Meet Krishna Chivukula, an alumnus who donated ₹228 crore to IIT Madras
IIT director V Kamakoti said Dr Krishna Chivukula studied aerospace engineering in the 1970s at IIT Madras.
Dr Krishna Chivukula, a US-based industrialist and entrepreneur, has donated ₹228 crore to IIT-Madras. It is one of the biggest donations received by IIT Madras.
IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said Dr Krishna Chivukula studied aerospace engineering in the 1970s at IIT Madras.
"Nearly after 53 years, our alumni Dr Krishna Chivukula, has come to give ₹228 crore as an endowment to IIT-Madras. He had studied M Tech in aerospace engineering during the 1970s and has established companies which are engaged in the manufacture of components for aeroplanes," Kamakoti told reporters.
In the financial year 2023-2024, the engineering college received ₹513 crore as donations. Former IITians contributed ₹367 crore to the total sum.
As part of recognising the contribution of Chivukula, IIT Madras has established the Krishna Chivukula Block on its sprawling campus at Adyar.
Who is Dr Krishna Chivukula?
Dr Krishna Chivukula, who studied in a Telugu medium school till class 8, pursued M Tech in Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras. He later moved to the United States for an MBA at Harvard University.
He later set up his company Indo-US MIM (Metal Injection Molding) in the United States.
He also founded a firm that specialises in advanced mass spectroscopy.
Chivukula said during his stay in the United States various successful business leaders had donated funds to universities where they pursued their education and this triggered him to contribute to IIT Madras.
"In (the United States of) America, there is so much philanthropy in sectors like education, health...," he added.
"Dr. Krishna Chivukula rapidly rose through the engineering ranks of Hoffman Industries in the USA to become Chief Engineer in 1976. In 1984, after his Harvard MBA, he returned to Hoffman Industries as Group President and CEO, but left in 1990 to start his first company, Shiva Technologies Inc., in Syracuse, New York. Under his leadership, Shiva Technologies grew to the # 1 position in the world in the area of trace element analysis using advanced mass spectroscopic techniques. In 1997, Shiva Analyticals Pvt. Ltd. was established in Bangalore," IIT Madras's website said about him.