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Historically the students of IIT Kharagpur had a very rich social life because the IIT was placed in a very small town. Since nothing was present to venture out for, the students spent their time interacting with each other, playing outdoor games or in the library(a select few). Things changed a lot after free internet connection (via 100Mbps LAN ) was introduced in the session 2001-02. With a means to interact by just sitting in their rooms, many students lost interest in hanging out. While this had certainly taken a toll on the culture, it has also contributed in evolving another culture. Today a lot of students spend a good part of their time in playing LAN games like AOE , Counter-Strike , Need For Speed , etc. For sharing files, music, etc. Shareaza was used initially but its use was wiped out after DC++ was introduced in 2004. Culturally speaking, the student life in IIT Kharagpur is mostly famous for Illumination and Rangoli festivals, Spring Fest, Kshitij, Hall days and on a more subliminal level, the wing culture. ILLUMINATION AND RANGOLI Illumination (better known as Illu) is a festival unique to IIT Kharagpur. It is celebrated and inspired from the day of Diwali , the festival of lights and is usually held on the day of Diwali itself. It is organized in a competitive environment, with all the halls fighting for the prestigious prize. As a part of the competition, all halls build vertical panels of bamboo (called ''Chatais'') on which thousands of lamps (''diyas'') are mounted forming outlines of people/things that illustrate an event or a place of importance. The ''chatais'' are sometimes even of the order of 20 feet in height, and overall some 20,000 lamps are lighted. When lighted during the night with all other light sources switched off, the result is a breath-taking display, made lively by the flickering light of the lamps. Traditionally, themes from Ramayan and Mahabharat have been popular choice for it. On the same day as Illumination, the Rangoli Competition is also organized. Gigantic Rangoli s (around 12' by 12') of exquisite detail and subtle shading are constructed using coloured powders, crushed bangles, pebbles, etc. Interplay of light and shadow and ambient music are part of the display. This is also fought for on an inter-hall basis. Evaluation criteria for Illumination and Rangoli
Traditional celebration The winners get a potful of Rasgulla s. Champions - 300, First Runner-up - 200, Second Runner-up - 100, Consolation - 100. This is followed by a lot of Tempo Shouts, another tradition belonging solely to IIT Kharagpur. SPRING FEST Held annually in January, Spring Fest is the largest College Fest in Eastern India and the second largest in the country. Spread over four days, Spring Fest hosts a variety of competitions and performances by some of the best professionals (individual performers and bands) in India. Most of the colleges from eastern India and other parts of the country participate in the fest. Major events are Star Nite, Wildfire, Fashion Parade, Nukkad (streetplay), Quizzes, Vocals, Dances (both eastern and western), Face painting and many more. KSHITIJ Kshitij, is the annual techno-management festival of IIT Kharagpur. It has participation from colleges all over India (and even some from abroad) apart from the 4000 strong student community within the campus. Kshitij hosts a galaxy of events aimed at boosting the technological and managerial skills of students like technical competitions, workshops and seminars by professionals. It provides a chance for the best brains to meet and think over what new can be pursued in the field of technology and management. Kshitij boasts of having played host to a number of celebrities like Shiv Khera, Arindam Chaudhuri, Richard Stallman, Subir Raha, etc. History Previously started as Ideon, Kshitij took off in its present Avatar in 2004 , when 260 particpants from outside the campus came for the Fest. In 2005 , this figure swelled to 1400, including particpants from outside India. Robotix The Annual Robotics competition held during Kshitij aims to bring forth the technical talent in the country. Started in the year 2001 , Robotix has come a long way and boasts of being one of the largest competitions of its kind in India. HALL DAY A Hall Day or ''hall social'' is an annual celebration day that every Hall celebrates sometime in the month of March. On this day, people of the Hall invite their friends from other halls for food and drinks and it usually ends with a rock music/eastern music show by some professional group. It gives the students a chance to unwind and party wildly. Lights hang in mid air and a throng of people can be seen dancing in front of the stage. Each hall names its Hall Day. For example RK Hall's Hall Day is called RespecK, VS hall's is called VesuviuS, Nehru Hall's is called Zephyr, etc. The most crowded of all the Hall Days is Essence, the Hall Day of the girls' hall (SN/IG Hall). HALLS OF RESIDENCE The Hostels (better known as Halls) are laid out along Scholars Avenue which runs from the Institute gates all the way up to the B. C. Roy Technology Hospital. There are eight hostels in all for Undergraduate male students and three for women. In addition, there are a few Post Graduate Students' hostels. The following are the major Halls of Residence in IIT Kharagpur: Ashutosh Mukherjee Hall This Hall is named after Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee . It used to host the students of Vinod Gupta School of Management, but since 2005 , they have been shifted to MMM Hall. Azad Hall This Hall is named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad , a great freedom fighter of Indian independence struggle. It is one of the oldest Halls of IIT Kharagpur.It is located in the so-called PAN loop of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.The overall capacity of this hall is about 300. Azad Hall is the farthest hall of residence from the KGP educational campus. Bidhan Chandra Roy Hall This Hall was established in the early years of formation of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Named after the eminent physician Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy , the first Chief Minister and the architect of post independent modern West Bengal , this hall has come to be meant exclusively for (male) research scholars of the institute. The scholars from different departments and centers find accommodation here. The hall, located just opposite the main gate of the institute campus, houses 160 boarders in its five separate blocks at a time. The creative brilliance and aesthetic excellence of the hall boarders (and the concerned staff) exhibit itself during the gardening competition each year. The hall can claim to have one of the best garden in the flower session among its competitors. Each year, the hall organizes a drawing competition among the local children of different age-groups. It is the most flowery event in the calendar of B. C. Roy Hall as hundreds of children participate in this competition. Gokhale Appartments This Hall is named after notable freedom fighter, Gopal Krishna Gokhale . It houses married couples studying in IIT Kharagpur and is famous for having a private mess, as against to government owned mess in other Halls.Earlier it was known as Gokhale Hall. Homi Jahangir Bhabha Hall This is a hall, named after Homi J. Bhabha for first-year students with a capacity of 168 students. It is a hexagon-shaped building with an extension taken in from J C Bose Hall. It was inaugurated on July 24, 1998 by R P Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors. It is situated near Gymkhana swimming pool and stadium (hubs of student activity). The hall has been converted to a senior hall recently. J C Bose Hall This Hall is named after Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose , who is considered India first modern scientist. Lala Lajpat Rai Hall As the name suggests, LLR Hall is named after Lala Lajpat Rai , one of the greatest freedom fighters of India. This hall has a capacity to seat around 300 students. LLR always had the recognition for its studious students. Most of the President's Gold Medals, which is awarded annually to the best student in academic performances, are won by LLR hall residents. Founded on the 18th September, 1967 this hall consists around 350 rooms. Housing the best mess (the dining hall)in the whole of the Institute, it still is a matter of jealousy amongst members of most halls. This is the only Hall to have 3 separate canteens. New Elected Hall Council Hall President:Shishir Dash Second Senate Member:G Namo Narayana Meghnad Saha Hall This Hall was founded in 2003, with the inauguration done by Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, the then HRD minister of India. It is named after the great scientist, Dr. Meghnad Saha . Among all the halls of IIT Kharagpur, the M S Hall has the highest capacity of 400 students. It generally houses the 1st year undergraduate students along with some research scholars. Mother Teresa Hall This Hall is named after Mother Teresa . It is a girls' M. Tech. Hall. Nehru Hall This Hall is named after Jawaharlal Nehru , the first prime minister of independent India. Located in a corner of the so-called PAN loop of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Nehru Hall is one of the farthest halls of residence from the KGP educational campus. The hall houses approximately 300 residents. Its residents are known for their intense devotion to their Hall that often borders on the aggressive. It is the Hall which has won the Social and Cultural General Championship the maximum number of times, and is renowned for having produced some of the finest actors and musicians on campus. Old MBM Hostel As the name suggests, it was the hall that housed the Management students when the Vinod Gupta School of Management was founded. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hall The newest hall in the campus of IIT Kharagpur is the Madan Mohan Malviya Hall of Residence. Pronounced ''Triple M'', this hall was started on the 27th February 2005 and completed in record time for occupation by the 2005-06 batch on July 22nd. This hall, theoretically, can house over 1600 students with two people sharing a room. It is divided into four blocks: #The HK (H Kabir) Block - Housing around 360 undergraduate first year students. #The SDS(Shanker Dayal Sharma) Block - A co-ed hostel housing the management students of the Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM). Currently houses 119 1st Year MBA students and will have an additional 85 2nd Year MBA students from 21st Nov. #The MTech Block #Empty Block - This block has currently been left empty. The hall council was, unlike tradition, not elected but rather nominated and selected by the warden. The hall is confirmed to house all of the first year students from next year on. Patel Hall This hall is named after the late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel , the Iron Man of India. Built in December 1951 , it is the oldest hall in the whole of the IIT community. It is situated in the PAN loop, off the Scholar's avenue. The overall capacity of this hall is about 300. The hall has a beautiful garden as well which has consistently fetched the hall a number of prizes in gardening competitions in the past. This hall is also known among Kgpians as ''Basti''. Motto of the Hall: ''Lux et veritas vincant'' (translated as "Let Light and Truth Prevail"). Radhakrisnan Hall Radhakrishnan Hall of Residence, or commonly known as R.K.Hall, is named after the renowned scholar and statesman, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , President of India from 1962 to 1967 . Its glorious history boasts of 21 Sports GC (General Championship) and 19 So-Cult GC's, more than any other hall. RKites of yesteryears occupy some of the most important positions in industry and academics. Some of the names which come to our mind are: Vinod Gupta, founder InfoUSA; Prof. PP Chakravarti, Dean SRIC, IIT Kharagpur;Sandipan Deb, Editor Outlook Weekly Magazine; Prof. Prem Vrat, Director, IIT Roorkee. The gigantic messtop structure of "Geetopadesha" during Illu-2002 in RK Hall is the tallest ever structure in the history of IIT KGP. Rajendra Prasad Hall The Rajendra Prasad Hall of Residence (more commonly known as RP Hall) was founded in 1954 . It is named after Dr. Rajendra Prasad , the first president of the Republic of India. The residents of RP Hall are known as RPians. RP Hall has won the Sports GC 8 times in the last 12 years. Motto of the Hall: ''Gentlemen By Choice''. Sarojini Naidu Hall This Hall is named after noted freedom fighter and ''Nightingale of India'', Sarojini Naidu . It is a girls' only Hall. Vidyasagar Hall VS hall is an M.Tech and Ph. D. Hall. Vidyasagar Hall is one of the oldest halls on the IIT Kharagpur campus. Vidyasagar Hall of residence was the fourth hall on the campus, conceived in 1960 and named after the great scholar and social activist Pundit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar . The Hall started functioning from 28th September 1965 . Its existence started with a U.G. batch, then a mix of U.G. and P.G. and then completely Ph. D. scholars. For the last nine years, VS has been a complete P.G. Hall. One saying which reflects the hearty relationship among VSites is that V (We) comes before S (Self) in V.S. Zakir Hussain Hall This Hall is named after Dr. Zakir Hussain . It houses mainly the research scholars. WING CULTURE All the Halls of IIT Kharagpur have internal sub-divisions which are described as follows (please note that this naming convention is specific to IIT Kharagpur):
Most of the halls have a student room of dimension 12 feet by 9 feet. Additionally, there's balcony of 9 feet by 3 feet in many halls. For most of the students, the life is confined to their own rooms or wings. This special attachment of boarders to their own wing is known as Wing Culture. This culture is reflected in many spheres of life, be it the daily chat sessions (known as ''Bhaating''), the intra-hall competitions and even in the various treats given by the students. For all practical purposes, the wing of a student becomes his/her family. GENERAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The various halls of IIT Kharagpur compete against each other over four types of General Championships(GCs). They are GC(Sports and Games), GC(Social and Cultural Activities), GC(Technology) and GC(Hall Affairs). Various events organized throughout the year are grouped under either of these accordingly. Each event contributes to the overall tally of points in a weighted manner based on the importance of the event. GC-Sports and Games Following competitions are organized under GC(Sports and Games):
As with the rest of the world, the events are for men-only. As the number of girls is very less, no separate women-only events are organized. However, an institute-level girls team exists that competes with other IIT s. GC-Social and Cultural Activities Following competitions are organized under GC(Social and Cultural Activities):
GC-Hall Affairs This GC differs from the others because of the reason that it requires the participation of the whole hall, rather than a select team from each hall. It includes the following events:
GC-Technology This is the most recent General Championship added to the triplet already present. It started in the session 2003-04 to reflect the technical aspirations of the students here. It includes the following events:
DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE Disciplinary Committee (or DC) is one of the most feared things on the IIT Kharagpur campus that students face for any and all disciplinary violations. The committee comprises several members of the faculty and inquire into the nature and conditions of the violation of the institute code of conduct and have the authority to impose punishment. TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS GYMKHANA " Technology students Gymkhana " is the center of all the extra-curricular and co-curricular activities ranging from sports to social and cultural activities. The Technology Students Gymkhana (TSG) is run by an elected student committee. The president is a professor nominated by the Director of the institute. The student head is the Vice President (VP) followed by the General Secretaries (G Secs). There are 6 G Secs in 3 categories - G Sec (Soc. & Cult.), G Sec (Sports and Games) and G Sec (Technology). Then there are a group of secretaries whose functioning is overlooked by the G Secs. The VP speaks for the students in the institute senate. He is a part of the institute administration where he represents the students. The G Secs are responsible for conducting Gymkhana Events, Spring Fest and Kshitij. Gymkhana elections The elections for the gymkhana committee are held in the last week of March, one month before the end of the academic year. The nominations are filed over a week and then displayed on notice boards. The students are allowed around three days to withdraw their nominations after which the campaigning period starts. The candidates go from hall to hall campaigning and they have to present everyone with a calli chautha (a short manuscript describing their ideas and intentions). Soap Boxes are held for the major posts where the candidates are grilled on their knowledge about facts, figures and how things run in the institute. Chhedi's Chhedi's is an eatery in a thatched hut, located right by the railway tracks, close to institute. Its claim to fame is that this 24 / 7 shop has closed only twice since it started in its present location some 27 years ago - once for 4 hours (when the owner fell ill) and once for a day (after Indira Gandhi 's death and Subsequent Riots ), before Kharagpur police warranted that Chhedi's be shut down from 12 AM to 3 AM every night. Chhedi's is known and loved for its late night tasty menu of a variety of specialties. Chhedi's has a unique tradition of naming customized recipes after the people who invented them. Examples include the Tinku burger and the Jassi burger. EXTERNAL LINKS
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