In a novel move, IIT Bhubaneswar has inducted a course on Odissi in BTech syllabus, thereby becoming the first IIT in the country to introduce any dance form in its curriculum, institute's director R V Raja Kumar Said on Friday.
Rajakumar said the classical dance would be one of the 'breadth' courses of 12 credits in the four-year BTech programme. A breadth course is a general education course which all students must take to give them exposure at the introductory level to a variety of fields, regardless of their core area of study. Explaining the rationale behind the move, Raja Kumar said, 'Dance broaden the intellectual horizon of engineering students. It would also help them destress'.
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In the first year, students can learn Odissi as an extra academic activity of one credit. They will have to choose any one activity from NSS, NCC, Yoga, Badminton, Volleyball, Cricket and Odissi. 'Ten girls have already chosen Odissi', the director added. Whichever extra-academic course one chooses, one will have to clear it to earn the BTech degree.
In the second and third years, students can opt for Odissi as an elective breadth course from a list of subjects, including financial management, International relations and entrepreneurship. Both the semesters in second and third years will have three credits for the breadth course.
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In the final year, the students can take Odissi as a purely optional subject or opt out of it. Any student learning it in the fourth year would get a diploma in dance along with the BTech degree certificate, the director Raja Kumar said.
source: The Times of India
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