A fresh start: New IIT-Kgp director to reach out to campus community
Times of India | 27 June 2025
Kolkata: IIT-Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty's gesture of organising an interaction with students, faculty members, staff, their families, and the alumni at Netaji auditorium on Friday evening to restore the "atmosphere of trust and transparency" on campus is a departure from V K Tewari's five-year tenure, during which the relationship between the administration and stakeholders, especially faculty members, was strained.Teachers and staff pointed out that it is probably the first time in recent memory where a director will be interacting openly with all the stakeholders of the institute at the same time, trying to "break hierarchies". Chakraborty told TOI, "I believe communication is essential to maintain transparency and build trust for working together. A gap is created because of lack of communication. The root cause of all the negative things that are happening on the campus can be lack of trust amongst each other. On the campus, no one tends to believe the other person, and this situation needs to change. We have to restore the atmosphere of trust and transparency amongst each other."The newly-appointed director said he wants to unite and engage all in his vision for the betterment of IIT-Kharagpur, which includes cultural transformation of the institute, improving the perception, strengthening student welfare, and maintaining the academic atmosphere and progress.You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata"I want to make sure that the vision and mission are not restricted to me but are equally shared and contributed by the IIT-Kharagpur family. I also want to involve the families of the employees for the transformation of the institute. I want to connect the vision and excite them with all that they can do or propose to do to fulfil the vision. They will be free to share their inputs some other day. My aim will be to unite and engage all in my vision," the mechanical engineering professor said.According to a large section of professors, the relationship between the IIT-Kharagpur community and former director Tewari became strained over a series of issues, like show-cause notices to 85 faculty members for signing a mass petition to the registrar, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the show-cause notices against the IIT Teachers' Association office-bearers for writing to the Union education minister, alleging irregularities at the institute, and the relocation of staff and infrastructure of B C Roy Technology Hospital to Syama Prasad Mookerjee Superspeciality Hospital.A professor said, "It is probably the first time in recent memory that a director has called for an interaction with all stakeholders on a common platform. It reflects his intention of breaking hierarchies and being inclusive. It is a significant step as it can bridge the gap between administration and the IIT-Kharagpur community, and can foster trust and confidence."