Archive · 19 Aug 2026
IIT Kharagpur Marks 75 Years With Call for Resilient Minds
IIT Kharagpur celebrated its 75th Foundation Day.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar told students that being strong and able to handle problems is more important than only getting high marks.
He said information becomes wisdom when people use it in their lives.
He also said students should learn how to deal with failure without giving up.
Ravi Shankar encouraged them to spend time on music and painting to keep their minds balanced.
The institute has been dealing with student mental-health concerns and reported nine student deaths on campus.
It plans to build a large wellness centre with counsellors, therapy rooms and meditation spaces.
It also wants to build new hostels and improve the campus.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urged students to build resilient personalities rather than focus only on outstanding marks.
He said knowledge must be turned into wisdom and encouraged students to spend time on music and painting.
The address highlighted failure, mental health and the need to balance technology with emotional wellbeing.
IIT Kharagpur plans a ₹44 crore Setu wellness centre with counselling, therapy, meditation and psychiatric-care facilities.
The institute also plans five modern hostels for more than 4,000 students and housing for research scholars.
- Who
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, ISRO chairman V. Narayanan, IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty, students, teachers and institute officials.
- What
- IIT Kharagpur held its 75th Foundation Day celebrations, featuring discussions on mental health, resilience and campus development.
- When
- At the institute’s 75th Foundation Day celebrations; the article also reports that a student died on campus on August 13, without specifying a year.
- Where
- Netaji Auditorium at IIT Kharagpur.
- Why
- The event addressed student wellbeing and mental-health concerns while outlining plans to upgrade IIT Kharagpur’s research, physical and residential infrastructure.
- Event
- IIT Kharagpur’s 75th Foundation Day celebrations
- Key speaker
- Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
- Mental-health context
- An IIT official said nine student deaths had been reported on campus and more students were facing mental-health issues.
- Wellness centre
- The planned Setu centre will cover 5,000 square metres and is estimated to cost around ₹44 crore.
- Setu facilities
- The centre is planned to include 25 counsellor rooms, therapy spaces, meditation spaces and mood rooms.
- Additional support
- Setu will be backed by an app, wellness buddies and existing 24x7 psychiatric care.
- Hostel expansion
- Five modern hostels are planned, with accommodation for more than 4,000 students.