Monastery, Sanctuary, Laboratory: 50 years of IIT- Bombay, is Manchanda’s tribute to an institution he has been associated with for the past 18 years.

As the IIT celebrates its golden jubilee year, Manchanda launched his book at Crossword, Kemp’s Corner, to an enthusiastic audience, with former ad-man and theatre person Alyque Padamsee reading excerpts from the book.  

Tracing its little-known history, the well-researched book dispels myths about IIT’s founding. Begun as an initiative by a British viceroy to instill more self-reliance in Indian technology, Manchanda clears the myth about a Nehruvian dream, saying “ideas have a way of floating about as popular folklore”. 

The book has a personal touch, with anecdotes from friends and professors who have drifted through the corridors of the institution. Many of them were present at the reading and shared their experiences as a theatrical Padamsee handed them the mike in between passages.

Professor Rama Iyer (quoted in the book) shed light on the students’ weekend getaways to the racecourse and the secret transactions across the pipeline for booze, prohibited on campus. Setting up radio broadcasting stations and floating public sector companies were among some of the pastimes at IIT.  

Introducing the book, Padamsee, a member of institiue’s advisory board, rambled on about the ‘brand’ that is IIT and waxed eloquent about the greatness of the institution. Manchanda on the other hand confessed that he had been oblivious to the growth of the IIT brand in the years that he had spent among its protective walls, researching on Biosciences. One of Manchanda’s intentions through the book was to throw light on the post-graduate and PhD programmes that are shadowed by the celebrated graduate programme.

And though the book speaks romantically about the hills, forest and lake at the scenic campus, the author clarifies that Monastery, Sanctuary, Laboratory is not just a celebratory work. It draws the reader’s attention to some of the flaws in the functioning of the IITs over the years. He criticises the attempts made by successive governments to try and control its functioning and suggests “intervention by a mature industry to fund research and development initiatives at the IITs. That is the only way we can bring about some kind of autonomy in the institution’s functioning,” says Manchanda. Professor Isaac, a legend at IIT-Bombay, and oft-mentioned in the book mourned the changing attitude of students over the years towards the institution.

“The title of the book is telling in the change in perception — from monastery to laboratory,” he said.