IIT Kharagpur Research Park's studio dressed as nature’s lap
Telegraph | 1 March 2025
The IIT Kharagpur Research Park in New Town has just opened a studio in its lobby. Besides being equipped to record videos and podcasts, it is a sight to behold, having come up inside an indoor garden of sorts.
The biophilic studio, christened Vatika, has been conceived, developed and will be managed by KarmYog for 21st Century. “This is an initiative for education and media, founded by Sourabh J. Sarkar, an IIT alumnus who now lives at Uniworld City.
Built on a 400sq ft area, the studio is under a bamboo structure. It has a bed of artificial grass and is adorned with flower pots and hanging plants, pebbles, and wicker lampshades, making it a picturesque site for videos.
Vatika was inaugurated by IIT Kharagpur director Amit Patra and was followed by the recording of a conversation between Patra and Sarkar.
“Our Kharagpur campus faces a challenge as it isn’t located in a metro city. This research park in New Town is a bridge between the campus and industry,” said Patra, appreciating the eco-friendly theme of the studio. “Our education system teaches that which is outside but we must also learn that which is within. And this is something we can do by strengthening our bond with nature,” he said, before talking about his life’s journey and philosophy for the recording.
Open to outsiders
The studio does not boast of expensive microphones and cameras. “Big, bulky equipment are obsolete. Everyone is recording, uploading, and sharing content these days because technology has got simplified. But like in a television studio or cricket stadium, we have multi-camera facility to shoot from different angles and there will be an online editor who will constantly switch to the most relevant feed,” Sarkar said. Seventy per cent of the studio bookings will be open for outsiders and 30 per cent reserved for IIT. “There is so much aspiration among the youth to join the IITs that we will be interviewing all its alumni to share their journey,” he said. “Any scientist who comes up with an innovation, or any professor is free to explain his subject matter to the layman here too.”
The booking procedure will be finalised soon but rates will be nominal. The IIT content will be shared on different internal channels for the public.
One in a million
The IIT Vatika is the eighth of its kind and Karmyog’s target is an ambitious million. “The idea is to cover the entire country where each studio serves 300-400 households of a locality. Each will generate employment for 10-15 staff, who will help record videos as well as tend to the plants and sell them. It has the potential to employ 15 million people,” Sarkar said.
Karmyog makes vatikas of different sizes. There’s a compact one at the Adyapeath temple, one coming up at a mosque by the parliament in New Delhi and a five acre one in Bihar.
And they are eco-friendly at a whole new level. “Usually, bamboo is termite-treated with chemicals but we use the traditional method of bamboo preservation. Instead of transporting it from Assam by truck, we are having them float through the Ganga and reach in two or three months. This way it gets naturally seasoned,” Sarkar said.
Cauldron of ideas
A panel discussion was also held on how nature integrates arts, science, and ethics.
“Our research park is meant to generate new ideas. We want our engineers to create a biophilic world, not concrete jungles. We may even develop biophilic accommodation for research scholars here,” said Prof. Khanindra Pathak, professor-in-charge, IIT Kharagpur Research Park.
Prof. Brajesh Kumar Dubey, chairperson of the school of water resources, IIT Kharagpur, said that as engineers, their job was to build structures and products that mimic nature. “Sadly, many buildings today are beautiful but lack natural lighting,” he said.
Speaking on the idea of the studio, Prof. Rintu Banerjee, deputy director of IIT Kharagpur, shared how they were incorporating sound in research. “I once heard of a surgeon who never failed in surgery and credited it to playing Rabindrasangeet in the operation theatre. We tried the same. We played different kinds of music for microbial growth and found that its productivity indeed increased. We are happy to share that Rabindrasangeet, particularly the song Ektuku chhoa lage, had the best result,” she said, drawing applause from the audience. “We are excited and are still researching why this happens, but we are certain that sound has a positive effect on us.”
Retired IIT professor B.C. Ghosh advocated rooftop gardening. “Why should we buy ketchup made in China when we can grow tomatoes in our terrace?” he said.
Paediatrician Swapan Chakraborty highlighted the importance of children staying connected to nature. “Six out of 10 patients today have breathing problems and it is because they are not exposed outdoors. They need to roll in the dirt and get drenched in the rain. This Vatika will give them exposure,” said the Labony Estate-based doctor, who arranged for the Vatika at Adyapeath.
Vijay Bharati, secretary of the state department of science and technology and biotechnology, spoke about bridging the gaps between industry, institutes, and the government for public benefit. Former police commissioner Vineet Goyal spoke on nature and ethics. “In the RG Kar case, for instance, we conducted the fairest possible investigation despite baseless public outcries,” claimed the IIT alumnus.