IIT Madras Campus Experience

IIT Madras campus is a haven for bird watchers in the city. There are about 100 species of birds seen at different times of the year. There are quite a number of resident species as well as few migrants like Forest Wagtail, Pied Crested Cuckoo, Golden Oriole etc. which are migratory.

IIT Madras is a place which gives students the rich and valuable exposure to multiple avenues related to academics, co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Each student discovers their true interests and passion and pursues the same. The various activities and occasions associated with the institute not only aim to bring the dormant skills of the students to the surface but also to train and let them experience organisational and leadership attributes. And this doubtlessly is the reason behind the success of the IITians and the peaks of excellence they often scale in any field of specialisation they choose to enter and explore, be it academics, industry, sports, arts, literature or politics.

Landmarks

Gajendra Circle

The first landmark that greets every visitor is GC or Gajendra Circle, which is about 2.5 km from the gate. The area from the main gate to GC is the residential zone of our campus where faculty and staff live. After GC you’ll enter the academic zone with various departments, laboratories, workshops and the computer centre, spread over a large area in a big array of buildings. Further into the campus towards the end, you will find the hostel zone with various facilities for students.

Himalaya

Himalaya is a giant building where all the messes are located. Infront is a beautiful lawn where you can relax in the evenings.

New Academic Complex

The new academic complex was constructed recently with a budget of 115 crores. It is equipped with all the latest technology classroom facilities. The view from outside is very scenic. It is presently hosting the Departments of Mathematics, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering.

OAT

In between the GC and the hostel zone, you will spot a large arena called the Open Air Theatre, where the weekend movies are screened by the Film Club. Here, the best of the latest movies in English, Hindi, Tamil and other regional languages are screened. OAT is also the venue where the Saarang Pro-shows are held.

CLT

The Central Lecture Theatre is just opposite to the OAT in the middle of the Humanities and Sciences Block (HSB). This is an auditorium with a capacity of about 400, which is used for almost every in-house activity in the Institute. The Lit-Soc Schedule uses only this venue, not to mention the associations of the Institute which use this place all the time.

CRC, Raman and Ramanujan Blocks

These are the places where most of your common classes take place. These are the places you would want to memorise in and out as this is where you would be headed to, most mornings, half- awake. The ground floor of the Class Room Complex is air-conditioned and is open for the use of students till 1 AM during the quiz weeks to serve as hangout spots for the muggu junta apart from the library.

Campus Festivals

Shaastra

Shaastra is the annual technical festival of IIT Madras. True to its name, the Sanskrit equivalent of science, Shaastra is a celebration of unconstrained thinking and love for the spirit of engineering. A melting pot of diverse disciplines in science, it provides the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the latest worldwide trending technologies.

Shaastra has always been a tremendous learning experience for the organisers, participants and visitors. The fest attracts an immense number of participants from diverse technical, scientific and managerial backgrounds, from school students to graduates, academicians to professionals, engineers to entrepreneurs. Shaastra also has something to offer to non-hardcore techies, with events such as drone wars, laser shows and firework displays that make up a huge part of the Shows and Exhibitions every year.

Saarang

IIT Madras has seen a 60-year journey marked by many milestones, one of which was the advent of Mardi Gras, a pioneer student cultural extravaganza. Mardi Gras had the distinction of hosting Uriah Heep (in one of their rare world tours), Buddha’s Babies and even A R Rahman as a college student. Almost 45 years later, the legacy lives on, but now known as Saarang.

This five-day festival is the traditional meeting place for the young and the young at heart. Saarang is characterised by jam-packed days of events and competitions. Be it the theatre arts, musical displays such as Decibels or the laugh-out-loud wackiness of extempore and Just-A-minute, Saarang always has the crowds screaming for more.

Department Fests

Apart from the Institute fests, some departments also conduct special fests throughout the year. Here are some of the prominent ones:

AMALGAM: Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

BHOUTICS: Physics Department

BIOFEST: Biotechnology Department

ELEC FEST: Electrical Engineering Department

CHEMCLAVE: Chemical Engineering Department

CEA FEST: Civil Engineering Department

EXEBIT: Computer Science & Engineering Department

FORAYS: Mathematics Department

HSS DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE: Humanities and Social Sciences Department

MECHANICA: Mechanical engineering Department

SAMANVAY: Department of Management Studies

WAVEZ: Department of Ocean Engineering