The
Indian Institute of Technology that is popularly known as IIT is
considered among the best technical universities in the world. There are
as many as 7 IIT in different part of India. All of these IIT have their
separate areas of excellence and have contributed much in bringing the
Information Technology revolution in India. In fact, the graduates from
IIT are considered the most sought after human resource in the world. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) is one of the Indian Institutes of Technology. This IIT was set in the year 1960 in the city of Kanpur. From a humble origin in 1960,the institution has grown into one of the top technological institutes in India. The education is primarily based on engineering technology. A few research works are also taken up but this field can be considered as the Achilles' heels of IIT. In totality, research works constitute not even 1% of the total tutorials undertaken in these institutions. Nevertheless, the institution has been largely successful in creating a niche for itself.
The story of Kanpur IIT starts in 1959 when the idea to set up IIT was conceived. It was materialized through the special act of parliament passed in the same year. The institution was started in December 1959 in a room in the Canteen Building of the Harcourt Butler Technological Institute at Agricultural Gardens in Kanpur. In 1963, the Institute moved to its present location, on the historic Grand Trunk Road near the village of Kalyanpur in Kanpur district. During the first ten years of its existence, IIT Kanpur benefited from the Kanpur Indo-American Program, where a consortium of 9 US universities namely M.I.T, University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Carnegie Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Case Institute Of Technology and Purdue University helped set up the research laboratories and academic programs. The first Director of the Institute was Dr. P. K. Kelkar.
IIT Kanpur has the reputation of starting the computer education in India. The project was undertaken in the guidance of eminent economist John Kenneth Galbraith. The earliest computer courses were started at IIT Kanpur in August 1963 on an IBM 1620 system, a novelty then even in many North American and European universities. Gradually, the Institute drew upon some of the brightest young Indians in Computer Science to serve on its faculty and in 1971, initiated an independent academic program, leading to M. Tech. and Ph.D. degrees.
