Mr TT Jagannathan, Chairman of TTK Prestige, who was part of the 1970 batch, contributed Rs 10 Crore to IIT Madras to establish an endowment, which will be used for further research. The interest from the endowment will be used to support new research pursuits by IIT Madras students and faculty. In recognition of his achievements and to commemorate his contributions to the business world, IIT Madras announced that an auditorium is being named after him.

The auditorium was inaugurated on August 6 by Jagannathan. Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras was also present at the occassion. The ICSR Auditorium is all set to become the hub for the nodal activities of IIT Madras.

Jagannathan was awarded the Gold medal from IIT Madras for best academic performance in Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently went on to turn the fortunes of his family business the TTK Group, and is credited with the phenomenal rise of the TTK Prestige brand in India.

Commenting on the occasion, Jagannathan said, “I have the highest regard for my alma mater, where I enjoyed many rewarding years. IIT Madras has established a reputation of being a hub of research and innovation. I am delighted to contribute in a small way to help IIT Madras to further its pursuit of research. My donation is a small way to repay IITM for all that it has given me.’’

In 1996, Jagannathan won the ‘Distinguished Alumnus Award’. He is fondly called the ‘Kitchen Mogul’ for his grand success of TTK Prestige cookware and his US patent on the TTK Microwave pressure cooker. Under his leadership, the TTK Group is active in several social and educational fields.

The TTK Group is an Indian business conglomerate with a presence across several segments of the industry including kitchen appliances, consumer durables, pharmaceuticals and supplements, bio-medical devices, and healthcare services.