Tag: IIT Madras

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IIT Madras Launches Courses in Bahrain

The official signing ceremony of this historic agreement took place at the IIT Madras campus, witnessing the presence of esteemed dignitaries….reports Asian Lite News

McINDEEZ CONSULTANCY is pleased to announce the formalization of an Outreach Partner Agreement with the esteemed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Pravartak Foundation.

This groundbreaking partnership paves the way for McINDEEZ Consultancy to offer a diverse range of certification programs in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, Crypto Currency, Cyber Security, Machine Learning, Logistics and Supply Chain, Banking and Finance, and more.

The official signing ceremony of this historic agreement took place at the IIT Madras campus, witnessing the presence of esteemed dignitaries. The event was graced by the Director of IIT Madras, Prof. V Kamakodi, and the Digital Skills Academy Program Coordinator, Prof. Magala Sunder. Representing McINDEEZ Consultancy were Chairman P Unnikrishnan and CEO Abdul Jaleel Abdulla.

This collaboration between McINDEEZ Consultancy and IIT Madras is a significant step toward democratizing access to world-class education in Bahrain and the wider Gulf region.

It brings together the academic prowess of IIT Madras and the strategic vision of McINDEEZ Consultancy to create a transformative learning experience.

Prof. V Kamakodi, Director of IIT Madras, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to collaborate with McINDEEZ Consultancy to make IIT Madras Pravatak Foundation’s top-tier certification programs accessible to a global audience. This partnership is aligned with our commitment to disseminating knowledge and fostering innovation.”

P Unnikrishnan, Chairman of McINDEEZ Consultancy, shared his thoughts on the collaboration, saying, “Our mission has always been to empower individuals with the skills they need to succeed in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and business.

This partnership with IIT Madras allows us to deliver on that promise by offering cutting-edge certification programs that are highly respected worldwide.”

Abdul Jaleel Abdulla, CEO of McINDEEZ Consultancy commented that “Under this agreement, McINDEEZ Consultancy will facilitate enrollment, provide support services, and offer a seamless learning experience to students and professionals seeking to advance their careers.

The certification programs, designed by IIT Madras, are renowned for their rigor and relevance, making graduates highly sought after in the job market”.

IIT Madras Certification programs will be offered through the ed-tech platform, www.mcindeezacademy.com . The portal will be launched in Bahrain on Monday, October 2nd, 2023, at an event to be held in Crowne Plaza, Bahrain.

This landmark event will be attended by the Indian Ambassador, H.E. Vinod K Jacob, IIT Madras Pravartak CEO, Dr, Shankar Raman, Digital Skills Academy GM, Dr. Balamurali and other officials from Ministries and corporate and community leaders. There will be a talk on “How Disruptive Technology impacts Human Life” by Dr. Balamurali during the event.

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Education India News Lite Blogs

Religious leaders, musicians, chess players too pass out of IITs

He is a pioneer in playing traditional Carnatic music on guitar. Popularly known as ‘Guitar Prasanna’, he had studied naval architecture at IIT-M…reports Venkatachari Jagannathan

Not only scientists, technologists, industrialists, businessmen and top executives have passed out of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M).

Religious leader Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, Carnatic musicians — guitarist R. Prasanna and vocalist S. Sowmya — and chess players S. Kailasanathan and M. Ramesh, among others, too are distinguished alumni of this prestigious institution.

Founded in 1959 with German assistance, IIT-M, an institute of eminence, is a residential institution with nearly 550 faculty, over 10,000 students and more than 1,250 administrative/support staff.

Located in about 250 hectares of greenery in the heart of Chennai, IIT-M boasts of major names in various fields as its alumni, such as Prem Watsa, Founder-Chairman, Fairfax Holdings; Kris Gopalakrishnan, one of the Founders of Infosys; Anand Rajaram and Venky Harinarayanan, Co-Founders of Cambrian Ventures, Kosmiz, Junglee Corp (acquired by Amazon); Gururaj Deshpande, Founder, Sycamore Networks; T.T. Jagannathan, Chairman, TTK Group, and several others.

Here are thumbnail sketches of well and not so well-known IIT Madras alumni who have made a mark for themselves in their respective fields.

S. Kailasanathan, Managing Director, Microsense Group

Seventy-year-old S. Kailasanathan, Managing Director, Microsense Group, won the Tamil Nadu chess championship as a student of IIT-M. He also has the distinction of playing chess for West Bengal and Delhi.

Microsense is majorly into offering WiFi connectivity in major hotel chains and residential apartments, among others. The group will be entering the Middle East market soon.

After getting his business degree from IIM-Calcutta, Kailasanathan began his career with the Electronics Trade and Technology Development Corporation. In 1980s, he founded the Microsense Group.

Sponsoring several young chess players, Microsense also organised coaching camps for upcoming Indian players, roping in two chess legends — former world champion GM Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik and GM Boris Gelfand.

Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, Head, Adichunchanagiri Mutt

An M.Tech of IIT-M, Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji – born as Nagaraj Gowda – was appointed as the head of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt.

Prior to joining IIT-M, he had completed his Diploma from a Government Polytechnic College and BE in civil engineering from the National Institute of Engineering, Mysuru.

In 1998, he became a ‘sanyasi’ (saint), renouncing worldly life, and in 2013 Nirmalanandanatha became the head of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt.

R. Prasanna, Guitarist

He is a pioneer in playing traditional Carnatic music on guitar. Popularly known as ‘Guitar Prasanna’, he had studied naval architecture at IIT-M.

Now based in the US, Prasanna says he got interested in guitar at the age of five when he saw his neighbour at Ranipet play the instrument. He says that Carnatic music is part of his DNA and thanks his mother for making him learn it.

Later, as part of rock bands, he toured different parts of India.

Guitar Prasanna (Wikipedia)

Deciding to focus 100 per cent on music, he quit his software profession and majored in Jazz and Classical Composition from the Berklee College of Music.

Prasanna has composed music for several movies, besides playing for the soundtracks for music directors like Ilaiyaraaja, A.R. Rahman, Harris Jayaraj and others.

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, Neeva Inc

If one were asked to name the Indian heading a search engine company, majority of the time the answer will not be Sridhar Ramaswamy, but some other Tamilian name.

After spending several years as SVP Google in the US, Ramaswamy, a 1989 IIT-M pass out, is the Co-Founder of Neeva Inc, a search engine. That too a paid one. The USP being it will be an ads-free search engine for $4.95/month.

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, Neeva Inc (Wikipedia)

He had partnered with Vivek Raghunathan, ex-Vice President, Monetisation, at YouTube, and a graduate from IIT Bombay.

Interestingly, Neeva in Tamil ‘you come’. The venture of the two ex-IITians that crosses swords with Google has begun recently and one has to wait for the results.

Sridhar Vembu, CEO, Zoho Corporation

Padma Shri Sridhar Vembu graduated with a B.Tech. degree in electrical engineering from IIT-M in 1989 and secured his doctorate from the Princeton University in 1994.

After working in Qualcomm, Vembu joining hands with his brothers and friends co-founded software product company AdventNet, which was later renamed as Zoho Corporation.

Eearlier this year, Zoho Corporation launched Arattai, an instant messaging app, as a rival to WhatsApp.

As a policy, Vembu avoids funding by venture capitalists and the public.

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Environment and WIldlife

IIT Madras’ e-Source seeks to tackle e-waste

E-waste is one of the pressing issues in India as well, with the country being the world’s third largest producer. Further, between 2019 and 2020, Indians generated 38 per cent more e-waste…reports Asian Lite News.

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) is developing an innovative model to tackle electronic waste (e-waste) by linking stakeholders in the formal and informal economy.
Called ‘e-Source,’ it will be an exchange platform that will serve as an online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and facilitate a formal supply chain between buyers and sellers, a IIT-M release said.
This initiative can become a critical resource by enabling reverse logistics supply chains and help recycle 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste world generates annually, and is potentially a $50 billion market, it said.
According to studies, global e-waste is expected to double in the next 16 years. Studies also estimated that 85 per cent of this is being lost globally. IIT Madras researchers focused on the “circular economy”, and are working to address the gaps in the e-waste sector, which can potentially open doors to a $50 billion economy.
E-waste is one of the pressing issues in India as well, with the country being the world’s third largest producer. Further, between 2019 and 2020, Indians generated 38 per cent more e-waste. However, what is more worrying is that only 5 per cent of e-waste is recycled responsibly in the country, the release said.

Carbon emission(Pixabay)

The e-Source initiative is being spearheaded by the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), which believes that the problem of e-waste could be resolved by connecting different buyers and sellers of used and waste electronic equipment and components without compromising their interests, the release said.
Highlighting the need for ‘e-Source’ initiative, IGCS faculty member Prof Sudhir Chella Rajan said: “E-wastes are typically either completely stripped down for precious metals and other high-value materials or dumped in landfills by waste handlers, without exploring potential re-use and repurposing options. Unscientific recycling methods are harmful for waste handlers and the environment.”
Rajan, also a faculty in the IIT-M’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: “e-Source is a unique open-source platform that will evolve towards using machine learning for better traceability of e-waste in compliance with guidelines and help increase the opportunities for repair and re-use of e-waste. This will potentially improve livelihoods for youth and women in periurban settings by upgrading their skills and improving occupational health and safety, reduce the flow of toxic materials in waste streams and broaden the market for affordable, second-hand e-devices.”
This initiative requires forging collaborations and influencing the stakeholders in the informal markets who are primary users/buyers of used electronic goods and sellers of electronic spares, ICT components and electronic equipment. This would ensure enough volumes are generated for repair, re-use, and recycling for larger players (e.g., authorised recyclers) to operate along with aiding stand-alone repair-men to acquire electronic components independent of the centralised grey markets, the release added.
A majority of India’s pollution control agencies remain closed entities when it came to sharing information with the public with a mere handful of India’s pollution control boards and authorities are adequately putting out environmental and governance information into the public domain, a new rating study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found.
For calculating the Transparency Index and rating of pollution control boards on public disclosure – as the study is titled – the CSE assessed the data disclosure performance of 29 state pollution control boards (PCBs) and six pollution control committees from across the country. Of these, only 17 boards and committees scored 50 per cent or above.

These are from Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“Governance and functioning-related data remains paper-bound: Information on functioning, actions taken by a board against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects etc are rarely disclosed or remain difficult to access on the websites,” CSE said in a release here.
“State PCBs are entrusted with several functions under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974; Air Act, 1981; Water Cess Act, 1977; and various rules and notifications issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. One of these functions under Section 17(C) of the Air and Water Acts is to collect and disseminate information related to air and water pollution and also about its prevention, control or abatement. The law asks the boards to share the data in public domain. But this is rarely done in practice,” said programme director, Industrial Pollution Unit, CSE, Nivit Kumar Yadav.

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