Educational Institutes

Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore

The Bangalore Centre of the Indian Statistical Institute was conceived by Prof. Mahalanobis during 1960s, even when the city was emerging as a centre of science, and it is a tribute to his foresight that the Institute is now well-established in one of the most vibrant scientific communities in Asia. With the Statistical Quality Control unit functioning in Bangalore from 1956 and Documentation Research and training Centre from 1962 Professor Mahalanobis must have thought of starting a centre of ISI around the mid-sixties. The presence of several national institutes of higher learning, the salubrious climate and the growing metropolitan culture must have prompted him to consider this possibility. He wrote to Shri S. Nijalingappa, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka, for a grant of land. Due to the arduous and persistent efforts of Prof. S. R. Ranganathan and Prof. Srinagabhushana the ISI was granted thirty acres of forest land, full of eucalyptus trees, in 1966 at a token price.

However, Professor Mahalanobis did not live long enough to see the realisation of his dream. Due to the difficult times that ISI went through after professor’s death in 1972 the project of establishing Bangalore was shelved. It was left to Professor Kallianpur, the Director of ISI during 1976-78, to revive the idea, make concrete proposals to the Government of India and get grants for the development of the land already in possession of the Institute and the construction of an Academic Block with space for a library and offices. Though Prof. Kallianpur went back to his position in the University of Minnesota, the development of the campus proceeded, and the first phase was completed in 1985

In the meantime, Prof. Kallianpur rented a building on Church Street, in the heart of the city, and started the activities of the Bangalore Centre in September 1978. The Statistics and Mathematics Unit (SMU) was established and the Statistical Quality Control (SQC) Unit and Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC), which were functioning from other rented buildings at that time came to constitute the new Centre. The Economic Analysis Unit (EAU) was established soon thereafter, in January 1979 with the appointment of Professor N.S. Iyengar, a student of Professor Mahalanobis.

With the completion of the construction of the Administrative Block, the various units moved to the new campus in May 1985. However, it was only in September 1996, the Bangalore Centre was formally declared as a Centre of ISI. With the increasing faculty strength, computer and library facilities the Bangalore Centre has by now became an institution well-known for its academic activities in Mathematics and Statistics, Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research, Library and Information Science, and Quantitative Economics.

Contact Information of Indian Statistical Institute

Indian Statistical Institute
8th Mile, Mysore Road
RVCE Post
Bangalore 560 059

Bangalore
Orissa
India
560059

91 80 28483002/3/4/5/6
91 80 28484265

[email protected]

Website http://www.isibang.ac.in