IIT-B’s Lumina Initiative: Connecting Women Students with Alumnae
Mumbai, November 14, 2025 – The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) is set to launch an innovative initiative called Lumina, aimed at fostering connections between its current women students and successful alumnae across various fields. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address the gender disparity that has historically characterized technical education in India.
Understanding the Need for Lumina
Despite being one of the most prestigious institutes for technical education in India, IIT-B has faced challenges related to gender representation among its student body. Women currently make up only about 20% of the total student population, a statistic that highlights the ongoing struggle for gender equality in technical fields.
To bridge this gap, Lumina is designed around three core pillars: Connect, Mentor, and Celebrate and Inspire. The initiative aims to provide career guidance to women at IIT-B by leveraging the experiences and success stories of alumnae who have excelled globally.
The Vision Behind Lumina
The Lumina initiative is a collaborative effort involving the IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1996 to strengthen ties between IIT-B and its global alumni community. The foundation aims to create a robust mentorship and networking platform that encourages alumnae and students to support each other in their career journeys.
“We want to create a network that helps alumnae and students build mentorships by supporting each other, so that students can achieve their full potential,” stated the Lumina team in an email correspondence. They emphasized that Lumina is intended to be an evolving platform, shaped by ongoing participation and feedback from its members.
Challenges Faced by Women in IITs
Women in IITs have historically encountered numerous challenges, including low representation and the pressures of balancing career and family responsibilities. Although IIT-B has seen an increase in female enrollment due to supernumerary seats, the numbers still reflect a significant gender imbalance.
In 2020, the total number of women students was 3,185, which increased to 3,664 by 2025. However, this still represents only about 20% of the student population, underscoring the need for initiatives like Lumina to change the narrative surrounding women in technical environments.
Launch Event and Key Participants
The Lumina initiative will officially kick off with a virtual event featuring two distinguished IIT-B alumnae: Kavita Bala, provost of Cornell University, and Sharada Srinivasan, an archaeologist and professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru. Over 250 participants from around the world have already registered for this inaugural event.
Anil Kshirsagar, the founding president of the IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation and a member of the Class of 1975, played a crucial role in conceptualizing Lumina. He remarked, “This initiative reflects the spirit of the institute where mentorship and collaboration shape not just careers, but lives.”
Alumnae Reflections on the Initiative
Sharada Srinivasan, who graduated from IIT-B in 1987, shared her experiences of being a woman on campus during a time when the male-to-female ratio was nearly 20:1. She described her time at IIT-B as both challenging and transformative, stating, “The institute gave us a safe and empowering environment – a rare experience for women at the time.”
Another alumna, Shobhana Narasimhan, who graduated in 1985, emphasized the importance of mentorship and visibility for women students. “Initiatives such as Lumina will help them build confidence, overcome bias, and find direction in their careers,” she said.
Rekha Koita, a Metallurgical Engineering graduate from the 1992 batch and co-founder of the Koita Foundation, echoed these sentiments, stating that Lumina will help create role models for younger students on campus.
Conclusion
The Lumina initiative represents a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities in technical education at IIT-B. By fostering connections between current students and successful alumnae, Lumina aims to empower women and inspire the next generation of female leaders in technology and engineering.
Note: This article is based on information available as of November 2025 and reflects the ongoing efforts to improve gender representation in technical education.
