The Spark

The Spark wishes the graduating class of 2026 the very best as they move forward in their future endeavors.

Our recent issues have featured articles on the birth of IITK's Counselling Service (CS) and the people who pioneered its inception. Multiple recent suicides on campus have shaken our community, and once again raised questions as to what is being done, or could be done, to help those in distress. Our closing articles in this series bring us to the present age and describe the functioning of the CS today. Now evolved into the Center for Mental Health and Wellbeing (CMHW), these narratives hopefully will serve to raise our collective awareness of mental health issues and build support for their ongoing programs.

In January this year, we lost Prof. PRK Rao, one of IITK's beloved former faculty members. He had taught at IITK from 1967 (while he worked on his PhD) until he retired in 1996, having led the Radar Defense project for several years. If we seek the definition of "intellectual", we should look no further: he was widely respected as an electrical engineering educator as well as for his prowess in numerous fields of human enquiry, such as philosophy, sociology, politics, literature, and the history of science. After his retirement, he maintained an active interest in these fields and in IITK, staying in touch with many former students and faculty members, even in the final year of his life. We are who we are because of him and other teachers at IITK.

The Science & Technology (S&T) Council is a relatively new addition to the Student Gymkhana, and this issue celebrates its achievements. IITK returned with a podium finish at the Inter IIT Tech Meet and celebrated the latest edition of Techkriti – its S&T Festival. We also remember Jugnu – IITK's student designed nanosatellite — a prized achievement, carrying on the legacy of a long list of IITK firsts over the years.

The Open-Air Theatre (OAT) tower on a cloudy evening. Picture: Divyansh Sikhar

A Tribute to Prof. R K Gupta

With reference to the August 2025 issue of the Spark, I was saddened to learn that Prof. RK Gupta is no more. I graduated in the early seventies and took Prof Gupta's course in the academic year 1970–71. Though the interaction with him was for just one semester, he made a lasting impression on most of us.

He was one of those professors who we held in high esteem who showed us, in their own way, their relentless effort to excel in their chosen field. I have been moved to write a poem as a small tribute in his honor, which I am sharing below.

One who chose not to be but became
For a teacher who taught but not, Who Should Always Forever Be. Young and brash and rebel, Somehow allowing us to see: Perhaps what we could be.

He remains as visible today, As he was then on that day: In an icy demeanor of excellence, That allowed no quarters to be given.

The voice would ring out soft but sharp, His words would envelop you; To seek something we never understood, But somehow unfolded its value to us.

The words always well-chosen and spoken, Like icicles slicing through our hubris; The voice rang loudly to cut through our stupor And instantly brought us to his attention.

The course finished as the semester ended, But left its mark for a lifetime; His voice, his tenor, his chosen epithets, Stayed with us forever to show Where we could possibly go.

Now catching up on what was then missed, And finally cleared up what he once taught, In readings of The Mayor of Casterbridge.

Sudhir Gejji, BT, ChE, 1968–73

Remembering Prof. Dayaratnam

Counselling on Campus

Remembering Prof. Rajaraman

In 1974, I joined the DCM Data Products. Later that year, I moved to the Department of Electronics of the Government of India. I interacted with him on several ideas and proposals. Eminent people who were trained on this computer include Ashwani Vaishnaw, Honorable Minister of Information Technology and Railways; and Arvind Krishna, worldwide CEO of IBM. Both of these distinguished professionals have received DAA awards from IIT Kanpur.

In all of these interactions, I found Professor Rajaraman to be very supportive, constructive, and helpful. He was also goal oriented and handled tasks with a clear aim and strong dedication. Whereas most of the other computer luminaries at IIT Kanpur from that period opted to go abroad again, this time on a permanent basis, Professor Rajaraman was always focused on fostering wide computer education in India.

I cannot think of another person who has nucleated computer services and industry in such an effective manner in India.

All the best,

Amar Gupta, BT, EE, 1969–74 ·
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT · Concurrently Distinguished Professor, University of Texas

Finding the largest of 100 numbers.

The Examination Results Problem.
Computer Programming in Fortran IV by V. Rajaraman, shared by Raj Bhattarai (BT, CE, 1971-76)

The Examination Results Problem.
Computer Programming in Fortran IV by V. Rajaraman, shared by Raj Bhattarai (BT, CE, 1971-76)

Alumni from the 1970s and 1980s will remember the Students Gymkhana with the Games and Sports Council, the Cultural Council, and the Students Film Society. The Gymkhana was expanded to include the Science and Technology Council in the 1990s.

The Science and Technology Council of IIT Kanpur is a student body comprising various technical clubs, hobby groups and technical teams, which foster innovation and creativity, empowering students to explore and excel in cutting-edge technologies. It is led by an elected team of fourth year undergraduate students, namely, the General Secretary and the three Institute Secretaries.

The Science and Technology Council encourages participation from students from across batches, departments and programs, to work on various domains like robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, electronics, finance, consulting, etc. Over 400 students are currently involved in the activities of the council.

Members of the SNT Council, 2025-26

The Inter IIT Tech Meets

The Inter IIT Tech Meet is the annual technological competition organized by the Indian Institutes of Technology and qualifies as the only technical event wherein all the IITs participate. This event is hosted in cycles by one of the participating institutions each year, to celebrate a tradition of excellence and bring together the brightest minds to push boundaries of technology. The problem statements are prepared by various companies and organizations that align with real-world research and technology to provide the students with industry-level problems. Each participating IIT submits one solution for each problem statement that is presented to the panel of professionals from these companies and organizations.

The Contingent Leader and the two Deputy Contingent Leaders along with the council's General Secretary and Institute Secretaries are the student leaders of the IITK team.

• Tech Meet 8.0 — 3rd Position (2019–20)
• Tech Meet 9.0 — 1st Position (2020–21)
• Tech Meet 10.0 — 2nd Position (2021–22)
• Tech Meet 11.0 — 3rd Position (2022–23)
• Tech Meet 12.0 — 5th Position (2023–24)
• Tech Meet 13.0 — 6th Position (2024–25)

Inter IIT Tech Meet 14.0

IIT Patna hosted the fourteenth edition of the Inter IIT Tech Meet from December 11–14, 2025, with the theme of "Resonating Cascades", with Shri Arif Mohammad Khan, Hon'ble Governor of Bihar and Prof. T. N. Singh, Director, IIT Patna as the chief guests to the opening ceremony of the event.

The opening ceremony with Chief Guests Prof. T. N. Singh, Director, IIT Patna and Shri Arif Mohammad Khan, Hon’ble Governor of Bihar

"Resonating Cascades" captured the dynamic spirit of Inter IIT Tech Meet 14.0, the power of ideas to amplify one another and set in motion a chain reaction of innovations. It reflects how a single spark of creativity, when nurtured and shared, can trigger successive breakthroughs, each building on the last to create waves of progress that reach far beyond their origin. The word resonating evokes the energy and harmony born from collaboration, while cascades signify the momentum of discoveries flowing forward, shaping technology, society, and the future.

The following problem statements were a part of this year’s Inter IIT Tech Meet:

High Prep Problem Statements

Mid Prep Problem Statements

No Prep Problem Statements

Research & Innovation

IITK's Performance at Meet 14.0

After two years of declining results, IITK delivered an outstanding performance at Meet 14.0, securing an overall second position. IITK was represented by the Science and Technology Council, Students' Gymkhana, whose remarkable performance brought pride to the entire institute.

The Award Ceremony at IIT Patna

Throughout the competition, students showcased exceptional technical acumen, creativity, and innovation while solving complex problem statements posed by leading companies and organizations. Led by the Science and Technology Council, this achievement reflects IIT Kanpur's strong problem-solving culture, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical technological excellence.
Days (and nights) of work by the team, supported by the Contingent Leader and deputy Contingent Leaders, paved the way for a success that brings laurels to our institute.

The IITK Team Leaders; (R) IITK finished as the overall runner up with podium finished in seven problem statements

IIT Kanpur teams delivered impressive performances across multiple problem statements, securing several podium finishes. This year’s medal tally included two gold medals, one silver medal and four bronze medals.
The mid-prep problem statement, released by Eternal, was aimed at making a fully autonomous warehouse robot that can be used to keep track of inventory items without any human involvement. The members of the Robotics Club and Team ERA worked on the problem statement dedicatedly over the course of over a month to develop the robot and won the Gold Medal IIT Bombay secured the second position, with IIT Mandi and IIT Indore jointly securing the third position.

Team Eternal - Robotics

The problem statement by STEMvibe was a mathematics on-spot competition. The students of IIT Kanpur had come prepared and scored the highest points to win the Gold Medal. IIT Bombay secured the second position, with IIT Kharagpur and IIT Delhi jointly securing the third position.

Team STEMvibe - Mathematics

In the ISRO – Geospatial problem statement, IIT Kanpur won the Silver Medal. The teams also secured third place in problem statements from Ebullient Securities, Arista Networks, LAT Aerospace, and GDAI, which contributed to the institute's overall ranking.

Future Goals of the Science and Technology Council

After these achievements at the Inter IIT Tech Meet 14.0, the Science and Technology Council of IIT Kanpur looks forward to rebuilding IIT Kanpur's legacy of consecutive winning streaks at the upcoming Tech Meets. The establishment of SNT Makerspace will also boost the institute's performance by providing the students with a workspace and resources.

Contributed by Tanush Goel, Trijal Srivastava, Rachit Choudhary, Mayank Agrawal, Yash Pratap Singh, Yuval Bansal and Aniket Nandi, all of whom are fourth year B. Tech. students and current members of Science and Technology Council.

Like most kids entering IITK, I too was 'the smart guy' in school. You should already know the rest of the story. Everybody entering IITK was smart, or mostly, even smarter. With the usual result – unbelievable grades in assignments, mid-term and end-sem exams. Unbelievable of the bad kind, just to be clear.

I stumbled along for a while, bemoaning the situation. My grade sheet was a disaster, with the rare A and B, bunches of Cs, and the occasional D or F.

A few semesters in, the kind academic advisor (I had to meet him before registering for classes at the beginning of each semester) thought life was getting difficult for me and suggested I take just four instead of five courses, and make up the rest in the summer semester. That seemed like a great idea; just two classes in the summer, and the rest of the time in the swimming pool.

However, reality was different. Two classes meant even less attention to academics. I mean, with just one class to attend each day, why even bother to go, right? It took so long to get ready and go to class. Not worth it.

But what had to happen, happened. Scoring a D and an F that summer got the attention of the Counselling Service. Clearly, it was one foot out the door for me. The second foot was not too far behind either.

The Counselling Service team was a group of thoughtful, caring faculty, faculty spouses and some senior students who provided gentle guidance to students with problems like mine. My case went straight to the top because my situation was well beyond 'gentle'.

Little did I know how well-networked the counselling service was. They not only knew my grades, they knew the professors who taught me, they knew the hostel wardens, the class tutors, my hobbies and interests, probably knew the company I kept, and pretty much all of my activities on campus. Everything. I had no idea that they knew so much. I thought they just saw my grade sheet.

As it turned out, it was the information they gleaned via that informal network that saved my neck. As it happened, I used to be fairly active in several constructive extra-curricular activities and showed some level of talent there. Fortunately, not smoking, not drinking, and not doing other 'interesting' activities, kept my non-academic record clean.

With that clean sheet, they probably felt I was worth sending out into the world with a B Tech degree of some sort, rather than with no degree at all. I think (and there is some hearsay evidence to that effect) that word was sent to my instructors and tutorial assistants to help things along. That I was not as deficient in grey matter as my grades suggested; that what was needed was not a hard stick all by itself, but a stick with a carrot at the end of it.

As a result, my academic performance in the later years on campus improved. I used to meet two senior people on the Counselling Service every week in their office in the FB, and get invited to dinner at their homes perhaps once a month.

All of the counselling, if you can call it that, was very carefully managed. Never was there a mention of classes or assignments or grades. More like de-stressing, calmness, home away from home. There wasn't even a boisterous welcome at their home. Just a casual – 'nice to see you here' got me settled, I would get a cup of tea, a snack, and settle down to some music or a casual conversation. Super-cool. And unless I volunteered some info, not a word about academics. Of course, I remained blissfully ignorant that they knew my academic performance all the way till that very morning. Looking back, it was a peaceful and unstressed couple of hours away from the hostel where the super-genius types were solving Navier-Stokes equations.

Life worked out OK. I graduated, got a job, and went on with my life. Somewhere in the back of my mind lived my counselors.

Much water has flowed down the Ganges since then. IITK has grown several-fold, and the Spark, a student-run magazine got revived some years back. The editors wanted to do a series on the Counseling Service, and reached out to ask if I knew someone who might have benefited from the counseling team. I raised my hand, and it was only then that they asked me to write about my experience with the Service. Thus, I sat down to put some thoughts together.

As it turns out, I had been in touch with Mrs. Dharma Rajaraman, one of the original counselors in the Service (together with Dr. M R Madhav – Civil Engg. and Dr J D Borwankar - Maths). Mrs. Rajaraman suggested I write something about my experiences from the 'student' side of the business, and as a recipient, I thought it would be appropriate, given that she and Dr. Madhav had written for the Spark from the 'Delivery' side.

So, I agreed, but to do so only after I had filed my tax returns.

We had a very interesting conversation over WhatsApp after she and Dr. Madhav had finished their article;
She wrote:

To which she replied: Rest first. I am always concerned about your health first.

And I told her: You haven't changed. Gentle but persistent nudging. Rest up, but get going soon.

That was the approach. Caring, considerate, but focused on what needed to be done.

In a high-pressure environment at IITK, it is vital to ensure that the students, accepted after the toughest admission criteria anywhere, remain on an even keel. The support from concerned IITK people, properly trained but separate from the academic side, makes a lot of difference at that moment, as well as later in life. In my case, the Counselling Service was that stabilizing force, and it did its work quietly, unseen, and very effectively.

Campus Corners

A herd of Neelgai march for water. As a part of our great backyard bird count, the IITK bird-watchers group visited many jungle covered parts of the campus. On this morning, they encountered a large group of neelgai entering the oxidation pond to quench their thirst!The oxidation pond at IITK is located in a limited access area (to protect the environment), on the North side of the campus, near the airstrip. Credit: Peeusa Mitra, March 2026.

My story of the Counselling Service (CS) begins in the year 2003. Our students (i.e. the student guides, coordinators, and academic mentors who were part of the CS team) played a critical role in the functioning of the office.

We had just one office when I started. The office soon became so active that not only did we have to open it full-time, but the then-dean of students arranged for a second room for us so that I could take sessions without interruptions. By the year 2011, even the three rooms given to us were not enough and we moved to a much bigger location (House 503) that still houses the CS today.

The initial years of my work as a part of CS influenced much of my future roles as a psychologist and a counsellor. The regular meetings with student teams, where I listened to their experiences, taught me a lot about student mentality, their thought process, language and culture. With every passing year the number of students accepted into the Institute increased, leading to an increasingly complex psycho-socio-emotional dimension. We saw 'wings' in every hostel becoming so large that they finally split into smaller units. The 'everyone knows everyone' pattern in the hostels changed, and groups became smaller. Unfortunately, some students ended up as not being a part of any group. Accessing the social world virtually, these loners became lonelier. Instead of having a physical social support network on campus, they often relied on their home support structure, and the ones who did not have any strong connection with the family felt even more isolated.

Dr. Sharmistha Chakroborty, seated third from right, with the Core Team of the CS, late 2000s.

Thus, as psychologists, we were clear in our understanding that counselling in a residential institution had to be approached differently. We focused on a community model of counselling rather than a medical model (which is based primarily on diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions). It became important for us to create bonds and affiliations for students who were very young and for whom the crucial time of adolescence had been spent in isolation trying to prepare for a competitive world (ie, preparing for the JEE, frequently from Class 9 onwards), rather than establishing meaningful relations within and beyond their families.

Our emphasis on a very interactive orientation programme for the new entrants, creating enduring bonds between them and their student guides, a supportive 'wing life' and a personal connection with faculty guides were all rooted in our fundamental belief in the community approach to counselling. Even the professional counsellors took turns visiting hostels and having interactive sessions in every wing, knocking on every student's door to encourage them to come out and talk. Conversations included issues pertaining to their life on campus, academics, gender issues, relationships or anything else that came up impromptu. These informal chats helped in building familiarity and encouraging the perception of the counsellors as approachable and friendly. Hostel visits during semester exams remained one of our most popular initiatives. CS also focused on regular community activities to help foster bonds, like yoga, meditation, sessions about nutrition and sleep, and the sport event called 'hakoonamatata', informal interaction with professors, cycle rides and many more. The Zoomba sessions remained an all-time favourite.

Dr. Sharmistha Chakroborty, third from left, with the Counselling Service coordinators, c.2013. Also visible is Prof. Mukesh Sharma, third from right, who served as Head CS, 2012-14

The growing size of the Institute, changing priorities of administration and the complex inter-personal dynamics because of a gradual shift in social values did not make our journey easy. But accepting change is inevitable! We tried to counter it with extensive training and sensitization of the student guides, academic mentors and most importantly the student core team of CS. Counsellors established a deep bond with the student teams by actively participating in their selection and training so as to make them aware of the various nuances of a changing social world. Our student teams were our bridge to the extended student community. We would teach them how to identify fellow students in turmoil and how to establish a safe network around them so that they felt supported. Teaching student teams the value of confidentiality was very important to us as the foundation of friendship and support stood on respecting disclosures.

That CS became so active is a testament to the success of the numerous outreach initiatives undertaken as well as the triumph of a deeply held belief that for a residential counselling unit, clinical practices need to go hand-in-hand with a community-based network of social affiliations.
By 2017, when I was bidding adieu to my favorite workplace, our campus had been suicide-free for an extended period. Although that was never the only measure of success for CS, it was indeed a great relief and a blessing for all of us actively involved with the mental health of the community.

The IITK Counselling Service team, c. 2013

I was a part of the Counselling Service during my second, third and fourth years of the UG program. During my second year, I volunteered as a Student Guide (SG), as well as the Academic Mentor (AM) for PHY102. During my third year, I was selected to be one of the Assistant Coordinators from Hall 2. I went on to lead the Core team as its Coordinator in my fourth year. But since I am writing this for the Alumni magazine, let's stick to the terms actually used — Bapu, Asst Coord & Coord!

Part of my motivation to get associated with the service stemmed from them being the first group of people who I met as a fresher during my Orientation Week. But I would be lying if I didn't admit that I wanted to have a peer group who would push me to perform to my best. I've always been of the opinion that the people who surround you eventually shape how you progress through life. In hindsight, it turned out to be truer than I had thought. Thankfully, I had great people around me during my time at campus. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and had fun, leading to my spending a lot of time with my CS friends.

My year as a SG turned out to be a relatively easy task. My 'kids' were quite chill and mature for their age. One was a 'kholu' for the junior batch (the highest JEE AIR for the batch, who 'opens' the entry to the campus), the other shared his name with a famous Bollywood star (you can imagine how I got famous in the hall as the Bapu of that star); two kids that I am very proud of as they had a rocky start academically but went on to grow in confidence and became strong students in their departments; one who ended up clearing Algorithms questions for me during a course we took together and the sixth one who still endearingly refers to me as Bapu whenever we are in a conversation. It was such an amazing year with this 'family' that one of my closest friends described me as their 'Bapu' in the yearbook 2 years later!

Starting out with the Counselling Service, the UG Team of 2014. Shanu is visible standing second from right in the Planet shirt.

If this was my first CS family, my second CS family was even closer. Our group of 11 Assistant Coordinators (we were selected early in the summer of 2014) were tasked with a never-before-done Orientation Programme. The years prior had been 4-day events, whereas this event was going to be 14 days long. It took the dedicated efforts of the entire team for 2.5 months to prepare and deliver on it, and deliver we did!(Below is a FB status I dug up while writing this piece!).

Even now, many years later, reading that floods me with vivid memories of that summer! Throughout the year, we conducted workshops on Suicide Prevention, English Conversation, Know Your Department, Stress and Time Management, but none of these compared to the 1:1 guidance we provided. Meeting with students who were tackling issues — the ones who actually needed help, following up with the counsellors to make sure we were all moving in the right direction — the difference that we were able to make just by being there in any way possible.

A visibly mature CS Team, clicked a few months later, on the last day of the 2014 Program, with Shanu visible second from right.

I remember an incident when a really strong lady parent broke down in front of me because of what her son was going through. I clearly remember her crying on my shoulders while I tried my best to console her. If anything, it provoked me to accept that, yes, I was in it as a 21-year-old having fun with the team, but the responsibility bestowed upon me was much greater.

Talking of greater responsibility, towards the end of our Asst Coord tenure, we created a new team structure. Over the years, the Academic assistance provided had grown from organizing 1-1 assistance to doubt-clearing sessions and remedial classes warranting a clear compartmentalization of responsibilities in an expanded core team. It was the need of the hour and we ushered in the change. Usually when a change is made, the incoming team gets most of the responsibility but as I was chosen to be the Coordinator, I was able to select a team and make sure the transition was ironed out. As a Coordinator, we had to attend many more official meetings at the Institute and with the Counsellors. One of the very few regrets I have is that towards this part of my tenure, I had fewer interactions with freshers directly.

The Core team interactions were quite varied in perspective as we had a really smart bunch of people who thought through things before deciding on an execution plan. The Operations Core Team was focused on the organizational aspects of the service while mentoring students who needed guidance. The Academic Core Team was involved in providing 1:1 remedial classes for subjects as well as doing classroom style teaching while the Guidance Core Team was there for students who needed more assistance in the halls. Eventually, we made a few adjustments to this structure before I handed it over to the next team of chosen Coordinators during spring 2016, bidding goodbye to my last CS family.

The CS Team with Dr. Sharmistha Chakroborty, 2016. Shanu is visible on the bottom left.

Throughout these years, there was one constant in the CS family. And this was the team of Counsellors that we worked with. Day in and day out, we'd invariably discuss so much with them — from the origins of the service, listening to stories of how the previous teams got us to where we were and together shaping its future ahead. Sharmistha ma'am was undoubtedly the bedrock throughout all this, helping us navigate our responsibility while making it a memorable couple of years with her ever-cheerful radiance.

Well, one would ask - What did I gain from my time at CS? Lifelong friends? True! In the US or at home, much of my friend circle has been CS alumni. Recognition? For sure! People reach out just because they remember me as one of the CS members during their time on campus. Nitty-gritty of how an organization operates while balancing multiple stakeholders? Absolutely! Some of my job interview rounds have focused on problems & solutions from my CS years. But most of all it has defined me and who I've chosen to become in the past decade after my days at 503.

Introduction

For over six decades, the Institute Counselling Service (presently, Center for Mental Health and Wellbeing (CMHW)) at IIT Kanpur has played a vital role in promoting the emotional and psychological well-being of the campus community. In response to the growing mental health needs of students and the evolving landscape of higher education, this commitment has now taken a significant step forward.

On 1st December 2025, the Institute Counselling Service was formally expanded and restructured into the Center for Mental Health and Wellbeing (CMHW). Operating under the Directorate, it offers services aligned with the Mental Healthcare Act (2017) and various policies of IIT Kanpur and Government of India to support the mental and emotional well-being of about 10,000 students; as well as that of the faculty, staff and their dependents.

The Center follows a dual leadership model, with a Head (Administration) overseeing operations, coordination, and policy implementation, and a Head (Clinical) guiding the delivery of psychological and psychiatric services. The center has 10 professional full-time counsellors, 1 full-time psychiatrist, 3 consultant psychiatrists for OPD services and three office staff members.

The CMHW Team Structure as it exists today

Mental Health Support, Counselling & Psychiatric Services

The mental health services at IIT Kanpur are coordinated primarily by the CMHW and the Health Centre (HC), to meet the needs of a large and diverse student body. The ten permanent and experienced psychologists who reside on campus are available for consultations. For around-the-clock and continuous support, one on-call counsellor is accessible 24×7. Students can schedule appointments through various channels, including the CMHW website, email, phone, or by walking in. In urgent situations, students or concerned individuals can approach the Health Centre directly. Students can also use the Tele MANAS (telemanas.mohfw.gov.in) and YourDOST (yourdost.com) for support. For mental health emergencies, a robust protocol has been put into place, in coordination with the CMHW Head, hostel wardens, campus security, and relevant officials.

Therapy/case supervision sessions are held regularly between Counsellors and Clinical Head, to reflect on complex cases, share insights and strengthen their clinical skills, all while maintaining strict confidentiality to protect student privacy. The Wellness Mandali initiatives, started by CMHW counselors, offers group-based spaces for emotional expression, peer connection, holistic well-being and normalize conversations around Mental Health. For students facing serious psychological challenges, the counsellors regularly follow-up to provide continuous care and track improvement.

Psychiatric care at IIT Kanpur is provided through weekly outpatient clinics and fortnightly de-addiction clinics conducted by consultant psychiatrists. In the HC, there are four Psychiatric OPDs to provide easy support to the needy individuals every week. The institute has an established tie-up with two psychiatric hospitals in the city for students requiring in-patient care.

Students who are academically vulnerable, such as those on warning, probation, reinstated after termination, or struggling to keep pace with classes, are guided by a student team to address academic, mental health, or addiction-related concerns. For those with limited English proficiency, special English language classes are arranged regularly during the semester and flexible exit options are available to support their progress.

Students with disabilities receive support from the Centre for Differently Abled Persons (CDAP) and CMHW. These bodies reach out to such students even before their arrival on campus to understand their needs. When required, arrangements such as separate accommodation or ground floor accommodation are provided.

Panel Discussions organized by CMHW. (L) On Women’s Mental Health as part of ‘Dialogue’ initiative held monthly for awareness; and (R) Life Lines, as part of World Suicide Prevention Day 2025

CMHW regularly conducts preventive and promotional activities to support campus mental health. These include awareness programs, support groups, panel discussions, and observance of key days, such as World Suicide Prevention Day and World Mental Health Day. Initiatives such as "Gatekeeper Training," "Sneak Peek into the Therapy Room," and sensitization sessions for hall cleaning staff aim to build emotional resilience and mental health awareness. CMHW also runs online initiatives, including monthly wellness posts on Instagram (@cmhw_iitk), internships, comic series, and social media campaigns.

CMHW offers four lectures in the ETH111 (Practical Ethics) course for the first-year students. In addition, in collaboration with Prof. Pragathi P. Balasubramani of the Department of Cognitive Science, CMHW is piloting "Mindcheck" – a self-guided wellness App for the IIT Kanpur community.

There is also an anonymous referral system that allows students to confidentially recommend help for a peer who may be in distress. All student cases are handled with special attention paid to confidentiality and protecting privacy. The CMHW requests anonymous feedback after counseling sessions, as a guide to improving its services.

(L): CMHW Student Team enjoy Hakuna Matata (Diwali celebration), and (R) Rangoli Making at OAT

The CMHW Students Team

The students' team of CMHW plays a key role in welcoming and orienting new undergraduate and postgraduate students at the start of each academic year. The orientation program typically spans about 8–10 days and is designed to help students adjust smoothly to campus life. During this program, institute officials and mental health professionals provide an overview of academic expectations, student life, and the mental health support system available on campus.

Throughout the orientation, students are introduced to various student clubs, gymkhana, academic resources, CMHW services, internship and exchange opportunities. The program is a mix of informative and recreational activities, including Zumba sessions, DJ nights, science demonstrations, and guided campus tours, designed to extend community building and ease the transition and building relationships. To engage families, a dedicated session is held for parents of new undergraduate students.

(L) The orientation ceremony for students and their parents in the Main Auditorium for Y25 batch (R) Skyphoto is a ceremony held during the orientation program for both UG and PG students. In this activity, each batch gathers on the Main Auditorium ground and forms shapes or letters representing their batch name, captured from an aerial view. It involves the entire batch (UG and PG separately) and helps build a sense of unity.

On campus tours student guides and OTMs (Orientation Team Members) help freshers explore and get familiar with the important locations on campus.

One of the most important support systems run by the CMHW students' team is the mentor-mentee program. Before arriving on campus, the new students (Bachhas) are assigned with a 2nd year senior student (Bapu or Amma) as their mentor. These mentors are friendly guides who help the new students adjust to campus life, answer their questions, and provide emotional support when needed. This system helps students feel more confident and connected, knowing that someone is there to support them.

In addition to this, CMHW's Academic Mentors, who are academically excellent senior students, organize academic mentoring sessions, especially for core first-year courses. The academic mentors explain difficult topics in an easy-to-understand way and help students to clear concepts and prepare for quizzes and exams. These sessions often feel more informal than regular classes, which makes it easier for students to ask questions and learn at their own pace.

Supporting Classes. Here Academic Mentors, mostly (UG senior students) take group classes in the lecture halls to support students academically

The Student Benevolence Fund (SBF) has been set up for students in need of financial help. The SBF Scholarship provides Rs. 2000 per month for 9 months in an academic year. It is meant for students who do not receive any other fellowship, and academic performance is not considered for selection. Students can also apply for SBF Loan, which offers up to Rs. 50,000 interest-free loan. This loan can be used to cover academic registration fees, hostel charges, conference participation, and other educational needs. To receive this loan, students must obtain a recommendation from their department and an endorsement from the Head-Admin of CMHW.

The CMHW students' team are active throughout the year. They organize various talks and sessions on important topics like managing relationships, time management, using smart study techniques, and staying away from addictions. They also host events that help students relax, make friends, and create lasting memories. Alongside these, the CMHW student teams regularly post blogs and content online to offer guidance and share helpful stories and tips.

Extra-curricular activities: First-year students vibing and enjoying a Zumba session at the OAT during unwinding time, usually held in the evenings amidst the busy orientation schedule.

Addressing the Recent Suicides on Campus

The recent instances of student suicides on campus have been deeply distressing for the IIT Kanpur community. Each loss is profoundly felt, and our thoughts remain with those affected. In response, CMHW has strengthened its focus on prevention, early identification, and outreach.

The CMHW at IIT Kanpur remains committed to promoting the emotional and psychological well-being of the campus community while adapting to the evolving needs of its residents. Looking ahead, its vision is to build a more inclusive, resilient and supportive environment by expanding outreach, strengthening peer support systems and integrating innovative approaches to mental health care. As the community grows and changes, CMHW aims to proactively address emerging challenges and ensure accessible, holistic support for all.

Authored by the CMHW team, led by Professors Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh (Materials Science and Engineering) and Santanu Misra (Earth Sciences), the current and former heads of the Center for Mental Health and Wellbeing, IIT Kanpur.

Professor Ponamgi Ramakrishna (PRK) Rao

Ponamgi Ramakrishna Rao, popularly known as PRK, was a faculty member in the Electrical Engineering Department of IIT Kanpur from 1967 to 1996. Subsequent to retirement as Professor, he settled down in Hyderabad where he worked in IIIT Hyderabad as a professor for many years. He passed away in Hyderabad on January 6, 2026. He is survived by his wife Shanta, daughter Kavita, granddaughters Kavya and Kriti and son-in-law Kalyan Basu.

PRK earned his DIISC and AIISC (equivalent to Bachelors and Masters degrees, respectively) in Electronics and Communications from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Ph.D from IIT Kanpur (advised by Prof. V. Rajaraman). For a short time, he worked in Bharat Electronics Limited, (BEL), before joining the IIT Kanpur faculty.

PRK was deeply oriented towards a career in academics and research. His depth and range were out of the ordinary. His professional engagement was primarily in the rapidly developing areas of communication and information theories. He was an outstanding and sought-after teacher with significant influence on his students. He contributed in various ways during his career: as Head, EE Department, as Project Investigator in R&D projects, as a research guide of many students, etc.

Early generations at IIT Kanpur were still in the shadows of the horrible things that happened globally – the holocaust, the Second World War, the violent upheavals and unimaginable suffering in the partition of India, the ever-present famines and death, emergence of weapons of mass destruction due to R&D in the sciences and technologies, etc. Sensitive young people such as PRK were deeply affected by these happenings. Big questions loomed in their minds, about life, about existence, about purpose, about inevitability, about hope, etc. Daily conversations among them were often centered around these topics.

PRK realised that much of human suffering was caused by human social mores and arrangements, and by power structures which enabled exploitation. He always sympathised with the exploited and supported their struggles.

PRK gravitated towards deep engagement to understand human life and its destiny. He read widely and interacted with expert colleagues to find answers, in Greek philosophy, epics and myths, works of European philosophers of the 20th century, especially in existential philosophy, and in eastern philosophical thoughts in Upanishads, epics and stories, and in the Buddhist and Jaina lores.

Many STEM practitioners believe in the infallibility of science and its methods. In a pioneering effort, PRK developed a course, with a few colleagues, on the history and philosophy of scientific ideas where this question was examined.

PRK is best described as a philosopher, teacher and activist, all rolled into one persona. He thought that education must be holistic, we should teach living and not merely impart technical skills. His philosophical mind saw the existential dilemmas of being human. His awareness of all sides of an issue made him acutely conscious of the uncertainty to be certain, and his incisive mind could make others alive to this. It was his compassionate persuasiveness that made his home a meeting place for enriching discussions for colleagues and many generations of young students.

PRK used to refer to the Sisyphus story often. Arthur Miller's "The Death of a Salesman" was one of his favourite works. These are rather dark and sad themes. He admired Jiddu Krishnamurthy immensely. He travelled once to Benaras Hindu University to be there for several days to listen to Jiddu Krishnamurthy give a series of talks in his unique Socratic way.

PRK lived an unostentatious and simple, almost spartan, life. He was always friendly and welcomed company. It was a pleasure to be with him. You got so much from the interaction. He maintained life-long engagement with a large number of scholars and thinkers, in India and abroad.

In the passing away of PRK we have lost a great analytical thinker, teacher and philosopher. He enriched the lives of so many of his students and friends.

Rest in peace PRK. We miss you a lot. Om Shanti.
S S Prabhu
Retired Professor, Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur
K S Gandhi
Former Professor, Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur and Retired Professor, Chemical Engineering, IISc, Bangalore

Friends of PRKR for more than half a century

Prof. and Mrs. Rao, shortly after their arrival at IITK

IIT Kanpur has a way with abbreviations – they invariably transfigure into proper names. Prof Rao was always PRK; when I met him way back in October 1983 at his Campus house (H. No. 421, I think) and when we spoke last over the phone in September 2025. That first visit happened to be a social one. I do not remember when the social became so personal that we remained in constant touch even after he had moved to Hyderabad. Our phone line was active for over thirty years for those early morning conversations even as we transitioned from black dial phones to WhatsApp. I believe that in his heart and his mind, PRK never really left his Kanpur home and its people. And so, towards the end of his journey, when he was very unwell, he was heard telling his physician in Hyderabad over phone, "I am PRK Rao from Kanpur."

PRK was a teacher by vocation, but he seemed to extend his vocation to life and, even more likely, carry life-notes to class. The distinction was never obvious which is perhaps why even though I was never his student, I learnt many life lessons in his company. I did not attend his classes in detection estimation and allied engineering fields, but I did have the privilege of sitting in his lectures in a variety of other fields that he took a deep interest in. In these ruminations, he relished nothing as much as an astute disagreement. Indeed, his method was a summation of argument and counter argument, truth and counter truth. He was many people and in the many worlds that he straddled, these many people were one.

PRK was endowed with the sensibilities of a scientist and a poet (even in his prose). It is not that in his head he did science and, in his heart, poetry. His head and heart both partook of science as well as poetry in an equal measure. His multitudinous worlds invoked a plural vision that included, as a view within a view, life's uneven, and often dichotomous truths, and as he lived them and reflected on them, he sought to build bridges. Between action and faith, fact and value, disdain and empathy, arrogance and humility, despair and hope, truth and mere possibility. He seemed to have the time and the space for the ordinary and the extraordinary both with their respective capacities and incapacities. He sought to build bridges here and now between dichotomies given to us or those of our own making. With his prodigious intellect and with small, unnamed acts of kindness, care, and love.

PRK was deeply mindful of the possibilities of language, and each turn of phrase made one pause and wonder in awe. Our last in-person interaction was in 2019 when I was in Hyderabad. We spent an entire day together at his beautiful Secunderabad home. Age had not diminished his love for a good argument. In his last days, he was visibly in pain and he spoke of it with an unusual candour. It looked like his body was unable to keep pace with his mind which remained acutely aware until the very end. As he traverses the many bridges between life and beyond, he is most likely savouring the panoramic view with a thoughtful line from the poet he so loved: In my end is my beginning! May he travel well!!

Dr. Achla Raina is a retired professor of linguistics, IIT Kanpur. She works in the areas of cognitive linguistics, pragmatics, and descriptive linguistics. Her empirical domain covers Indic and Dravidian languages, and occasionally, sign languages.

How can one measure the flickering fire that enlightens? The flowing river that enlivens? The unwavering star that guides? How can one measure the immeasurable?

Yet the compulsion of language binds us to circumscribe, measure and judge. P.R.K, ever sensitive to those risks, warned using the words of Ludwig Wittgenstein: Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. So here we stand now, at the pyre, resisting the dying of light, where the only resonance the flames elicit is the betrayal of silence by our words. Of course, P.R.K. would have preferred a different metaphor: the game of chess played by the knight of faith with the implacable figure of death at the edge of the sea. He would resign but only under protest. He would scorn, since there was no fate that could not be transcended by contempt. That was P.R.K. forged in the fires of Bergman and Camus.

Nights lost themselves in a peculiar timelessness as the lights went out, one by one in the lane where he lived. One light burned through the darkness, where impassioned dialogue, contemplative silences, the smoke of cigarettes and the bittersweet fragrance of coffee kept oblivion at bay. A question on the Bayesian interpretation of probability evoked the unsettling rejoinder from P.R.K. that the Bayesian prior has no canonical formulation since it can be measured incommensurately by different subjects. We were duly flummoxed – which he used to introduce us to Kolmogorov and thence to Martin-Löf. The discussions meandered and ramified, played by the mysterious logic of conceptual thought, into the arbitrariness of axiomatic foundations, language games, the dogmas of empiricism, to the archaeology of knowledge, finally ending up in the basin of the strange attractor of Buñuel's surrealism. We left finally, our minds on fire, having glimpsed a tiny bit of the infinite realm of questioning which is the ground of all knowledge.

Three philosophers played crucial roles in shaping P.R.K.'s thinking: Camus, Foucault and Merleau-Ponty. In Michel Foucault's writings, P.R.K. found a deep resonance with his own critique of knowledge systems. Where other thinkers found the certainties of empiricism, P.R.K. found metaphors, dogmas, norms. He excavated such things based on the critique of historical discontinuities, the stability of orthodoxies, the revealing of the fissures and seams between truth, effectiveness and requirements of control.

P.R.K. was a master of words, yet vigilant against the power of thought to enforce a closure around what was essentially open and infinite. In this, he found an ally in Maurice Merleau-Ponty, finding the unsayable as essential. It was the openness to Being, forged against the closure of language, and the "clearing" where the World, at the edge of its apprehension, formed the horizon at which objects appeared to reflection, then receded into their essential mystery.

Albert Camus was a revolutionary force on P.R.K.'s life – a force that made him into the man, the teacher, as we knew him. The central question that animated PRK was the question of what it meant to be human. His thoughts and his life were ceaseless struggles against efforts to foreclose, determine or otherwise delimit this subject – whether by an implacable fate or human oppression. To be human, for P.R.K., was to live in the unending and irreducible contestation between the limitless call of human transcendence and the fateful limits of Man's material and symbolic existence.

For P.R.K., politics was the necessary response to a world where no truth was innocent of power, and no norm could claim universality. P.R.K.'s life moved fluidly from the abstractions of philosophy to concrete action in solidarity with the struggles of the powerless. Whether protesting outside the Director's house for the rights of construction workers, demonstrating for the rights of the dhobis, rescuing a child migrant enslaved in the home of a faculty member, sheltering a colleague from the anti-Marxist crusade by the police during Indira Gandhi's emergency, or crusading against the unjust actions of a colleague against his wife – P.R.K. would unfailingly be at the forefront – organizing, inspiring, protesting, erasing the divisions of class, caste, religion in one unified moment of solidarity, one humanity asserting its subjecthood.

The mystery and sublimity of human redemption, animating every authentic experience, bound P.R.K.'s mind to the living of his existential being. Beyond language, beyond contestation, beyond difference, lie the silent murmurs of the body and its memories of love, the joys of friendship, the absolution of forgiving. This was the origin and ground of P.R.K.'s profound humanism.

The light that burned brightly through night after night, in that house in IITK, kindled many lights in the minds and hearts of students fortunate to be drawn into its glow. This was the light of PRK's love of learning, of the ineffable and immeasurable quality of being human, and of the redemptive freedom of the beautiful, the ironic and of the committed life. This light have we carried through the smoke of the years, burning even brighter if ever we felt that the darkness of the night was deepening around us.

That was PRK's singular, immeasurable and irreducible role for many generations of students who entered the gates of that great institution of knowledge – asking the question about Lyapunov, but then willing to be led to the beginning that was the end in Fellini's great cinema. I could not have been more fortunate.

About the author:

Kalyan Basu, Prof. PRK’s son-in-law, completed his B.Tech. in CSE from IIT Kanpur (1983-87), his MBA from IIM Calcutta (1989) and his PhD in Computer Science from IITK in 1994. Kalyan is a technology strategist and an architect for AI systems by profession. Outside of his professional life, he maintains a deep interest in philosophy and the humanities, and in research into the foundations of information and computing in natural processes. He lives in the Seattle area with his wife, Kavita.

As a young child my maternal grandfather was a bit intimidating. While other grandparents called me silly pet names, told funny stories, and gifted my favorite foods and toys, Tatha carried a certain gravity. I don't have a single memory of him hugging me or picking me up. My parents and family members sung his praises and referred to him as this great, warm-hearted person but I saw him as stern and slightly distant.

This continued until I was around 10 or so, when my parents moved us to America. As my sister and I got older, we started becoming more aware of the world around us—we were forming our nascent opinions on politics (this was right in the middle of the Bush administration and the US occupation of Iraq), noticing injustices, and constructing our belief systems. This was when I finally started to connect with Tatha. As many know, he was not a fan of the United States to put it lightly and happily indulged our anger towards it and the problems we noticed in the West. Our phone calls turned into hour long venting sessions complete with book recommendations and emails with links to news articles. Does anyone else have a grandfather who suggested the Communist Manifesto when they were 12?

I now realize that what I had interpreted as aloofness as a child was actually a kind of respect. He didn't jibe with kids because he chose not to—or maybe was unable to—treat them like kids. He never talked down to me. No topic was too serious, and no idea was too grown up for us to tackle together. If I expressed irritation at someone, he'd quote Sartre: "Hell is other people". If I complained about something, I was reminded to imagine Sisyphus happy. Whether we were discussing history, philosophy, or politics, he listened to my opinions as if they carried real weight.

Some of this may sound strange to his students and colleagues who speak of him as a kindhearted and warm person. I've heard many stories about how he was an emotional sounding board to troubled students, a passionate activist on campus, and someone who embraced all the disenfranchised of Indian society—gay people, lower castes, Muslims. But this warm, fuzzy persona was not the Tatha I knew. Maybe his family got a side of him that the outside world didn't.

There's a general understanding that the intellectual and emotional worlds oppose each other and most of us tend towards one or the other side. My grandfather was rare in that he contained both. I didn't get to see him in the spheres of teacher, mentor, and activist. Instead, I saw a brilliant mind who intensely needed to operate with the full range of human intellect and emotion, which is why he couldn't connect with me until I reached an age that I could access it.

When I was thinking about what to write about him, I looked up one of his favorite quotes: "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." It was surprising that he loved that quote because it seemed saccharine and unlike the serious, cynical Tatha I knew. This quote is commonly misattributed to Camus, but there's no evidence he ever said it. Now I can only ever attribute it to Tatha.

About the author:

The granddaughter of Prof. PRK Rao, Kavya Basu is an experience designer by profession with a background in cognitive science. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their two cats.

Faculty – student interaction was very strong on the IITK campus, with interactions extending well beyond the classrooms and lecture halls. Here are images from a student – faculty cricket match, c. 1977-78. Prof PRK Rao can be spotted in the top picture with a cup of tea in hand. The bottom picture has Prof PRK with friends enjoying the proceedings. Also visible are Professors SK Mullick and V Sinha. Pictures: Shirish Joshi

Prof. PRK Rao, my PhD thesis supervisor at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, passed away yesterday. I was one of his last PhD students at IITK before he superannuated in 1994–95. But he remained academically active even after his superannuation.

It would be an understatement to describe him as a former Professor at IIT Kanpur. He was truly an institution in himself, leaving a profound and lasting impact on me and on several students taught and mentored by him.

I last met him during my visit to International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) in late 2024, but his influence was a constant presence in my teaching at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. The supervision of my PhD thesis (1989–1994) was only a small part of his mentorship. Conversations with him, ranging from Communications Theory to the history and philosophy of science, were always deeply enriching and intellectually stimulating. His depth and breadth of knowledge were truly unparalleled.

I learned many fine nuances of teaching from him: how to pose questions, how to nurture curiosity among students in the classroom, and how clarity and precision of thought should reflect even in what one writes on the blackboard. He had an extraordinary eye for detail.

His insistence on clarity, rigor, and precision in writing that felt frustrating three decades ago became invaluable lessons later. I still have vivid memories of him questioning each and every sentence of my thesis drafts, shaping not just my work but my approach to careful drafting till date.

Prof. Rao leaves behind a remarkable legacy of scholarship. He belonged to that exceptional group of IIT Kanpur teachers who have shaped generations of students who are now well-established leaders in their respective fields. The void he leaves behind will be impossible to fill.

Abhay Karandikar
MT-PhD, EE, 1986-94; Director, IIT Kanpur, 2018-23
Secretary, Dept. of Science and Technology, GOI