delivering identity cards has been established. The Institute is planning a major strategic initiative to improve the quality of administrative processes and simultaneously provide several opportunities of human resource development to the staff as well as officers of the Institute.

As I enumerate the achievements and accomplishments of the Institute, I wish to draw your attention to some of the salient features that need to be considered by this academic community. The software boom is over, the economy is in slow mode and the international environment is becoming increasingly complex. It is therefore necessary to see that our students are given not only the training and education in science and technology but also sound career and placement counseling. In order to compete in the world outside, students will need to develop their overall skills and personality. The IITK standards for sports and performing arts need to improve. It will definitely have an impact on the overall quality of graduating students. It will also provide an environment where positive thinking and feel good factor will be high. Students need to have high Emotional Quotient as well as high Intelligent Quotient.

The Institute is enlarging the scope and emphasis on postgraduate education. This will have to be done keeping in mind that the undergraduate education should continue to be as good and critical as it is now. In order to achieve the dream of becoming an Institute comparable to the best in the world, we need to develop our undergraduate as well as postgraduate educational environments. I do not know of any top class international university which focuses only on one component and neglects the other. The IIT system, in general, and IIT Kanpur, in particular, has certainly done well in terms of developing a quality undergraduate program. A time has now come for us to develop a top class postgraduate program. It is a challenge. I am sure the faculty of this Institute is capable of facing this challenge and helping the Institute graduate to a still higher level of excellence.

Before I close, I wish to heartily congratulate all the students who have received their degrees at this 35^th convocation of the Institute. We are very proud of your academic achievements and we will continue to help you succeed in your professional journey as you leave the portals of this Institute. I wish to remind you that education is a holistic and continuous process. We are learning at every moment and from every aspect of life. As we breathe and as we move around, we are learning from fellow beings as well as Mother Nature. If you keep your senses sharp and mind alert, the process of learning can be always the most beautiful natural phenomenon of life. During your stay at IIT Kanpur, we have trained you to think. We fervently hope that you will carry the unique flavor of IIT Kanpur wherever you go. I also would like to emphasize the role of ethics and values in life before you leave this hall. In today’s highly competitive world, it has become all the more necessary for all of us to try to lead life with honor and integrity. Indian heritage is rich in culture and values. It is my sincere hope that all of you will become not only successful professionals in your life but also become the captains of Indian society.

Thank you. Jai Hind

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