Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The institute was established in 1909 with active support from Jamsetji Tata and thus is also locally known as the Tata Institute. It was granted a deemed university status in 1958 and recognized as an Institute of Eminence in 2018.
History
Foundations and early history
After an accidental meeting between Jamsetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda, on a ship in 1893 where they discussed Tata's plan of bringing the steel industry to India, Tata wrote to Vivekananda five years later: "I trust, you remember me as a fellow-traveller on your voyage from Japan to Chicago. I very much recall at this moment your views on the growth of the ascetic spirit in India... I recall these ideas in connection with my scheme of Research Institute of Science for India, of which you have doubtless heard or read."Impressed by Vivekananda's views on science and leadership abilities, Tata wanted him to guide his campaign. Vivekananda endorsed the project with enthusiasm, and Tata, with the aim of advancing the scientific capabilities of the country, constituted a provisional committee to prepare a plan for setting up of an institute of research and higher education. The committee presented a draft proposal to Viceroy George Curzon on 31 December 1898. Subsequently, Sir William Ramsay, a Nobel Laureate, was called on to propose a suitable place for such an institution who suggested Bangalore as the best location.
The land and other facilities for the institution were donated by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and Tata. The maharaja donated about of land; Tata gave several buildings towards the creation of IISc. This land included the former village of Medaraninganahalli. A Kannada inscription dated to 1669 CE records the donation of Medaraninganahalli to the Mallapura Mallikarjuna temple by the Maratha king Ekoji I. The maharaja also granted Rs 5,00,000 towards capital expenditure and Rs 50,000 for annual expense. Nizam Osman Ali Khan also contributed, which amounted to around Rs 300,000 over a period of 31 years.
The constitution of the institute was approved by Viceroy Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, and the necessary "vesting order" to enable it to function was signed on 27 May 1909. Early in 1911, the maharaja laid the foundation stone of the institute, and on 24 July, the first batch of students were admitted to the Departments of General and Applied Chemistry under Norman Rudolf and Electro-Technology under Alfred Hay. Within two months, the Department of Organic Chemistry was opened. In 1958, the institute was deemed a university by the University Grants Commission of India.
At the time of the inception of IISc in 1909, Morris Travers, Sir William Ramsay's co-worker in the discovery of the noble gases, became its first director. For Travers, this was a natural continuation of his work on the institute, since he had played a role in its founding. The first Indian director was the Nobel Laureate Sir C.V. Raman.
The institute was the first to introduce a master's programs in engineering. It has also started integrated doctoral programmes in biological, chemical, physical, and mathematical sciences for natural science graduates.
Recent history
On 28 December 2005, two terrorists started firing indiscriminately inside the IISc campus. Munish Chander Puri, a professor from IIT Delhi, died in the attack. Four others were injured.In 2018, the IISc was one of the first six institutes to be awarded the Institute of Eminence status. In 2019, the IISc launched its brand statement: "Discover and Innovate; Transform and Transcend; Serve and Lead".
In 2022, the IISc received a private donation of 425 crore Indian Rupees, the largest in its history, to establish a postgraduate medical institute.
Campus
The institute's Main Campus is fully residential and is spread over 400 acres of land in the heart of Bangalore city. It is located in the north of Bangalore, about 6 kilometres from Bangalore City Railway Station and Kempegowda Bus Station, on the way to Yeshwantpur. It is connected with city's Namma Metro Sandal Soap Factory metro station and by various bus stations of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. The institute is about 30 kilometres southwest of Kempegowda International Airport. As a research hub, it is in the vicinity of a number of other research institutes, Raman Research Institute, Indian Space Research Organisation, Wood Research Institute and Central Power Research Institute, are close to IISc. Most of these institutes are connected to IISc by a regular shuttle bus service.The main campus houses more than 40 departments marked by routes such as the Gulmohar Marga, the Mahogany Marga, the Badami Marga, the Tala Marga, the Ashoka Marga, the Nilgiri Marg, the Silver Oak Marg, the Amra Marga and the Arjuna Marga. The campus features six canteens, a gymkhana, a football ground and a cricket ground, five dining messes, one multi cuisine restaurant, nine men's and five women's hostels, an air strip, a library, two shopping centers and residences of the faculty members and other staff, besides other amenities.
The IISc campus harbours both exotic and indigenous plant species with about 110 species of woody plants. The roads on the campus are named after the dominant avenue tree species.
The architecture of the Main Building, which today houses the administration and the Faculty Hall, is classical in style, fronted by a grey, handsome tower. In front of it stands the work of Gilbert Bayes, a monument erected in the memory of J. N. Tata. At its feet is an inscription that serves to remind future generations of the generosity of Jamsetji Tata and the persistence with which he worked for the welfare of India. The building, as one of the prominent landmarks of Bangalore, was designed by C. F. Stevens and Company of Bombay in 1912–13.
J. R. D. Tata Memorial Library
J. R. D. Tata Memorial Library is the main library of IISc. Apart from the main library, the institute also has independent departmental libraries. The library moved into the present premises in January 1965, built out of grants provided by University Grants Commission, in commemoration of the golden jubilee celebrations of the institute in 1959. In 1995, the library was renamed as "J. R. D. Tata Memorial Library". The National Board for Higher Mathematics has recognised this library as Regional Center for Mathematics for the south region and continued to award a special grant towards subscription of Journals in Mathematics.The annual budget of the library is over Rs. 100 million of which subscription towards periodicals alone is about Rs. 90 million. The library currently receives over 1,734 periodical titles, of which 1381 are subscribed, while the remaining titles are received as gratis or on an exchange basis. About 600 titles are accessible through the library subscription. In addition, over 10,000 journals are accessible online, thanks to INDEST subscription. The total holdings of the library exceed 411,000 documents.
The buildings for the metallurgy and aerospace departments were designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1940.
Historical artifacts on campus
A 10th century hulibete veeragallu, or hero stone commemorating a fight with a tiger, was discovered on the IISc campus in the late 1970s by two children of a professor who lived there. Veeragallus were typically erected to honor individuals who died in acts of valor, usually civilians. They are found mostly in the Karnataka region, dating from the 8th to 17th centuries. Those with inscriptions are especially helpful to historians as they provide more context about the event and martyr.While the IISc veeragallu lacks an inscription, experts believe it dates to the 10th century when the Western Gangas ruled Bangalore. The sculpture is partially damaged, but you can still see the martyr's left hand gripping a bow and his right hand about to shoot an arrow at an attacking tiger.
This is one of only three known hulibete veeragallus in Bangalore. The others are located at Bangalore University and in Madivala.
Challakere Campus
A second campus is in Challakere, on a lot of land. Research centres and labs here include the Talent Development Centre, Skill Development Centre funded by HAL under CSR Act, Solar Power Research Center and a Climate Observatory. The Centre for Sustainable Technologies has commenced its activities here under the project "C-BELT" i.e., the Centre for Bio-energy and Low-Carbon Technologies.Janardhana Swamy, then Member of Parliament from the Chitradurga Lok Sabha as well as a notable alumnus of IISc and Amalan Biswas, then DC of Chitradurga District played significant roles in setting up the IISc's new campus at Challakere. They were instrumental in identifying all the required 1500 acres of land for the new campus, getting the existing building leased from the Sheep Farm, obtaining the various needed approvals from the government, and having the initial funds released from the State.
Organisation and administration
Academic divisions, departments, and centres
For academic purposes, departments and centres in the institute are broadly assigned to either the Science Faculty or the Engineering Faculty. For administrative purposes, departments and centres are classified into six divisions, each headed by a chairperson. Each department or centre is administered by a chairperson.| Division | Departments, Centres, and Units |
| Biological Sciences |
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| Chemical Sciences | |
| Physical and Mathematical Sciences | |
| Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Sciences | |
| Mechanical Sciences | |
| Interdisciplinary Research |
Autonomous Societies and Centres based in the Institute: