Interesting Things You Should Know About The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) In India

One of the dream institutions for any engineer kid in India is the group of Indian Institute of Technology (IITs). It is one of the most well-established and reputed groups of engineering institutes in the world and many of its members perform exemplary in world rankings. Moreover, its alumni base is extensive and quite impressive. The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai (IIT Kharagpur); Berkshire Hathaway executive Ajit Jain, the possible successor to Warren Buffett’s $87.1 billion enterprise (IIT-Kharagpur); Vinod Khosla (IIT Delhi); Raghuram Rajan (IIT Delhi); Vinod Khosla (IIT Delhi); Prem Watsa of Fairfax Financial Holdings (IIT Madras); and  Nikesh Arora (IIT Varanasi) CEO of Palo Alto Networks, Inc among others.

You research into the world of technology and will find so many graduates from these prestigious institutions—no wonder kids want to secure places in these institutes. However, IITs are much more than mere prestigious engineering institutions. There is so much for me to tell about them to you, but I am going to stick 5 such things.

Here are 8 things about IITs you should know:

1. The US Congress Recognised The Contribution of IITs.
   The contribution of IITians is immense, and this has been acknowledged worldwide including in the US. The US is home to many IITians who are part of its dominant technology sector. So, it is fitting that the country recognizes the contribution of these institutes.
   In the year 2005, the US Congress passed a resolution acknowledging the contribution of IITs in the areas of innovation and research. Moreover, it remains the only foreign educational institution to have been acknowledged by Congress in this manner.
2. Best Internet In The Country.
   India may not have the best overall Internet speed in the world, but it certainly has an institution which provides Internet speed which is better than that of the entire country. IIT Roorkee is said to have the highest Internet speed in the world, which is very much beyond the world’s average. Also, the speed offered is nearly 6 times faster than the average Internet speed in India.

   

3. The First Batch Was All About The Topper Boys.
   The first batch at the IITs consisted of only boys. These boys were top rank holders in the various universities across the country. It was only in the year 1981 that the IITs witnessed the graduation of the first female metallurgist in the country. Now, the rule of enrolling toppers from universities does not exist, as there is an All India entrance exam for IITs.
4. The Toughest Entrance In the World.
   The acceptance rate at IITs is merely 0.7 percent, which is way lower than those universities part of the Ivy League. In fact, Harvard—considered to be the best educational institution in the world—has an acceptance rate of 5.8 percent, meaning thereby that it is 8 times easier to get admission in Harvard than in IITs.
   It is, however, to be noted that the acceptance rate is affected by the number of applications received. Since the IITs receive applications in millions for a few thousand seats, the rate is lower than the other universities mentioned which receive a lesser number of applications.
5. The Largest Cultural Fest In Asia.
   IIT Bombay is one of the best performing IITs in the country. It is known for many things, and one of the things include its fest called ‘Mood Indigo’. Mood Indigo started in the year 1975 and presently holds the crown for being the largest cultural festival in the world. If you are attending the fest, you should expect international contingents of students and celebrities.
6. The Beatles Were Here.
   Did I say Beatles? Now I know you are reading! Well, you read it right because the Beatles had stayed at the IIT Roorkee twice, once in the year 1970 and another in the year 1972. The group was on its way to Haridwar, and they had to stay somewhere—and they chose an IIT.
7. An Airstrip?
   It is believed IIT Kanpur has its own airstrip for Aeronautical Engineering students.
8. As of 2018, the total number of seats for undergraduate programs in all IIT is 11,279. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is an official consortium of 23 prestigious educational institutions in India. In addition to IIT Bombay (ranked 176th) and IIT Delhi (ranked 194th), five other IITs in India placed in the “Top 500 Global Universities for 2019” IIT Madras (No. 297th), IIT Kanpur (No. 314th), IIT Kharagpur (No. 322nd), IIT Roorkee (No. 366th), and IIT Guwahati (No. 378th).

   1) IIT Roorkee (IITR), established in 1847, and was converted into an IIT in 2001- located in Uttarakhand.
   2) IIT (BHU) Varanasi (IIT BHU), established in 1919, and was converted into an IIT in 2012 located in Uttar Pradesh.
   3) IIT Dhanbad (IIT ISM), established in 1926, and was converted into an IIT in 2016 located in Jharkhand.
   4) IIT Kharagpur (IITKGP), established and recognised as an IIT in 1951 located in West Bengal.
   5) IIT Bombay (IITB), established and recognised as an IIT in 1958 located in Maharashtra.
   6) IIT Madras (IITM), established and recognised as an IIT in 1959 located in Tamil Nadu.
   7) IIT Kanpur (IITK), established and recognised as an IIT in 1959 located in Uttar Pradesh.
   8) IIT Delhi (IITD), established in 1961, and was converted into an IIT in 1963 located in Delhi.
   9) IIT Guwahati (IITG), established and recognised as an IIT in 1994 located in Assam.
   10) IIT Ropar (IITRPR), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Punjab.
   11) IIT Bhubaneswar (IITBBS), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Odisha.
   12) IIT Gandhinagar (IITGN), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Gujarat.
   13) IIT Hyderabad (IITH), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Telangana.
   14) IIT Jodhpur (IITJ), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Rajasthan.
   15) IIT Patna (IITP), established and recognised as an IIT in 2008 located in Bihar.
   16) IIT Indore (IITI), established and recognised as an IIT in 2009 located in Madhya Pradesh.
   17) IIT Mandi (IITMandi), established and recognised as an IIT in 2009 located in Himachal Pradesh.
   18) IIT Palakkad (IITPKD), established and recognised as an IIT in 2015 located in Kerala.
   19) IIT Tirupati (IITTP), established and recognised as an IIT in 2015 located in Andhra Pradesh.
   20) IIT Bhilai (IITBH), established and recognised as an IIT in 2016 located in Chhattisgarh.
   21) IIT Goa (IITGOA), established and recognised as an IIT in 2016 located in Goa.
   22) IIT Jammu (IITJM), established and recognised as an IIT in 2016 located in Jammu and Kashmir.
   23) IIT Dharwad (IITDH), established and recognised as an IIT in 2016 located in Karnataka.

9. The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is three times the area of Vatican City (0.44 km2) and Monaco (2.2 km2) put together. It’s area is as huge as 8.5 km2.

Among many things the institute offers, one thing is an airstrip. To ensure that its Aeronautical Engineering students are able to test their innovation, this arrangement is believed to have been made.

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