The 75th Republic Day once again brought a lot of cheer, patriotic fervour, and a sense of gratitude at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) as the Institute celebrated the day by felicitating its essential services workers along with faculty and staff members as an expression of gratitude towards their relentless services and made a World Record of making the largest patriotic painting with 25,000 different coloured sticky notes.
Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, unfurled the National Flag to begin the Republic Day celebrations at IITGN. This was followed by a unique parade, wherein the housekeeping staff of the campus joined the security personnel and students of the Institute for a March Past. Addressing the gathering, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, remembered the tireless efforts and enormous hard work put in by the Constitution drafting committee to give a direction to the newly independent nation and set it on the path of progress.
Applauding the holistic progress made by the people of our country, which is also being recognised by the world, Prof Moona said, “As an academic institution of national importance, it is our responsibility to contribute to the growth of our nation through skill and youth development; research and innovation; and industrial collaborations. In the last few months, our country has leapfrogged towards the Moon and the Sun, unravelled the secrets of the Universe, and strengthened its prowess in science and technology. Nearer home, Gujarat is expanding its industrial investment opportunities, including in the semiconductor chip manufacturing sector, and GIFT City is emerging as a promising global FinTech attraction. Being on this knowledge corridor of the country means a lot to us and let us resolve to contribute more to this growth story.” He concluded his speech by reciting a poem by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
In what has made IITGN a trendsetter again, the Institute felicitated many of its essential services workers and non-teaching staff, including horticulture and housekeeping staff, waste management staff, security personnel, plumber, laboratory and sports staff, accounts and hospitality staff, and so on, to honour their invaluable services and dedication to the Institute over the years. The Institute also conferred Faculty Excellence Awards to four faculty members for excellence in teaching, research, institution building, and outreach activities.
The students, faculty, and staff of IITGN, who performed very well during their respective Inter-IIT Sports Meets hosted at IITGN last year and brought glory to the Institute, were also presented with Awards for Achievement in Sports. Winners of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Research Showcase and students on the Dean’s list for excellent academic performance in Semester I of 2023-24 were also felicitated during the event.
On this occasion, Prof Moona also released a compendium – ‘IIT Gandhinagar in News 2023’ – that presents a glimpse of the news coverage about the Institute, its programmes, initiatives, research, and achievements in various local, national, and international news media during the year 2023.