CD-ROMs on cricket, the Mahabharata, fine arts, patent applications, health and mostly everything under the Indian sun, will now be available under one roof at IIT here. All one has to do is walk into the IIT campus and head for its Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) unit to use any CD-ROM you choose, at no extra cost.

Doing its bit to raise temperatures in the midst of the World Cup fever, the Centre recently obtained CD-ROMs available on the game.

Other attractions in the collection -- a CD on the Mahabharata, developed in the form of an animated story book. It has hand-painted illustrations and animation taking you through the epic saga, complete with a musicalscore and background sound effects.

There are CD-ROMs on creative and critical literature, written and oral, the visual arts, architecture, sculpture, painting and graphics.

For corporate executives, the Centre offers CD-ROMs containing databases on patent applications filed in India and those that have already been accepted and notified. IIT also has a CD containing nearly 50,000 records on patents granted in India from 1972 to 1997.

Deputy Manager, National Collection Centre, A K Chakraborty told The Indian Express ``We also provide services at the centre like search services from CD-ROMs, workshops and practical training, compilation of union catalogue of CD-ROMs and CD-based services available in Indian libraries and a review of CD-ROM products.''

The Centre has also written to organisations publishing CDs to provide them with procurement details as it is bringing out a Common Catalogue of all Indian CDs to be distributed to different organisations and industry. Says FITT director Dr A K Sengupta:``The National Collection Centre for CD-ROMs is a National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT) project. We hope that the government will pass a legislation making it mandatory for all CD-ROM producers to deposit their products at IIT.''

Today, the Centre purchases CDs from the funds provided by NISSAT. ``There is a boom in the CD market,'' says Dr Sengupta. ``We have made a modest beginning and are yet to buy many more CDs to keep up with the new trends in the market.''