V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, was conferred the ‘Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award’ during the 35th anniversary celebrations of Hamsadhwani held in association with Sri Krishna Sweets.

After receiving the award, Mr Kamakoti said, last year, two courses—Sports Excellence and ‘Fine Arts and Culture Excellence’ (FACE)—were introduced at IIT Madras. He noted many students decide to discontinue their music classes to pursue JEE (Advanced). “Students who have received Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) fellowship or [awards] or fellowship at national level [can apply] for this course, even if they score less marks in JEE (Advanced). They shouldn’t discontinue learning music. Nine students were admitted this year in this course,” he said.

R. Sundar, secretary of Hamsadhwani said his father R Ramachandran, founder-secretary of Hamsadhwani had created this vibrant cultural institution in 1990 and focused on encouraging young talent. R Subramanian, former judge of Madras High Court, B Santhanam, former chairman and CEO, Saint Gobain Asia Pacific and India and Region and S Seetharaman, president of Hamsadhwani also spoke during the occasion.