In effort to get students to be 'in step' with arty side, IIT-Bhubhaneshwar introduces Odissi as subject

So you thought the only aim of IITs is to produce engineers with fat pay packages? In Bhubhaneshwar, the premier institution is seeking to dispel this notion. According to a report in The Times of India , IIT-Bhubhaneshwar has introduced the classical dance form Odissi as a B.Tech subject. [caption id=“attachment_2433072” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Image courtesy: iitbbs.ac.in[/caption] The TOI report says that this is the first time that a dance form has been introduced in its curriculum. Ten female students are said to have opted for the subject this year. The Hindu has quoted the institute’s director as saying that the objective of the move was to bring in “holistic education”. The course is to have six subjects and students will be assessed through a written test and a stage performance. According to the report, the institute has taken the help of Odissi dancers Padmashree Kumkum Mohanty and Padmashree Ileana Citaristi to prepare the curriculum for the course. The New Indian Express quotes the institute’s director Prof RV Raja Kumar as saying that students who choose the course can go on to receive a diploma in the subject as part of their studies at IIT-Bhubhaneshwar. Kumar is also reported to have said that the institute has also started elective courses in sports, humanities, and management and entrepreneurship.