Recreation

Apart from the cultural activities and sporting events that go on throughout the academic year, there are many other forms of recreation open to the students. There are a number of clubs including the Music Club, Astronomy Club, Film Club, Hiking Club etc.

The Institute also has various Sabhas and Mandals which are informal gatherings of people having a similar linguistic background. The Hindi Mitra Mandal, the Kannada Sangha, the Telugu Samskritika Samiti etc. are a few of them.

Hobby Club

IITM has a unique Hobby Club, which assists not only in the crafting of skills in the various activities but also in all rounded development of the personality of the students.

The Hobby Club encompasses various activities varying from Photography to Robotics, Computer Security to Ham Radio. Each club conducts various events throughout the year like inviting eminent people for lectures and demonstrations. Various competitions are also conducted by the clubs sessions are also organized to disseminate knowledge and skills in popular areas.

With the new Center for Innovation coming up in the campus, more support and help shall be available to the students to carry out large projects using the latest machines and equipments available. Students would be able to spend their time pursuing crazy innovative ideas, freed from the shackles of workspace or material constraints.

The Hobby Club maintains its own website at http://students.iitm.ac.in/hobbyclub

Music Club

The Music Club, IIT Madras was founded in October 1970, by a dedicated group of faculty, staff and students. The aim was to promote listening to classical music amidst campus residents, students included. Several stalwarts have performed at this acoustically and aesthetically structured Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) to sizable audiences observing pin drop silence. Looking for subtleties, nuances, peace and quite? Well, this is where you should attend a music concert. And when we say stalwarts, we mean it. Whom do you want - Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagvathar, D.K.Pattammal, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Balamuralikrishna. Well, the list can go on. Many have performed under this banner and have appreciated our audience.

But, there is a flip slide to it too. We suffer a drought - of audience from time to time. We have had cycles of house-full CLT with audience squatting on the steps and stage - we have have also faced the embarrassment of seeing more members in the performing troupe than in the audience! The pleasure and pangs of running such an exclusive club will continue. But those who look back at campus life later, will count on Music Club as one of the nice things they miss/missed out on!

• Highlights Classfest - In early August, every year - a festival of concerts by popular artists.
• Youthfest - In early January, every year a festival of concerts by young, promising musicians.

Feeling Rich? You can help the club by sending a cheque (in Rupees) or a cheque (in Dollars) in the name of "Music Club, IIT Madras".

The Music Club maintains its own web site at http://musicclub.iitm.ac.in

Dr T.T.Narendran (alias Mama)
Phone (Office) : +91 (44) 2257 4557
Phone (Residence) : +91 (44) 22576557
EMail : ttn@acer.iitm.ernet.in or narendran@vsnl.com

Astronomy Club

The Astronomy club of IIT Madras is a group of campusites who are enthusiastic about hobby astronomy.

The club acts as a base for all amateur astronomy related activities and aims at popularising it in the institute. The exchange of information and spreading of general awareness about various astronomical events find a common platform in the club.

Currently with around 20 regular "members", the club meets monthly or fortnightly (mostly during weekends) to hold sky watching and astrophotography sessions. The sessions are usually held at Sangam, the institute's skating ring.

With the services of the institute telescope, a Celestron 8" Newtonian (see 'Equipment'), apart from casual star gazing, we watch out for planets, open clusters, globular clusters, galaxies, nebulae, other DSOs, etc. Saturn, Jupiter, Moon, Omega Centauri, and Orion nebula are among the favourites. We also do some astrophotography, with equipment owned by some of the members.

Any interested campusites are welcome to join the group.

We discuss astronomy and plan our events here.

For more details, do visit our website.

IIT Madras Film Society

With its silver jubilee just round the corner, the IITFS, from the time of its inception has dedicated itself to the cause of screening technically brilliant and thought provoking movies. A registered society, it is affiliated to the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI). Over the years, the IITFS has screened movie classics and documentaries from all over the world with the objective of exposing the viewers to the cultural heritage of other countries. Movies screened in the past include all-time greats like Pather Panchali, Roman Holiday, Casablanca, Vertigo, Do Bigha Zameen, Il Postino and My Fair Lady among others. Membership is open to all students and staff members of the institute. Movies are screened regularly at the Central Lecture Theater (CLT).

Film Club

The Film Club screens the weekly Saturday Night English movie at the Open Air Theater - popularly known as OAT. The Open Air Theatre is located opposite the Humanities and Sciences Block. The OAT is the venue for the weekly Saturday night Film Club movies, GF & KR basketball matches and cultural events like professional shows and music concerts during Saarang. It can seat over 7000 people and usually plays to packed capacity.

The OAT movies, as they are popularly known, attract large crowds comprising not just students and campus-ites, but non campus-ites (Employees staying outside) as well. Over the years, the OAT movie has acquired the status of a tradition of sorts at IITM - movies run to packed audiences. Tamil movies are screened on the first Saturday of the month and Hindi movies are screened on the first Saturday of the subsequent month. Regional movies (Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada) find a place on special occasions and festival days and are screened by the respective regional associations.

Speaking Club

The Speaking Club of IIT Madras is the longest running literary club in the institute. Since it's conception four years ago by a group of Senior students , the club through its activities has helped students in the campus improve their public speaking skills.The club is popular for its informal setting that has attracted freshmen and Seniors alike. It creates a great platform ideal and conducive to learn from each other and from their own mistakes!

Its sessions are designed to have fun along with the ingrained learning process. Along with activities like JAMS , extempores , street plays etc. for Seniors , the club has arranged sessions on how to's of presentations and interviews. The co-ordinators help facilitate the event and come up with necessary tips and feedback that helps the students overcome their fear of public speaking and improve further. Typically 4 to 5 events or sessions are conveniently spaced so as to comfortably fit most student's schedules.

The time spent with The Speaking Club would make quite the orator out of anyone and a happy one at that.

The Speaking Club maintains its own website at http://the.speaking.club.googlepages.com

Hiking Club

In the campus,there is a Hiking Club being run by the students,which organizes hiking tours to the exciting destinations every year.

Amateur Radio Club

The Amateur Radio Club is an electronics enthusiasts delight. It has a powerful transceiver located at the basement of Brahmaputra hostel.

Photography Club

The Photography Club has facilities and cameras for hire. The club encourages amateur photographers and beginners interested in learning the techniques of photography. The Photography Club functions from the first floor of the Humanities and Sciences Block and is next to the Central Photographic Section.

Literary Club (or the Lit-Circle)

Passions run high as the twelve hostels battle it out for the Lit-Soc trophy which is awarded to the hostel securing maximum number of points in literary and arts activities conducted throughout the year. The Lit-Circle aims at improving the standards of lit-activities on campus. Meetings are organized at the SAC where students are trained to represent the institute at other cultural fests. The Lit-Circle is the ideal place to get information about an event which holds your interest.

Prakriti (Wildlife Club)

Prakriti, the Wildlife Club of IIT Madras, Was founded in April 2002 by a group of wildlife enthusiasts comprising of students, faculty, staff, residents and alumni of IIT Madras. The formation of the club was spurred by a growing recognition of the need to protect the unique biodiversity of the IIT Madras campus. The IIT Madras Campus was carved out of a natural forest that formed part of the Guindy National Park. The Guindy National Park and IIT Campus come under Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest type - the least common vegetation type seen in India. The campus can be considered as an ideal example for the co-existence various types of mini-ecosystems. The main inhabitants of these ecosystems are the blackbuck, spotted deer, jackals, mongooses, monkeys, squirrels, toddy cats, wild cats, various types of reptiles, a plethora of insects including about 40 different species of butterflies and about 100 species of birds. IITM campus also hosts large groups of migratory birds and butterflies every year.

Prakriti maintains its own website at http://hsb.iitm.ac.in/~prakriti/