The new in-charge director of IIT-Patna, Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, addresses the induction programme on Monday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

It was the induction programme for freshers and Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, the IIT-Kharagpur director, who joined IIT-Patna as the in-charge director on Monday.

Chakrabarti took up the the charge after the former IIT-Patna director, A.K. Bhowmick, left the institute following the completion of his term.

On his first day at the technology institute, Chakrabarti in his ceremonial speech to the students said: “Studying at the IITs is a dream for everyone. It is expected that personnel excellence is the heart of an IITian.”

Commenting on the large crowd of parents who had come along with their wards on the first day of the session, Chakrabarti said: “My mother came to my institute (IIT-Khagarpur) only during the convocation. But time has changed. Today, the parents are much more aware of the the IIT syllabus and its pattern than the students.”

During the induction programme at IIT-Patna, the students were busy for registration. Around 199 BTech students have registered for taking admission to the institute.

The number of seats available for the BTech course at the institute is 200 in the first year.

Of the 199 students who have registered for the course on Monday, 42 students are from Andhra Pradesh, 26 from Bihar and 33 from Uttar Pradesh.

The new in-charge director has stressed on the cooperation among students. “The spirit of competition should be mixed with cooperation. The students should learn to collaborate in projects and develop healthy friendships,” Chakrabarti said.

On the first day of the session, the faculty members briefed the students about the facilities available at the institute like library, hostel, canteen and others.

Chakrabarti also spoke about his priorities as the in-charge director of IIT-Patna such as shifting of the new campus to Bihta.

He said once the IIT-Patna moves to its new campus it would help in improving the rank of the institute.

Sources in the technology institute said among the new IITs, the rank of IIT-Patna is lower than that of IIT-Hyderabad and IIT-Gandhinagar.

Sources said this year those securing AIR rank 2,000 to 5,000 in advanced test were allotted seats in IIT-Patna in the third round of counselling.

Snehal Shaurya, a student of BD Public School, Patna, who has secured AIR rank 4,389 said: “I have taken admission to IIT-Patna for two reasons. First, it is in my hometown and second the facilities available at the institute are better than many new IITs.”