IIT Madras Department of Humanities and Social Sciences is organizing a two day conference.
The event will be held on 21 and 22 June 2025. It features scholars, and community leaders engaging with themes of tribal history, resistance movements, identity, and future possibilities.
Conference topic
The conference will be on the subject ‘Tribal Resistance, Resilience and Reimagining Future: Celebrating 150 Years of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.’
Chief guest
Addressing the event, Chief Guest Indrasena Reddy Nallu, Governor of Tripura, said that the indigenous knowledge of the tribe of India needs integration with the modern life styles including science and technology.
He highlighted the schemes of the Government of India for the upliftment and preservation of people, legacy, and heritage of the tribal communities of the nation.
Director of IIT Madras
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti the Director of IIT Madras highlighted this event as the first tribal conference of IIT Madras.
He underlined the contributions of Bhagwan Bisra Munda during the freedom struggle and his help towards the people as a doctor.
The director also emphasized the need of research in various aspects of life among our tribal population.
Janjatiya Gaurav
As part of ‘Janjatiya Gaurav’ (Tribal Pride) celebration, a Cultural Evening was being held on 21st June in the campus, showcasing tribal art and cultural performances from tribal groups of the Nilgiri Hills and Northeast East India.
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras
Highlighting the importance of this program, Prof. Rajesh Kumar, Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, Prof Sathyanarayan N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, said, “Tribal movements in the history of modern India are symbols of resilience and resistance against the ruthless colonial oppression.
In this grand celebration we have focused on a wide range of topics including the life and the legacy of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
‘We are hosting eighty speakers across the globe.’ He welcomed all attending the conference on behalf of the department.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’
The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 18 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.
IITM is a residential institute with more than 650 faculty and 10,000 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here.
IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
Recognized as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) in 2019, IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the sixth consecutive year in India Ranking 2024 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.
The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for nine consecutive years – from 2016 to 2024.
In 2023, IIT Madras became the first IIT to establish an international Campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania called ‘IIT Madras Zanzibar.
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