INAUGURATION OF ICCW
On World Earth Day, today, Monday, April 22, 2019, an inaugural celebration of ICCW took place!
ICCW was inaugurated by Mr Deepak Parekh, Chairman HDFC, and Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, along with Professor T Pradeep and a group of dignitaries, at 3 pm. The ICCW team welcomed all into the centre. An introductory speech was given by Prof Pradeep. He briefed his journey from his lab at IITM to ICCW: together with his students, colleagues and rest of his team, how his dream is shaped into a reality, how it is brought into light with help from his well-wishers. He mentioned his meeting with Mr Deepak Parekh in April 2017, which laid the seed for the foundation of this centre. All of this and more is possible with the support from IITM. He noted that IITM is the only happening place where laboratory-grown innovations hit the road and can make impactful transformations in our society.
Interestingly Prof Pradeep also remarked that sometimes a distance of 50 meters becomes too long to cover and encompassed individual-worlds are created. At ICCW, the different disciplines shall cease to have these sharp boundaries; instead, they will merge to interact, work and build together. He concluded by thanking everyone and promising a hope to ensure clean water for all in the near future!
Mr Deepak Parekh, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Pradeep cut the ribbon as an inaugural ritual at the entrance to the centre.
Speaking to the august assembly, Mr Deepak Parekh reminded all of the water-woes of our country and that a ‘tap water drinking system’ is still a distant dream for us – which shall be a measure of the developments we make. Our economies depend on water, while ‘water’ will also reflect our economy. The rain fills our water bodies and we must tap that water to fulfil our needs in a most sustainable way.
Mr Deepak Parekh persuaded Prof Pradeep and his ICCW team for larger visibility, active global interaction and presence in the related field. He also highlighted the influx of funding and business opportunities from different countries related to water-market.
“Disseminate the information…that we have a world-class water research centre…which is open to everybody…spread the word around globally,” Mr Deepak Parekh said. He ended his encouraging talk with the words: “I wish all the people, faculty and students, who have done hard work to see this dream come true, to see this completed, all the best.”
Dr Bhaskar Ramamurthi also wished the ICCW team the very best.