Stories

‘Our classes were held where freedom fighters were locked up,’ says Narasimhan Venkatesan Patel, Alumnus of the First Batch at IIT KGP

‘Our classes were held where freedom fighters were locked up,’ says Narasimhan Venkatesan Patel, Alumnus of the First Batch at IIT KGP

Mr. Narasimhan Venkatesan Patel, Former Member of the Railway Board and an Electrical Engineering Alumnus (1951-55) of IIT Kharagpur, shares some interesting anecdotes about the faculty and how IIT Kharagpur took special tutorials of students who appeared in Class 12 exams from different boards or syllabi. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur was established in 1951 and is the oldest among all the IITs in the country. As the institute was set up in the Hijli detention camp of West Bengal, it has a link with the freedom fighters of India. “We mostly had classes in the old Hijli Central…
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The Yogic Avabodha – Atal

The Yogic Avabodha – Atal

The word 'Avabodha' in Sanskrit is referred to someone who possess an awakened consciousness of soul. As the motto of the institute says Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam which means Excellence in Action is Yoga, we have an Alumnus who imbibed the thought as the basics of his existence. The spirit of a warrior, the body of iron and a heart of gold, yes we are talking about an explorer of life, Mr. Atal Agarwal, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, who graduated in 2017 and became one among the few IITians who represented Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) as an Alum in…
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The  James Webb Space Telescope launch and IITKGP

The James Webb Space Telescope launch and IITKGP

On 25th December 2021, thousands around the world enthusiastically watched the Ariane 5 heavy-lift space launch vehicle carry the  James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb) to its orbit. However, not many are aware that this launch from the European Space Agency (ESA) spaceport in French Guiana had a unique KGP connection.   Alumnus Dr. Ranbir Sinha (B.Tech/Aero/1981) worked on the structural design and simulation of the Ariane 5 nose-cone and Payload Fairing (PLF), which protected the Webb during the launch.  Launching The Webb The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the next great space science observatory that will take up…
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In memory of Prof. Sujoy Ghose

In memory of Prof. Sujoy Ghose

On 18th January 2022, the IIT Kharagpur community lost one of its well-known, respected,  senior members.  Prof. Sujoy Ghose was an emeritus professor at the Computer Science and Engineering Department. He joined the institute in 1979 and dedicatedly served through his teaching and research contributions until the very last day. Prof. Ghose was a specialist in networks, algorithms, artificial intelligence, information systems, and peer-to-peer computing. He had guided many research scholars and received academic praise from colleagues and experts from around the globe.  Prof. Ghose grew up on the campus. He graduated with a B.Tech in Electronics and Electrical Communication…
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The CEO of romance from IIT Kharagpur

The CEO of romance from IIT Kharagpur

It's not every day that you come across a Metallurgical Engineer leading the world’s largest dating app conglomerate.  Sharmistha (Shar) Dubey ( B. Tech/ Metallurgy/1993)  was raised in Jamshedpur. She graduated in 1993 along with classmate Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet. With grit and determination she overcame all the challenges of being one of the handful female students on campus and finished her studies. After completing her studies she went back to Jamshedpur and worked in a steel company for a short while. She pursued a Masters from Ohio State University, USA and worked in several companies before joining Match…
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Forbes 30 Under 30 – Alumnus Prof. Srijan Kumar

Forbes 30 Under 30 – Alumnus Prof. Srijan Kumar

IIT Kharagpur alumnus, Prof. Srijan Kumar has been included in Forbes 30 under 30 in Science, Class of 2022! Prof. Kumar is an Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a specialist in AI, ML, and Data Science. In his attempt to make the internet a safer place he is involved in developing Data Science and Machine Learning solutions to combat fraudsters, trolls, and other malicious entities. His research has influenced Twitter’s Birdwatch platform. It is also implemented by Flipkart. An alumnus of the 2013 batch from the Computer Science and Engineering Department of the Institute, Prof.…
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Meet The Alumni With Over 200 Patents: Mr. Anil Agiwal of Samsung Research

Meet The Alumni With Over 200 Patents: Mr. Anil Agiwal of Samsung Research

Mr. Anil Agiwal, an alumnus of the Institute’s Computer Science and Engineering Department, has received his 200th US patent grant in November 2021. He is now on the global list of prolific inventors that includes individuals who have been granted 200 or more patents in the USA. He is now on an all-time list of 316 inventors. The patents include innovations on advanced radio access technologies (such as 4G, 5G, 5G advanced) for cellular communication. Mr. Agiwal said that “patience and perseverance combined with an urge to innovate have helped me receive 200+ patent grants (204 as of today).” He…
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Nation Building In Action: How An IIT Alumni Contributed To India’s Internet Story

Nation Building In Action: How An IIT Alumni Contributed To India’s Internet Story

Just as India was entering a new dawn in its political and economic history as an independent nation in the early 1990s, Bijendra K. Syngal, an IIT Kharagpur alumni (EC/1962/RP), returned to India to take up the reins of the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL). His arrival jolted the old-style, stodgy public sector company into taking charge of the telecommunication revolution in India. Syngal navigated through financial uncertainties, economic instability, and political turmoil to introduce the Internet in India. His efforts played a direct role in expanding the software industry from a 60 million USD industry in 1991 to a nearly…
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Intern Hiring Startup ‘Cuvette Tech’ raised $180, 000 in seed funding round

Intern Hiring Startup ‘Cuvette Tech’ raised $180, 000 in seed funding round

Intern hiring startup, Cuvette Tech, founded by Atul Singhal (2020 graduate, Electrical Department, IIT KGP) and Sudhanshu Singh (2019 graduate, Electrical Department, IIT KGP) has raised $180, 000 in a seed round of funding. The investment is led by Titan Capital, Varun Alagh, co-founder and chief executive officer, Mamaearth; Harish Daiya, co-founder Lumenci and other marquee angel investors. “A feather added to their cap! The students have proved their mettle and made us proud with their incredible performance and achievements. It has been manifested that consistent dedicated hard work, perseverance and self-belief are the key mantras for success in any…
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IIT Kharagpur Alumnus Prof. Thirumalai Venkatesan has become FRS

IIT Kharagpur Alumnus Prof. Thirumalai Venkatesan has become FRS

“On behalf of the entire institute, I heartily congratulate to our distinguished alumnus, Prof Thirumalai Venkatesan (1969/B.Sc/PH) on his well-deserved success. It has been a great honor for getting elected as the Fellow of The Royal Society. His outstanding work as a physicist and an educator, for long years has finally paid up.We are so pleased to see him accomplishing great things. Best wishes to bring more and more laurels for him and his profession. In the year 2017, he visited IIT Kharagpur his Alma mater to receive the prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award”, said Prof Virendra Kumar Tewari, the Director of…
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