A black-and-white photograph purportedly showing students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur during an engineering drawing examination in 1954 has gained attention online. The image highlights the institute’s early academic history. However, NDTV has stated that it cannot verify the photo’s authenticity, and there has been no official comment from IIT Kharagpur regarding the image.
IIT Kharagpur was established in 1951 at the site of the former Hijli detention camp and began functioning as the country’s first IIT. The post was shared on Engineers’ Day, observed in India on September 15 to commemorate the birth anniversary of engineer and statesman M Visvesvaraya.
“Many Engineering Students Practiced ED & MD by Lighting Bulb Under the Glass Sheet,” the post said.
The image was shared by the X account Indian History in Pictures in a post marking Engineers’ Day. The class rooms, laboratories and the administrative office were housed in the historic building of the Hijli Detention Camp. The institute started its academic programme with only ten departments, the official website noted. The institute was also given the status of an autonomous university.
The history of the IIT system dates back to 1946 when a committee was set up by Jogendra Singh, Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, Department of Education, to consider the setting up of Higher Technical Institutions for post war industrial development in India, according to the institute’s official website. The 22 member committee headed by N R Sarkar, in its report, recommended the establishment of four Higher Technical Institutions in the eastern, western, northern and southern regions, possibly on the lines of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, with a number of secondary institutions affiliated to it. As per official records, there were 224 freshers and 42 teachers in August 1951 when the first session started. In March, 1952, Pandit Nehru laid the foundation stone of the new building. On September 15, 1956, the Parliament of India passed an act known as the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act declaring the college as an institute of national importance.
The photograph shows IIT Kharagpur students working on an engineering drawing examination, with several students seated around large drawing boards, according to the post.
