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Mrs. Dharma Rajaraman at her desk in the Counselling Service office. Pictures: Shirish Joshi, 1978

Mrs. Dharma Rajaraman came to the IITK campus as the spouse of Dr V Rajaraman. While there, she was invited by Dr. J D Borwankar (Professor, Dept of Mathematics, and Head of the Counselling Service), to take on the role of Counsellor, which she performed admirably for many years before relocating to Bangalore.

Mrs. Rajaraman is the author of two books for young people, "Computer a Child's Play", and "Computer Primer", for high schoolers, which performed a perfect segue to her husband's books on computer education that started at the first-year college level. Her book “Computer, A Child’s Play” was translated into 4 languages: Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali. In addition to writing, she is known for her vocal talents in Carnatic music and her dedication to promoting and preserving this art form.

She has also learned Telugu to be able to sing Telugu compositions regularly, featuring in online Telugu festivals. She lives in Bengaluru with her husband and well-known author/educator, Dr V Rajaraman.

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The IITK Counselling Service in the 1980s

M R Madhav (Head, CS, 1980-83)

IITK was known for many innovative initiatives in the 1960s, some of which were the semester system (the first in India), course-wise promotion, relative grading, student governance, and the subject of this article, the Counselling Service. Students came to IITK from all over the country, from metropolitan cities to remote villages, premier private schools to local village level ones, and diverse economic and cultural backgrounds, and there was a need for a support system (a counselling service) to help this diverse new student population into the highly competitive academic environment that was IITK.

The Start: The Counselling Service (CS) was started during the early sixties (as noted in the Annual report, 1963-64) and took a formal structure in the Academic Year 1965-66 with Prof. KK Singh, HSS, as the first Head. Dr Arvind Setlur followed him, and it was he who invited me to become a faculty Counsellor, in the year 1969-70. I enjoyed being a Faculty Counsellor almost every year since then till I became the Head, Counselling Service, in July 1980. Some of my predecessors were Mr. Jacob Tharu, Dr Usha Kumar, and Dr J. D. Borwankar. Mrs. Dharma Rajaraman and Dr Lilavati Krishnan were Counsellors and were the mainstay for the Service.

Who made up the CS: The counselling Service consisted of Faculty Counsellors and Student Guides. Student Guides (SG) were selected through a well-structured process and interviews at the end of each academic year. Each student guide had under his/her wing 7 to 8 freshers. A three-day orientation program before the start of the next academic year helped the new entrants familiarize themselves with the campus environment. Faculty Counsellors were invited by the respective SG.

Was it a trained team? Training of the newly recruited SGs was part of the CS. We had excellent workshops by several experts in the field apart from our very own Profs Usha Kumar and L. Krishnan. The format of the workshops was mostly role playing with various aspects of CS such as Counselling Techniques, Human Relations, Communication, Mental Health, Reaching In, Reaching Out and Reaching Together, etc. Interesting exercises such as Picture Completion, Meaningful Experiences, Role Playing kept the enthusiasm of the participants high. The very essential and important qualities expected of SGs, viz., Empathy, Sympathy and Helpfulness, Availability, Patience and Attentiveness, Warmth, Honesty and Sincerity, and Composure, Appreciative, Trustworthiness, and Maturity, were emphasized.

What issues did the CS deal with: In the early years, CS dealt with the initial adjustment problems of students who joined IITK. The number of UG students was small, allowing for close interaction. With time the Institute/CS recognized the need to handle a variety of academic, emotional, and financial problems. Thus, the role of CS gradually increased over the years especially since 1972–73 when for the first time SC and ST students were admitted into IITK.

Where else did the CS help? In addition to helping new entrants, the Counselling Service provided:

(i) academic help for those in need, (ii) special attention to students who joined IITK directly (not through the JEE) or on relaxed admission criteria, (iii) financial assistance, (iv) emotional support for those in need and later, (v) helping PG students as well.

Helping with initial adjustments: To alleviate some of the adjustment problems, CS would ensure suitable room partners for the new entrants, preferably from the same city, else from the same state or with a common language, minimal disparity in cultural or financial backgrounds of the families, and compatible interests. Each wing would then have students from different parts of India and from different departments for better integration. Special care was taken to distribute students with high JEE ranks all over the Hostel.

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After the initial adjustments, where did CS help? Following the initial adjustment of the new entrants to the Campus, CS recognized the need to help some students who were facing academic and financial challenges. Coaching classes were conducted by highly motivated doctoral students. One name that comes to mind is Sri Shankar from Chemistry. First year students, terrified of Schrodinger equations (in the very first week of Chem. 101), would find great solace in Shankar’s classes in the evening!! In addition to the regular courses, classes were conducted to improve language proficiency. Lessons for teaching English were held for those students whose medium of education in school had been in vernacular languages, and Hindi lessons were offered to some foreign students as needed.

A Student Benefit Fund (SBF) helped the needy with ‘short’, ‘medium’ and ‘long’ term loans, but the last one was terminated as the recoveries were negligible once the student graduated and left the campus. A ‘Book Club’ was started c.1980 again for the needy. Students could borrow up to three books for the semester. It is to the credit of our SGs who organized and manned the Book Club very efficiently as it was very popular among the students.

The late 1970s and early 1980s were the periods when SC/ST students admitted in the first two years of the implementation of the new scheme needed special attention. It is to the credit of CS that except for those who left the program in the first few years, the remaining students graduated by 1983-84.

Counselling for Post Graduate Students: Initially, it was felt that PG students being mature and adults wouldn’t require any counselling. However, over time and with an increasing number of graduating doctoral students, it was realized that they too would need some support to handle emotional and work-related challenges, because doing independent doctoral research is very different from the course-based studies where the performance is evaluated through examinations. A PG Wing of the Counselling Service was established c. 1979 with a PG Student Coordinator and a few Assistant Coordinators. They also took on two-year MSc students admitted to the Science Departments.

Some outcomes: It is always a reassuring feeling if someone meets and greets a person upon arrival to a new place. Student guides fulfilled this role with aplomb and warm camaraderie, ensuring that ‘ragging’ in the traditional rough and intimidating format wasn’t practiced, and a more friendly intro’ ensured.

SGs were our eyes, ears and the soul of CS. Because of their camaraderie, they would notice even slight changes in behavior patterns in their counselees and inform the CS thus enabling timely intervention.

The CS thrived because of the excellent and well-motivated Student Guides who were the real service providers and the link with the large student body. It was an experience to meet the newly admitted students who were somewhat shy and reticent to meet the ‘Faculty members for the first time. Faculty counsellors hosted new students at their houses, which was the ice breaker as the home atmosphere would ease their reservations. Most of the faculty being relatively young (in the age group of early 30s), probably helped as the image created was of an older brother rather than that of a father figure.

Because of the results that the IITK counselling service was able to deliver, other IITs at Delhi and Madras invited the Head, CS, to help organize similar services at their respective IITs.

With inputs from Mrs. Dharma Rajaraman, Prof. Lilavati Krishnan and Sri Ratnesh Srivastava.

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The Geotechnical Engineering Group at IITK, 1980s. Professor Madhav is visible standing third from left. Professor Yudhbir, whose obituary appears in this issue, is also visible, standing third from right.

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Tribute: Prof. Yudhbir (1936 - 2025)

It is with deep sorrow that we report the passing away on March 16, 2025, of Prof. Yudhbir. He was a member of IITK’s Department of Civil Engineering from 1970 to 1997, serving as Head of Department in 1996-97. He will be remembered as a distinguished scholar, an inspiring teacher and a key figure in geotechnical engineering in India and abroad.

Prof. Yudhbir obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1969 after obtaining an M.Tech and working as a Lecturer in IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi. He joined IITK in 1970, where he was teaching and conducting research on soil engineering. He was not only a scholar but also a consultant on national committees. His expertise was notably sought on landslides, combining aspects of Engineering Geology, Soil Mechanics, and Geotechnical Engineering.

Professors SK Mullick and Yudhbir in a discussion at IITK, c. 1977. Picture: Shirish Joshi

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Prof. Yudhbir with Devendra Narain Singh (DNS), one of his former students at IITK, c. 2006. DNS (BT-MT-PhD, CE, 1982-93) is now a Chair Professor in the Dept of Civil Engineering at IITB

Prof. Yudhbir served on multiple government committees, including the Project Management Committee of the Jai Vigyan Mission. His leadership extended beyond national boundaries, with his tenure as Vice President for Asia (1984–88) of the Association of Geosciences for International Development, in both the ISSMGE and AGID earning him international recognition for his efforts in advancing geotechnical engineering worldwide. He played a pivotal role as a geotechnical expert on several major developmental projects related to roads, railways, thermal energy, hydro-power, and human habitat. One of his guiding principles was to ensure that sound geotechnical principles and practices be properly integrated into national infrastructure planning and development.

He was a much-loved teacher and a steadfast colleague, and he was someone to go to when faced with puzzling research problems. As a teacher, he simplified complex concepts with remarkable clarity, shaping generations of geotechnical engineers. As a token of appreciation and giving back, the MAY award -- in the names of Prof. Yudhbir, along with Prof. Madhav and Prof. A.S.R. Sai – was funded by alumnus Satyajeet Ghosh (CE 1980). It is awarded “to any UG/PG students (individual/team) of the Civil Engineering Department with an objective to increase industry academia partnership and employment, increase the number of patents filed and for solving real world engineering problems”. We, of the extended IITK family, will miss him greatly.

Prof. and Mrs. Yudhbir in a recent photo.

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Tributes from colleagues and students:

Yudhbir had been our colleague, friend and sounding board for nearly 30 years at IITK. I always wondered why he chose IITK after his Ph.D. instead of returning to IITD from where he went to the US to pursue his doctorate. But that was a blessing for us at IITK. With Kameswara Rao, the three of us nurtured, built and established Geotechnical Engineering academically and professionally and was recognized as such nationally and internationally. Scores of students and research scholars were part of this endeavour. Yudhbir had been the driving force in this regard with his vision and persuasion powers.

Yudhbir had an uncanny ability to understand soil in all its facets. His insight into soil’s strength and its correlations with several other parameters including consistency limits was phenomenal. Whether it was Bangkok clay or Paravur clay which he managed to get to IIT Kanpur from Kerala, a great achievement in itself. Yudhbir would rattle their uniqueness. A true disciple of Henkel, a pioneer of shear strength and testing with Bishop, he carried the tradition of proper testing and interpretation of soils. Give him raw data and he would come out with a trend and a new way of understanding the material. The other strong felicity of Yudhbir has been the ‘stability of slopes’. Only he could give the course on Earth dams and Slope Stability at graduate level with perfection. He contributed to several other topics in Geotechnical Practice as well.

Yudhbir was not a prolific writer of professional papers but the ones he wrote are classic and landmarks such as the Keynote at the Asian Conference at Bangkok or the general Report at the Rio ISSMGE conference. Yudhbir has been a part of my professional journey and it is those years of travel I cherish. So many thoughts and feelings come tumbling down that it has become difficult to cull or sort them into clear or sequential events. He had been a rebel and a fighter all his life for the good of the profession, the Institute and the society. He reflected his spirit even in the last part of the recent journey. While Geotechnical Engineering has lost a great personality who shaped its course for more than 30 years, he left it with such beacons that future generations would always remember him for what he was, what he stood for and what he left for posterity.

M. R. Madhav, Professor,Dept. of Civil Engineering, IITK (1967-2002)

What intrigued me the most when I came in touch with Dr Yudhbir, was his single-worded name, simplicity and easy-going style of interacting with the students. He taught us Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics among other things. Needless to say we all loved his teaching method and style. In my 4th year I started interacting with him more and asked him if he could also write a recommendation letter. It did not come as a surprise to me that he agreed immediately, because of his nature and desire to help young students. My memories of him during my stay at Kanpur were of a very affable person and easy going. Although he was very well-known, we were never intimated by his background or personality. He was a great teacher, a gentleman and a humble man. His dedication and desire to help his students was unmatched.

Satyajeet Ghosh (BT, CE, 1975-80)

Additional biographical notes and tributes are available at: Professor Yudhbir

Our thanks to DN Singh for helping us locate the pictures in this tribute

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Tribute: Prof. Raj Kumar Gupta (1936-2025)

It is with a deep sense of grief that we share the news of the passing away of Dr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Retired Professor of English at IIT Kanpur, on 10 June 2025.

Prof. Gupta was a distinguished member of English Studies at the national and international level and was widely admired by a generation of students and scholars for his seminal critical work in English and American Literature. He had a distinguished career as an academic in the United States and later at IIT Kanpur, where he taught during the years 1965-1996.

His academic credentials were stellar, though he had a way of carrying his learning lightly. He measured his words and wrote insightfully with felicity and gusto. His work on Melville, Hawthorne and other nineteenth-century American writers was well-regarded internationally. Prof. Gupta often read these writers in dialogue with European thinkers Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Arthur Schopenhauer. His work was interdisciplinary in an era when transgressing the disciplinary boundaries was unheard of. Though he retired in 1996, he continued to publish in top-tier literary journals and even attended major conferences in the country and overseas.

Prof. Gupta’s intellectual humility, dignified and courteous ways, and sense of propriety and integrity endeared him to many. A multifaceted personality with outstanding international awards and publications, he was modest to the core. He lived a life of quiet dignity and forbearance, free from a desire for public fame and recognition. Many of us who were trained under his rigorous and nurturing care have, in our own ways, sustained the legacy of his scholarship and academic integrity. Salute you, Prof. Gupta, for touching our lives, as those of many others who were fortunate to know you.

G Neelakantan, Professor, HSS (English), IIT Kanpur, with inputs from Sachidananda Mohanty

Prof. Neelakantan completed his dissertation on Saul Bellow under the guidance of Prof. RK Gupta in 1989. Picture shared by Nandini Gupta.

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The Awk Professor

Sanjeev Sharma (PhD, English, 1984)

No, he wasn’t my guide—that was never meant to be. But that’s another story. Yet the man, the professor, the persona remained fascinating and enigmatic.

I remember arriving for my PhD interview: seniors spoke of RKG in reverent tones. "He’ll grill you," they warned. "His classes are phenomenal—profound knowledge, incisive analysis." After joining IIT Kanpur, I realized they were absolutely right.

Admittedly, I wasn’t impressed at first sight. To understand why, let me revisit my roots: Delhi University’s English Department. There, professors were often "Brown Sahibs"—suave, impeccably dressed in Scottish tweeds, hats, and scarves, enunciating with aspirated consonants. One Kashmiri gentleman teaching Dombey and Son would saunter in, beret and gloves in place, lean against the desk, and meticulously fill his mahogany pipe (public smoking wasn’t banned then). This ritual consumed seven precious minutes of class time. Girls watched in awed fascination; boys took mental notes on "How to Impress." It ended with a Pavlovian scramble when he asked, "Light, anyone?"

Then came IIT Kanpur. RKG stood at the opposite end of the spectrum—like a common man off to the corner store with a grocery list. How wrong first impressions can be! His lectures were transformative. On the 6th floor, he’d appear like the Cheshire Cat, avoiding eye contact and vanishing with a smile. He kept personal distance, treating everyone—good, bad, indifferent—with uniform detachment.

Yet as a professor? He was aged wine: richer with every interaction. In one-on-ones, he became charming, insightful. But he rarely asked personal questions. An invisible line—his Lakshman Rekha—remained, though he always seemed amiable, worthy of attention.

My devastation was profound when he declined to be my supervisor. "In fairness," he said, "I can’t take all three of you. The two ladies approached me yesterday—I’ve committed."

Somehow, I’d presumed an implicit "yes" all along—perhaps my DU moorings. I wanted to work with the best. I don’t think I was late, but the ladies were wiser and faster than me in approaching him. In hindsight, that "no" subconsciously triggered my "road-not-taken" moment. When the RBI came calling, I shifted tracks. Had I worked with RKG, I’d never have "sold my soul to the devil" (as my external examiner, Prof. C.D. Narasimhan, later quipped upon learning I was joining the Central Bank). Indirectly, I believe RKG steered my career from academia to central banking. That was his influence.

We students adored his marginal notes: "Awk" was his favourite critique. These were barometers of our written English—flags for awkward, clumsy, or illogical sentences (unbecoming of PhD candidates!). Not Gen Alpha slang, but a timeless corrective.

Once, he offered a course on Modern Literature featuring Catcher in the Rye and Night of January 16th. Undergrads flocked to enroll. He selected just one. "They come for Salinger and Rand—the cults. But I chose these for narrative structure, not popularity. They’d be disappointed," he explained.

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Professor RKG, seated on the far right, in a group photo from IITK, 1990. Picture: G Neelakantan.

Campus legends abounded: they swore RKG would gently ring his cycle bell to avoid startling crows. Or that he’d dismount at speed breakers. Such was his meticulous kindness. I wouldn’t be surprised if these were true. The crow story revealed his pathological gentleness (almost comical), while the speed breaker epitomized either physical caution or, metaphorically, his perfectionism. His authenticity, in sharp contrast to the DU professor’s theatrics, proved how legends crystallize a teacher’s legacy. Now, as I write, I feel that this isn't just a portrait of a professor anymore; it's a meditation on how educators shape lives through absence as much as presence. RKG would probably write "Awk?" in the margin of this comment - then smile elusively.

Years later, a chance Facebook post reconnected us. In October 2022, while teaching at IIM Lucknow, I met Prof. A.K. Sharma (Sociology), who added me on Facebook. RKG, his friend, saw my post quoting T.S. Eliot and recognized my style: "Sanjeev Sharma from IITK?" he commented. I replied, “Raj Gupta as in RKG?” (We’d never used first names at IITK). We became FB friends, exchanged updates—who was dead, alive, or where—sporadically, as neither was active. "I’ll message him tomorrow," I’d tell myself.

But tomorrows crept by, petty and unclaimed, as time often does...

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day..."

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Memories of Prof. R.K. Gupta

Sachidananda Mohanty (PhD, English, 1987)

A Fateful Encounter

On a sultry day in 1986, I knocked gently on the door of Prof. R.K. Gupta’s study at IIT Kanpur, and nervously waited in the corridor of the Faculty Building.

I had joined the Ph.D. program in English [Humanities and Social Sciences] at IIT Kanpur in 1984. By 1986, I had completed the Course Work and the Comprehensive Examinations that followed the American pattern. While my batchmate, Neelakantan took up the ‘Fiction of Saul Bellow’ for research, I selected the ‘Later Fiction of D.H. Lawrence’. Both of us opted for Prof. R.K. Gupta (RKG) as our thesis supervisor, impressed by his dedicated teaching and quality publications.

Prof. R.K. Gupta turned out to be more severe than I had expected him to be. ‘Keep working on your chapter’, he had sternly advised, ‘Come back to me after a few months when you are ready with a draft’.

I thought I was now ready.

Back to the Present

‘Come in’, he said and I stepped into his office. It had a spartan look: a table, chair, a book-shelf and a glass of water.

‘Please sit down’, he said, as he took the draft from my hand, and began reading. I watched, nervous and expectant.

He glanced quickly at the first page; his gaze went down swiftly to the bottom; fixing his gaze at the footnote section. “Why have you put a comma when you should have used a semicolon?” -- he demanded.

I froze, distraught and dazed. I had never met such a teacher in my life. At Sri Aurobindo International Centre at Pondicherry and at the University of Hyderabad, I had encountered teachers who were strict, but most were kind and generous. Now I was in front of someone who appeared aloof, austere and forbidding. How was I to deal with such a supervisor for the next few years?

I returned from my reverie.

‘You call this work, Mr. Mohanty! Take it back and keep working; come back when it is absolutely perfect.’

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He returned the chapter, impassive and taciturn. I picked up the draft and retraced my steps, crestfallen.

It took me a while to get over the shock and the grief. For the next fortnight or so, I worked hard and left nothing to chance. In due course, I submitted the chapter; this time I earned judicious praise from RKG. In the process, I learnt the first and lasting (academic) lesson of my life: ‘Be thorough; never compromise with the quality of your work down to a comma, full stop and semi-colon!’

Impressive Track Record

Born on 17 August 1936 at Kanpur, Prof R. K. Gupta received his M.A. from Agra University in 1957 (First Class); M.A. from the University of Rhode Island, USA in 1962, and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, 1964.

He taught at Robertson College, Jabalpur, 1957-1961 (where he developed a life-long friendship with Prof. S. Nagarajan); University of Rhode Island, 1961-62; Hindu College, Delhi, 1964-65; Kurukshetra University, Jan.-July 1965 (where he mentored Prof. Amritjit Singh); Memphis State University 1969-70; and IIT Kanpur, 1965-1996. He had also worked as Senior Fulbright-Hays Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, 1977-78; Visiting Professor, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1983-84; and Visiting Fulbright Fellow, Yale University, Summer 1989.

RKG published two books, a monograph, and more than sixty research papers in journals in India, USA, England, Canada, Germany and Japan. His book, The Great Encounter: A Study of Indo-American Literary and Cultural Relations was published by Riverdale Company. USA, in 1987.

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He was uniformly punctual and disciplined in his work habits. During the cold mornings of December, he came to the class, smartly dressed with a muffler tucked around hsis neck, army-style; he cycled down to the Faculty Building to lecture to our class on American Literature.

In course of time, I became acquainted with other aspects of RKG and his loving spouse, Mrs. Priyalakshmi Gupta, who taught English at PPN college, Kanpur and retired as the Head of the Department. I treasured my weekly trips to their residence, where Neelakantan and I were treated like family members.

Like Prof. S. Nagarajan who taught me how to write with care, attention and precision, RKG went through each line with meticulous care and rigor. He was against breezy and superficial writing. ‘No pomposity and no verbosity please!’ ‘Sentence must be short and memorable; each note leading to a final symphony.’ ‘No flowery language. Every para must be organically connected to other paras, and lead to a clinching end.’

Steadfast loyalty to Academic Values

In 1995, I came down to Kanpur from Delhi to seek his advice urgently. I was undecided about the inclusion of an essay in the Fulbright and Cultural Exchange volume I was editing, because an author-contributor happened to be a well-known Professor, and I was uncertain about the quality of his submission.

RKG was clear in his thinking: ‘Forget about the fact that it is me or Prof Nagarajan,’ he said, ‘make a decision solely based on objective, critical ground.’ I will always remember this advice.

As I made progress on the ‘leadership fiction’ of D.H. Lawrence,’ RKG shared his joy. By the time the dissertation was completed in a record time of one and half years (one and half years for course work and comprehensive examinations aside), RKG and I had become close friends.

‘It’s your own work Sachi,’ he would say to me periodically.

‘You taught me how to write Sir,’ I would protest with a smile.

I have been taught by a galaxy of English teachers, the very best in the country; to this pantheon, I added the name of Prof. R.K. Gupta. During his visits to Bhubaneswar and Puri, meetings in his office or social visits, my teaching and headship at Hyderabad, and Vice-Chancellorship of Central University of Odisha at Koraput, my Fulbright assignments abroad, and other notable events, I shared my joy with RKG and received his blessings, good wishes and encouragement. He was a father figure indeed!

I learnt from RKG the need for professional and disciplinary rigor, the importance of objectivity in critical matters and the virtue of non-partisanship.

RKG believed that it is only the weak and insecure in all fields, including in academics, who believed in groupism and coterie activity. He was against all forms of superficial, trendy and dilettante activity. He disliked vanity and never courted favor from anyone. He was a stalwart in his field and yet did not care for any accolades.

RKG has given a lot to all those who were close to him including his family, Ravi, Nandini and their son. Sadly Mrs. Gupta passed away in 2014.

RKG lived the life of a recluse. But he was stoical and had a quiet dignity. I never found in him any trace of bitterness. Endowed with a razor-sharp memory and a fine wit and humor, he was a raconteur par excellence.

Conversations with him were most memorable; he was full of fatherly concern. ‘Is Sachi taking good care of you!’ he would tease my wife Simi from time to time. I felt proud that RKG was admired by academics at home and abroad. His books, including the study of the Indo-American literary cultural encounter, have remained classics in the field.

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Professors Sachidananda (Left) and Neelakantan (Right) with their mentor Prof. RK Gupta at his home in Kanpur.

Lasting Memories

I remember Bollywood movies of yesteryears at IITK’s L-7 [Lecture Hall Complex]; Alu Parathas’, at midnight in the Halls of Residence, Cultural Festivals in the pandal complex, trips to dusty ‘Bara Chowraha’ and ‘Meston Road’ in the seven-seater tempos, watching ‘An Evening in Paris,’ after passing the Comprehensive Examinations. Most of all, I shall remember RKG for making a difference to my life, then and ever after!

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A New Chapter for Halls 1, 2, and 3

Halls 1, 2, and 3 - which have housed generations of students, fostered lifelong friendships, and shaped countless memories have lived their age. These iconic halls have served us with distinction for over five decades, but after careful structural assessments and consultations, it is clear that they are no longer sustainable in their current form.

In the interest of safety, comfort, and the evolving needs of our students, we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to redevelop these halls from the ground up. The current structures will be decommissioned, and in their place, we will build state-of-the-art residential facilities designed to reflect the spirit of IIT Kanpur while embracing the needs of a modern campus.

Considering the deep emotional connection each of us shares with our Halls, I would like to assure you that we are committed to preserving the legacy by ensuring that the external facade is as close as possible to the original one.

Let us come together, once again, to build a future that honors our past.

Manindra Agrawal, Director IITK, May 2025

In March 1963, once two workshop buildings, Hall 1 and one row of Lecturer’s quarters were ready, it was decided that students should shift to the new campus. We moved to the Kalyanpur campus on 28th March, 1963. All three batches were accommodated in Hall #1. The First (Pioneer) Batch was allocated the Top Floor, the Second Batch was assigned the Middle Floor, and the Third Batch the Ground Floor. Apart from the undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD students were also accommodated in Hall 1.

Narendra Kumar (BT, ChE, 1961-66)

Perhaps no other batch got to know Hall 1 as well as the Fourth (Frontier) Batch, who arrived on the campus in July 1963, only to find that there were insufficient rooms available, and that they would have to share rooms designed for single-seated occupancy. Although Hall 2 became available the following year, most of this batch chose to spend all five years in Hall 1, presumably, the only batch to have done so.

Hall 1, c. 1964.

Picture: The Second Batch Golden Jubilee Collection

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Hall I, May – June 2025

Pictures: Girish Pant (Information Cell, IITK)

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Hall II, May – June 2025

Pictures: Aman Kumar Singh (BT-MT, CE, 2020-25)

Hall II was completed in 1963-64 as a double seated hall, intended for undergraduates in the first three years of the 5-year programme. It soon developed a reputation for its extra-curricular activities. Host of the Soap Box events during the Cultural Festivals, it was also home to a Nudist Club (E-Top, 1970-71). More details on these stories to follow later.

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Hall III, May – June 2025

Pictures: Girish Pant (Information Cell, IITK)

The completion of Hall III in 1964-65 as a second double seated hall for undergrads also led to the creation of IITK’s most fabled rivalry, across the tennis courts. Most of us recall what happened when the lights went out! Hall III was also the birthplace of the Cheshire Cat and has many stories to offer related to its adjoining water tower.

We would love to include your memories of Halls 1, 2 and 3 in our upcoming issues. Do write back to us, we will try to publish as many stories as possible. Special thanks to Aman Kumar Singh and Girish Pant who have provided us with a large stock of pictures to accompany this and future write-ups.

And a suggestion to the IITK Administration… Perhaps, the redeveloped Halls 1, 2 and 3 can be built without the boundary walls and the security guards, the way they were originally intended to be…

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IITK – Then & Now

Raj Sehgal (BT, CSE, 1978-83)

Forty-two years is a long time — at least in human terms. But in the evolving temporal arc of a legendary institution like IIT Kanpur, it registers as little more than a youthful exhale.

In the spring of 1983, just weeks before graduation, Raj Sehgal wandered the IITK campus with a brand-new Yashica camera in hand. A final act of homage, perhaps — capturing the silhouettes of the buildings that had shaped his undergraduate years. Hostels, lecture halls, and the clean lines of the academic complex — all frozen in 35mm film.

Fast forward to January 2025: Raj returned to campus, retracing the angles of his youth, camera in hand once again. Some landmarks had changed; others had weathered the decades. But the heart of IITK — especially the academic core with its Bauhaus- and Kahn-inflected modernism — remained unmistakable: austere, geometric, enduring.

Here is a selection of pictures, clicked forty-two years apart, from those corresponding locations. Can you identify them on your own, without taking a peek at the captions below?

Hall II. Viewed from the Hall V Rooftop (B-wing), 1983

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The Transport Section. Also referred to as the MT section or the Bus Stand. In a previous age, also the starting point for tempos commuting to the city. Still a great place for early morning samosas, jalebi and chai after a night out of bulla. And a clue for treasure hunters: Do Yah Teen Bas!

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The Computer Centre, clicked from the Faculty Building. Cleaner, neater and a lot greener. Bits of the Wireless Tower (4 milliseconds to Nainital) are visible in the top picture. New buildings now fill this background.

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The Faculty Building from the walkway. The classic view of the crosswalks connecting the wings of FB, with the elevator shafts rising to the water tank and ‘Batman’s ears’.

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The Lecture Halls clicked from the top of FB. The top view, from Batman’s Ears above the water tank, has been clicked multiple times over the years by budding photographers. More recently, access here needs special permission. The changing background now includes the Tutorial Block on the right, with L-8 through L-20 extending on the left.

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Academic Area entrance from Hall I. With the growing campus and widely spread residence halls, bikes are a necessity. There were days when a five-year stay in Halls 2 and then 1 meant a quick walk across the lawns, unprotected without the boundary walls. Today, students must bike over, from halls stretching all the way to the Panki Canal.

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The Old SAC with Shishupal. Now, this building is home to offices and labs, with the New SAC relocated to the hub of student activities, near the Swimming Pool.

About the Contributor:

Raj with his bike at the IITK VH, ready to go on a photo shoot around campus!

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Meanwhile in the LHC…