Indian School of Mines - Life at ISM

Life At ISM

Students choose between National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), National Sports Organisation (NSO) and Yoga as extra curricular activities. The campus has good facilities for training in games and sports like athletics, cricket, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis. Interested students are also trained in combat sports such karate, wu shu and boxing.

Concetto is the annual techno-management fest of ISM Dhanbad. As the name suggests, it is an idea that proves, in the end, to be the spark of all creation. This event, is sure to enthrall you as you witness futuristic marvels of technology and interact with them. It extends beyond the guest lectures, exhibitions, robotics, & management events to impart the excitement, zeal & thrill to such an extent that the black magic of the Pied Piper is belittled and a horde of students nation wide have been bewithced to come and join this event. The delicacies of the technical and management delights, along with the icing of the guest lectures from eminent personalities are enough to entice the knowledge hungry students from institutions all over the country

ISM organize a three day annual sports festival PARAKRAM, in which students from various colleges of country take part. Parakram includes cricket, basketball, volley ball, lawn tennis, table tennis, badminton, athletics and other indoor games. ISM also holds an annual two-day-long sports meet after Republic Day (India) for the students of ISM only. Annual intramural competitions for cricket, football, badminton, table tennis etc. are notable features as is the two-day Annual Sports. Athletic competitions include track and field events, long jump, high jump, pole vaulting, discus throw, javelin throw, shot-put etc. Non-athletic events include sack races, tug-o-wars, and even pillow fights.

On the cultural front, Pratibimb, the annual ten-day inter-departmental Cultural Competition is held in January, with events such as Hindi and English vocals, instrumentals, dance, mime, skits, debates, quizzes, dumb-charades, fashion show, and Antakshari. Musical nights, DJ nights, and Kavi Sammelans also form a part of ISM culture. Other features are the events of SPIC MACAY, painting exhibitions, and Yoga workshops. The annual Basant Utsav is an important date in every ISMites calendar when the students get the opportunity to interact with the alumni, besides being a time for old friends to reunite.

Another cultural fest, Srijan is the annual Cultural Fest of Indian School of Mines. It not only tests the cultural skills of the youth from all over the country, but it also endeavors to bring together eminent and professional artists from round the globe, all in an attempt to bestow a memorable and spellbinding experience. Srijan, in coherence with the tradition of the institute, promises to mould the chaos in one’s soul into innovation, creativity, promoting competition and celebrating the victorious. Srijan, a.k.a. the ‘passion for creation’ or a ‘celebration of creativity' is all about setting your wildest dreams and passions into motion.

Student clubs include Cultural Scientific and Literary Society (CSLS), Cyber Society, Music Society, Photographic Society and Chayanika Sangh (whose objective is the promotion of Hindi Language). ISM has a technical society for each department at ISM like the Petroleum Engineering Society, the Mineral Engineering Society, the Mining Engineering Society etc. The societies mentioned above function under the purview of the ISM Students Society (ISS) which is the link between the administration and the students.

ISM also has student chapters of technical organizations like the Society of Applied Physics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and the PETROTECH Society. The SPE, ISM chapter was awarded the Outstanding Chapter Award in 2010 thus deeming this chapter to the best student chapter in Asia. The ISM PETROTECH chapter was awarded the Best Chapter Award for the academic year 2010-2011 among all its chapters in India. The SAE organized event Baja SAE has seen some of its best entries from the ISM. The ISM team has repeatedly bagged top awards at the event in India.

Other activities include the voluntary efforts by the students to teach and provide education to underprivileged children under the name of Kartavya (Duty). Kartavya was initiated by an alumnus of the 2003 batch and is entirely managed by the students. Kartavya centres have been established at NIT Jamshedpur, NIT Durgapur, NIT PATNA, NIFFT Ranchi, OIT Burla, BIT Sindri and Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. There are four centers in Dhanbad. In 11 centers, about 700 students have been covered.

Another initiative called Fast Forward India (FFI), an effort to find powerful ways to tackle problems that impact the lives of millions of under-served people in India has been taken. In this ISM students provide computer education and training in spoken English to poor and needy children. They organize blood donation camps and hygiene awareness campaigns for locals, and career counseling programs for school students. The intra Dhanbad inter school quiz competition BRAINSTORM organized annually has generated funds and publicity for FFI.

A monthly in-campus students' newsletter called Mailer Daemon is published by an independent student body.(Website:www.mailerdaemon.co.in) Genesis an entrepreneurship cell has been established, promoting entrepreneurial skills among students. The ISM Energized Toastmasters Club a local club of the Toastmasters International organizes weekly meetings for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) ISM chapter organizes Green Marathons, Cleanliness Drives, Sapling Plantation drives and various other competitions at ISM to promote awareness about the environment.

At a few hours distance from the ISM campus are places for trekking, outings and picnics. Students at ISM frequently make trips to the Parasnath Hills, Maithon Dam, Khandoli and Deoghar, and waterfalls like Johna, Dassam and Hundru near Ranchi, just over 160 km from Dhanbad. Other nearby scenic sites are the Rajmahal Hills and forests like Saranda near Palamu.