CHENNAI: Dr. Krishna Chivukula, an alumnus of IIT-Madras and founder of Indo MIM Technology Private Limited, donated Rs 228 crore to his alma mater. This will be used to give fellowships to top BTech students, eminent sportspersons, foreign students, faculty members who do high-risk research, and to bring out a magazine, IIT-M said.
The institute on Tuesday named an academic block after Krishna Chivukula, who got an MTech in aerospace engineering from IIT-M in 1970.
“This is one of the largest donations ever made to IIT Madras. We will launch Krishna Chivukula fellows programme to reward top BTech students in all branches,” V Kamakoti, director of IIT-Madras, told reporters .
Chivukula, who also has an MBA from Harvard Business School (1980), was group president and CEO at the Hoffman Group of Companies in New York before he set up his own firm. He founded two firms in succession — Shiva Technologies Inc in 1990 in Syracuse, New York, specializing in advanced mass spectroscopy to certify ultra-high purity materials, and Indo MIM in Bengaluru, to produce small metal and ceramic components with complex geometries in high volumes.
Most aircraft carry metals produced by Krishna Chivukula’s company, Kamakoti said.
“I am hoping this will ignite a spark and culture of giving to our own country and our own people. I am lighting a bigger fire (donation) to make a difference,” Krishna Chivukula told reporters. He said his BTech at IIT-Bombay and MTech at IIT-Madras helped him get into Harvard University and become a successful person.
“We will support sportsmen under the Krishna Chivukula sports fellowship programme. The fund will also be used to support students from developing countries, including African countries and Saarc countries,” Kamakoti said.
The money will also be used to convert IIT-M’s magazine “Shaastra”, which features the latest discoveries and scientific and technological updates, into a monthly to be distributed free to students. “Further, faculty members who do research under ‘high-risk and high-reward’ programmes will also get support from this fund,” Kamakoti said.
“We are a growing institution and we have needs. We would like to see more such donations,” Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, dean of alumni and corporate relations, IIT-Madras, said.
In 2022, two philanthropist couples, Susmita and Subroto Bagchi and Radha and NS Parthasarathy, together donated Rs 425 crore to Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to set up a postgraduate medical school and 800 bed multispeciality hospital on IISc campus.
Original News Link
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/alumnus-a-1970-batch-mtech-gifts-iit-m-rs-228-crore/articleshow/112328484.cms
