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Message by Director, IIT Kanpur

Every year, IIT Kanpur admits roughly 3000 students from various states around the country, representing a wide range of linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students from different vernacular backgrounds find it difficult because English is the only language used in all domains of higher education. We established Shivani Centre in 2021 with the generous support and forward-thinking vision of our distinguished alumnus Mr. Muktesh (Micky) Pant to support and provide our students from diverse vernacular backgrounds with a smooth transition into academics, as well as technological assistance and the opportunity to pursue creative endeavours in Hindi and other Indian languages. Since then, the Centre has thrived and has hosted a variety of intellectually stimulating workshops, seminars, and other events. On behalf of the Institute and my own behalf, I would like to thank our esteemed alumnus, Mr Micky Pant, for his generous donation to the foundation of the Centre.
He has also generously supported the establishment of IIT Kanpur's Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology and the Yadupati Singhania Super Specialty Hospital on campus. He serves on the Gangwal School's Advisory Board and continues to be an ambassador for the Institute, assisting it in developing a large network of new academic and industry relationships. Thank you, Mr. Pant, for your constant support.

Message by Steering Committee, SHIVANI Centre

Shivani Centre for Nurture and Reintegration of Hindi and Other Indian Languages is committed to serve as the focal point of providing a soft landing to the students of IIT Kanpur. Shivani Centre aims to actively engage with the IIT Kanpur students, arriving from remote locations, and provide language assistance. In parallel, Shivani centre strives to promote faculty members and tutors alike to create and translate pedagogical content in Hindi and other Indian languages. The translation and creation of pedagogical content is expected to provide repository of materials to build fundamental concepts while not losing out those due to pace with teaching in English language. In addition, the steering committee will also promote teaching in bi-lingual mode in order to facilitate the in-class learning and grasping of concepts effectively, mitigating the disadvantage to students from remote locations.

Shivani centre also aims to organize workshops, book-fairs, seminars, and events in order to let one appreciate the richness the Hindi and other Indian languages present. In addition, various in-house competitions are also expected to promote language creativity and inculcate pride and self-confidence while communicating in Hindi and other Indian languages.

The Shivani Centre envisages providing substantial contribution in rendering technological contributions (such as creating new hind fonts, or auto language correction, etc), and advancing the prevalent use of hindi-based softwares. The unconquered paradigm of hindi-script is envisaged to attract giant software firms in making IIT Kanpur as first-choice of hiring students. Such initiatives of converting information to Hindi (and other Indian languages), promoting virtual labs and teaching content in Hindi is pictured to seek funding from various resources and create new ventures or incubate start-ups.

Shivani centre urges all the family members of IIT Kanpur community to participate and engage… either by gaining from it if you need assistance or by contributing your time if you are among the fortunate ones. Every bit of your timely engagement will help someone needy and pull them out of the unseen societal and personal barriers that are holding them back. The task is to let one realize that success is measured in terms of satisfaction of one’s self, and it does not reside with how other thinks of you, but only by what you truly believe of yourself! If your kind and noble deed can bring smile on one’s face, what you might think of as a small help can indeed make a big difference in one’s life (and maybe your own life!).

The steering committee of IIT Kanpur expresses its sincere gratitude to the Mr. Micky Pant for his generous donation, and to IIT Kanpur administration for their kind facilitation.

Last Updated on: May 06, 2024