IIT Indore recently introduced the Prof Deepak Phatak Tinkerers’ Lab, which officially opened its doors this September. This student-managed facility is a tribute to Padma Shri Phatak, the former chairman of IIT Indore known for his pioneering contributions to various digital technology domains.
The aforementioned lab is accessible 24X7 to the entire IIT Indore community. Phatak, who was present during the ceremony, addressed the students and emphasised on the paramount importance of hands-on learning for budding engineers.
The lab is open 24X7 for the IITians
He portrayed the Tinkerers’ Lab as a manifestation of the core spirit of an IITian, a space where students can liberate their creativity and innovative instincts without the confines of a rigid syllabus. Phatak encouraged students to roll up their sleeves, seek guidance from mentors and invest their passion into their projects, foreseeing these experiences as the crucible for shaping them into pragmatic problem solvers and prospective entrepreneurs.
Prof. Suhas Joshi, the director of IIT Indore, celebrated the lab’s inauguration, highlighting the institution’s unwavering commitment to nurturing engineers who excel not only in theory but also in practical problem-solving.
Dr Hemant Kanakia, accompanied by his fellow IIT Bombay alumni from the class of 1975, shared the lab’s journey and objectives. He shared how the Tinkerers’ Lab, originally supported by the 1975 IIT Bombay batch, has evolved into the flagship initiative of the Maker Bhavan Foundation. Its mission is to revolutionise India’s STEM education landscape and cultivate the next generation of ingenious engineers and technologists who will lead and catalyse change within the nation.
