Tag: Alumni Affairs

IIT Kharagpur Alumni and their Families Set up Over ₹ 2 Crore Student Grant

IIT Kharagpur has instituted eight new student grants for the upcoming Autumn semester scheduled to begin in August 2021. The Institute has received generous grants from eight alumni and their families who have come forward to support the students on merit-cum-means scholarships and merit-based awards towards their academics and research. 

The grants are collectively valued at around ₹ 2.25 crore for funding of undergraduate and postgraduate students across the departments of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Healthcare, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.

A virtual MoU was signed with the donating alumni and their families for instituting the student aids and grants in a recently concluded event. 

The donors envisioned a range of dynamic ideas which motivated them to contribute towards these scholarships and awards and inspiring the spirit of giving back to society for the greater good while instilling some traits which are very own to IIT Kharagpur. 

Thanking the donors for the generous contributions Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur appreciated their proactive zeal towards the Institute and for keeping its welfare in their hearts. He further spoke of the uniqueness of the vast plethora of disciplines taught at IIT Kharagpur and how benchmarking is being done for them to collectively compete against the world’s topmost universities. He welcomed the alumni to contribute towards this initiative through participation in the global outreach programs and thrust area-specific activities of the Institute. Director Tewari further affirmed starting new initiatives under the NEP 2020 and the holistic and fast-moving developments that are underway at IIT Kharagpur.

A unique feature of these grants is the allocation of over ₹ 65 Lakh exclusively for undergraduate female students for a period of 15 years. IIT Kharagpur has been setting up various avenues to reach out to larger sections of girl students, their teachers and parents through counseling, outreach initiatives as well as financial aid to encourage more girls to aim for IIT education as well as facilitating those taking admission at IIT Kharagpur in particular.

Dean, Alumni Affairs, Prof. Subrata Chattopadhyay remarked, “now that we are an Institute of Eminence and guided by the New Education Policy, we are committed to bringing up the ratio of our undergraduate girl students much higher. We have the mandate to cross the 20% threshold at the soonest.”

In the last few years, IITs have been consistently increasing the strength of girl undergraduate students through the supernumerary quota for women introduced in 2018. From the initial target of 17% which has been fulfilled, the IITs are set to increase the quota to 20% in accordance with a decision by the IIT Council. At IIT Kharagpur the overall ratio of male and female students is already 1:5 while in some research-based programs and Master’s level programs, even a higher ratio can be observed.

The Institute has a few dedicated grants for women funded by various agencies such as DRDO Scholarship for Girl Through AR&DB, Indian Women’s Association, BONN Scholarship etc. A travel grant was also set up Smt. Sudha Murthy, Chairman, Infosys Foundation to facilitate the participation of women research scholars in international conferences. The alumni have also supported the up-gradation of facilities at the girls’ hostels. Further, the Institute conducts several women-specific research work on women’s health, gender violence and crimes against women, gendering the smart cities and experience of migrant women. The Institute also supports the KIRAN IPR Women Scientists program.

About the Donor & MoU
Mr. Chandrasen Gajria is an alumnus of the 1970 Batch from the Chemistry department of IIT Kharagpur. He has set up an MCM scholarship named Sobhraj And Krishna Gajria Scholarship in the memory of his parents Mr. Sobhraj Gajira and Mrs. Krishna Gajria which will provide annual support to the needy yet meritorious students of the Chemistry Department of the Institute.
Mr.Peeyush Ranjan is an alumnus of the 1995 batch from the Computer Science department He has set up the Dr. R R Verma Prize for Best Masters Thesis in Healthcare Technology in the memory of his late father Dr. R. R. Verma for the best M.Tech thesis on Healthcare technology across all the Departments, Centers and Schools of the Institute with an annual prize.
Mrs. Suprabha Sur has set up the Late Shri Saradindu Sur Scholarship in the fond memories of her husband Late Shri Saradindu Sur who is an alumnus of 1956 batch from the Mechanical Engineering Department and was the resident of Nehru Hall, to support the needy yet meritorious students of the Mechanical Dept. of the Institute with a yearly MCM scholarship.
Dr. R.P.Sahu is an alumnus of the 1970 batch from Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Dept. He has set up the Brundabana Sahu Student Award in memory of his maternal grandfather Shri Brundabana Sahu to help a 1st-year B.Tech student with a yearly MCM-based award to address any special needs of the awardee.
Mrs. Banani Som, the wife of Late Prof. Sankar Kumar Som, who is a proud alumnus as well as the Ex-director of IIT Kharagpur, has set up the Prof. Sankar Kumar Som Memorial Award in the fond memories of her late husband to recognize the best M.Tech thesis in the field of Thermal Science from the Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of the Institute with an annual award.
Mr. Indranil Basu is an alumnus of the 1987 batch from the Electronics and Electrical Communication Engg. Dept. Neil has set up the Pradip Kumar Basu Memorial Student Scholarship in memory of his late father Shri Pradip Kumar Basu, who was an aircraft maintenance engineer, to support a 2nd-year female student of IIT Kharagpur till her graduation with an annual scholarship based on MCM criteria.
Mrs. Napina Vangipuram, the wife of Late Dr. V. V. Dhruvanarayana, who is an alumnus of the 1955 batch from the Civil Engineering Department, has set up the V V Dhruva Narayana Memorial Student Award to recognize a 2nd-year B.Tech student of Civil Engineering Dept with an annual award as per the MCM criteria.
Mr. Debashis Chakraborty is an alumnus of the 1981 batch from the Chemical Engineering Department. He set up the Late Smt. Gopa Chakraborty Scholarship for Female Students in the fond memories of his late wife Smt. Gopa Chakraborty. This Scholarship aims towards supporting female students of IIT Kharagpur across all the departments, Schools, Centres and Academics with a special emphasis on the chemistry and chemical engineering department, by providing them yearly Scholarships based on MCM criteria. However, the Scholarship amount will be increased after every 4 years to cope up with the inflation rate.

Contact: deanaa@hijli.iitkgp.ac.in; media@iitkgp.ac.in

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IIT KGP to e-Felicitate Young Alumni on 70th Foundation Day

Graphic: Arnab Moitra

IIT Kharagpur announced the Young Alumni Achiever Award 2020. The Institute recognizes its young alumni age 45 or younger who have excelled in life through their outstanding early-career contribution by conferring on them the Young Alumni Achiever Award (YAAA). The awards will be e-conferred on 18th August 2020, the auspicious 70th Foundation Day of the Institute. Congratulations to all the young awardees on joining the hallowed club of YAAAs. The Institute started conferring the YAA awards from 2018.

Like last year this year as well 19 alumni got this award.

The awardees include:

  1. DR ANUPAM DATTA [2000/B Tech/CS/PH], Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
  2. DR VEERABHADRAN BALADANDAYUTHAPANI [1998/B Sc/MA/LLR], Professor of Biostatistics; Director of Cancer Data Science, University of Michigan
  3. DR SUMIT GOSWAMI [2009/MTech/CS/GH] [2017/PhD/CS/BCR], Associate Director DRDO HQ, New Delhi
  4. MR AMIT JAIN [2003/B Tech/ME/PH], Senior Managing Director (Partner), Private Equity, The Blackstone Group, Mumbai
  5. MS PARUL KULSHRESHTHA [2005/B Arch/AR/SN], Head- Business Development GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo
  6. MR MOHAMMAD ATHAR [2009/MBA/BM/MMM], Partner, Economic Development & Infrastructure, PwC, Gurgaon
  7. SUVRAT BAFNA [2009/DD/AG/AZ], Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer, Food Safety & Quality Unit, WFP HQ, Rome, Italy
  8. ANITA VENKITESWARAN [2006/B Tech/BT/SN/IG], Principal, Roivant Sciences, New York
  9. SARSWATI R [2006/MBM/BM/SAM], Superintendent Of Police, SP (Anti Narcotics) Agartala, Tripura
  10. ASHISH TIWARI [2007/DD/CS/RP], Senior Superintendent of Police, Ayodhya
  11. MR MADHU YALAMARTHI [2012/B Tech/AE/MS], Lead for India Investments – GGV Capital, California
  12. ASHISH MEHTA [2002/B Tech/EE/RP], Director, Genese Incubation Services Pvt Ltd. Mumbai
  13. MS SIVAREENA LAKSHMI SARIKA [2015/DD/ME/SN], Co-Founder at PregBuddy (Google Launchpad), Bengaluru
  14. MR RUTVIK DOSHI [1999/B Tech/IM/RK], Managing Director, Inventus India Bengaluru
  15. MR ABHIMANYU ABROL  [2015/BArch/AR/NH], Founder Director, Naya Living Architecture, Consultant Architect, PRC Group UK and Studio DRA London, Founder Director, Aravindam Foundation India
  16. MR SOURABH BANSAL [2007/DD/IM/RK], Managing Director & Co-founder, Magicrete Building Solutions Pvt Ltd, Surat
  17. ANSHUMAN K SINGH [1999/B Tech/EC/RK], Founder & President, ReTiSense Inc Bengaluru
  18. MR RAJAT KUMAR BHUYAN [2003/MTech/CR/LLR], Scientist, Indian Space Research Organization & Deputy Project Director, Cryogenic Propulsion System, GSLV Project, Kerala
  19. MR BISWA KALYAN RATH [2011/B Tech/BT/PH], Stand-up Comedian/Writer, Mumbai

The Incredible 1970s and Spring Fest

Colourful festoons, huge sponsor banners and flags decked up the entire campus last weekend. Makeshift ‘pandals’ popped up and an air of festivity hung around. Students scurried across different venues. They had spent sleepless nights for weeks. It was that time of the year when students from all over India flocked to the campus for one of the most outstanding college fests in south Asia – the Spring Fest.

This year, Spring Fest saw a mini galaxy descend on campus. Around 150 alumni from the Batch of 1970 came back to their alma mater to celebrate their 50th graduation anniversary. They also inaugurated the ‘ADDA’ and which is one among their many gifts to the Institute. The campus, departments, Halls, and most importantly, the Spring Fest brought back a flood of memories to this ‘young’ bunch of graduates who were more than happy to be back and share their memories of Spring Fests they were a part of, more than half a decade back.

“Our times were very different and so were our celebrations, you know. There was no such thing as corporate sponsorships way back in 1965-‘66-‘67. It was more of an Inter-Hall competition,” said Ms. Jayashree Singh, a 1970 graduate from the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering. She currently works with inhabitants of the Sunderbans, helping them fight economic challenges and lead a decent life.

Second from left – Ms Jayashree Singh

“We had several events even during our time. There were dramatics, music competitions – both solo and in groups – and there were debates. Among all those 4-5 days of competitions, one evening was reserved only for classical vocal recital. The event you call ‘Pal’ now, existed in a different form in our times. Stalwarts like Pt Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Md Rafi and Mukesh, all came here and performed throughout the night! All of us would eagerly wait for this particular evening,” continued Ms Singh. Her eyes lit up with pride as she remembered Lata Mangeshkar housed in her Hall – SN/IG Hall of Residence.

Mr Sukhminder Singh Grewal, a resident of Connecticut and a former leading man in GE, USA, recalled his own fun moment. “There was a dramatics competition during one of the Spring Fests during my time. One participating college put up a play which went completely tangential for all of us! One of our batchmates mimicked a scene from the same play and screamed, ‘Turn off the lights; we all want to sleep,” he narrated. Grewal broke into a fit of laughter relating the sorts of mischiefs students were up to during Spring Fest.

Notable alumni and pioneer of the Indian IT industry, Mr Arjun Malhotra, remembers Spring Fest being celebrated in a much smaller dimension. He recalls that the event was very culturally rooted and was not as global as it is today. There was just one venue – the Jnan Ghosh Stadium. “We could attend all the events as the venues were not scattered like now. The Spring Fest, back then, was a very low-key event and there were just a few colleges from Kolkata and neighbouring districts which would participate,” said Mr Malhotra.

Alumni Clock Tower was inaugurated by Shri Amit Khare, IAS, Secretary, MHRD, Govt. of India

Amidst the hustle-bustle at the Tikka Circle for the Alumni Clock Tower inauguration, The KGP Chronicle caught up with the then Secretary for SoCult (read Socio-Cultural), Mr Dipak Basak. “Fifty years back, the expectations were quite different. We did everything – from constructing the stage by stealing dining tables from the mess, to setting up the sound system and changing backdrops within a few seconds! When you are in charge of something like this, you need to organize all the required materials all by yourself, and so we stuck to our age-old theme – beg, borrow or steal. There was no concept of outsourcing like today. We enjoyed the simplest pleasures of life like rejoicing if girls from Loreto College participated,” he said with a smile and a wink.

His friend, Mr Ravi Raj Bhatia, added, “We made huge stage backdrops by sticking drawing sheets together and painting them. They had to be 26’X 6’ in size, and mind you, there would be separate banners for every event. We attended all our classes in the mornings and only after dinner did we get time to paint these. There was a target fixed for us – one backdrop every night. So you understand the amount of effort that went in?”

As the crowd started dispersing from the Tikka Circle after the Alumni Clock Tower inauguration, this incredible batch of 1970 were seen taking selfies, laughing away to silly jokes, hugging each other, calling each other names they gave while in college, planning which event of Spring Fest to gatecrash into and so on. Repeated announcements for different events floated in the air as the forever young and Forever KGPians from the Batch of ’70 melted into the crowd.

Happiness Run : The 2.2 Marathon

12th January 2020, 6:30 AM. Technology Students’ Gymkhana was bubbling with some 100-150 students, both past and present. A very unusual scene, especially on a Sunday morning. Packets of Glucon-D were being constantly poured and mixed into 20-litre water jars. T-shirts were being distributed and students were seen warming themselves up. It was indeed a big day. Each had to complete the 2.2 Marathon beating the rest to win the coveted title of a Marathoner.

Selfie session before the marathon

The 17th Annual Alumni Meet of 2020 saw a host of IIT Kharagpur’s ‘young’ bunch, aged 18 years to almost 68 years gear up for their favorite sport – the 2.2 Marathon. The Director, Prof. V.K. Tewari, was also present to encourage the students and participate in the run that was to start and end at Gymkhana with the distribution of prizes and a complimentary snack. By 7:10 AM, the runners had settled themselves on the starting line. The marathon began with the sound of the clapstick.

Prof V. K. Tewari, Director IIT Kharagpur flags off the Marathon

Within 40 minutes, a few contenders, both alumni and current students were back at the Gymkhana. Visibly tired and taking deep breaths, they settled down for others to finish and gather at the venue for prize distribution. “Alumni-students interaction is a big, big thing,” said Prof. Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, taking to the microphone. “They are a support system for one another. If you do not turn up today for your seniors, you should never complain if your juniors do not turn up years later when you visit the campus,” he added. He himself had completed 4.1 km a couple of years back, and seemed highly enthusiastic about sports. This time again, he made sure to complete 2.2 km without a pause. He thanked the Gymkhana members, its officials and all students who made the initiative possible.

Mr Kartik Ramakrishnan

“It is really refreshing. It is bringing back a whole new rush of memories of the place. We used to run loops around Jnan Ghosh Stadium almost every evening. That was a kind of ritual for me from 1991 to 1995. I find the campus beautiful. I came here for the first time in 25 years. I couldn’t resist the temptation of visiting my second home after so many years. I flew down from Atlanta as soon as I received the invitation,” remarked Mr. Kartik Ramakrishnan, Senior Vice President at Capgemini, Atlanta. His fitness quotient was proven when he bagged the second position among the alumni in the 2.2 marathon.

Mr Amitabh Ghule: Winner among alumni

The winner of the marathon among the alumni was Mr. Amitabh Ghule, Director at Thames Capital, London, UK, who “wouldn’t have come had I been a student. Honestly!” he added tongue-in-cheek.

“It is a wonderful initiative. I’m impressed by the number of students and my batchmates who turned up this early, given that we had a blast till the wee hours of the morning,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan who came second, followed by Mr. Praful Agarwal, fondly called ‘Uncleji’ by his batchmates. “My passion for fitness helped me shed 20 extra kilos and follow a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

One happy marathoner

Among students, Satendra Sangwan a PG student from the Department of Physics took the first place. He was followed by Lt. Col. Ganesh Chawla, a Defence Sponsored UG candidate at the Department of Electrical Engineering, for whom this marathon was “just another morning run”.

The third place was taken by Tushar Kshirsagar, a UG first year student of Aerospace Engineering, who confessed turning up “just for the T-shirt”. His honesty was greeted with loud cheer, whistles and claps from the gathering. Karan Atariya, a post-graduate student of the Electrical Engineering Department bagged the fourth position

(Left) In action: Mr Ajit Kumar Alok

“It is extremely inspirational to find the Director participating in the run along with the students. During our time here, we could never expect anything like this. I hope this continues for the coming years. It brings a kind of fluidity and makes things easier between the students and the higher authorities,” said Mr. Ajit Kumar Alok, a 1995 alumnus, and currently a senior official of the Indian Railways.

All winners

Talking about the happiness index involved in a marathon, Prof. Saamdu Chhetri of IIT Kharagpur’s Rekhi Centre for the Science of Happiness, said that he feels that a marathon like this should not be competitive, but be “cohesive” instead. “In an event like the Annual Alumni Meet, where the alumni have come together to relive old memories and enjoy to the fullest, instead of competing against one another, it would have been wonderful had they held their hands together and completed this marathon. There’s a beautiful African saying which says, if you want to go far, go together; if you want to go fast, go alone. It is a wonderful initiative by the Institute to bring together the current batches along with their predecessors,” said Prof. Chhetri.

Prof Saamdu Chhetri

Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik, Head, Rekhi Centre for the Science of Happiness also spoke on the lines of Prof. Chhetri. He pointed out that the marathon was a good opportunity to discuss with both past and current students and find out how transformation can take place.

The event ended with the past and present students exchanging pleasantries, sharing the morning snack and hooting loudly, “KGP ka tempo high hai”.

 

Pictures courtesy: Student Alumni Cell

Yeh Papa ka college hai…

Mr Ajit Kumar Alok in front of his department with family

“Papa yahan khelta thha?” lisped a 3-year-old Ghrishneshvar, as he pointed out to the Tata Steel sports ground, just opposite to the Ramanujan Complex. He, along with his elder sister, Ujjavalaa, both toddlers, were at IIT Kharagpur campus for the first time with their parents and elder brother Aayush, who is in IIT-BHU. Their father, Mr Ajit Kumar Alok, a 1995 alumnus of the Electrical Engineering Department of the Institute, was here to attend the 17th Annual Alumni Meet held at the campus from 10th to 12th January 2020.

Aayush with Ghrishneshvar and Ujjavalaa

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when The KGP Chronicle caught up with these two pre-schoolers at the Arena. They had just come from Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hall of Residence, which was their father’s address from 1991 to 1995. Excited to know that their ‘Papa’ was just like them – he also carried a bag to college. “Humko bhi jana padhega?”, “Will there be a playground with jhula in my college? – came in questions one after the other. Too young to understand the concept of a campus, what really mattered to them was whether their father felt homesick. The fact of staying away from home for four years didn’t quite go down well with them. Aayush kept smiling all the while keeping a hawk’s eye on his younger siblings.

Ghrishneshvar with his mother Alka

For their mother, Mrs Alka Sinha Alok, it was also her first time on this campus. “It feels wonderful to be able to converse in Bengali after such a long time. I am originally from Chittaranjan, near Asansol, but due to my husband’s transferrable job, we stay in Punjab and there is absolutely no scope of speaking the language,” she let out a sigh of relief. She missed her friends who were the wives of her husband’s friends in Bangalore. “They had some prior commitments, and so couldn’t come,” she regretted.

Mr Alok in front of the Institute main building

Mr Alok is a senior employee with the Indian Railways. His job requires him to shift his base every three years. “For me, it is my job, but for my family, it gets very taxing, especially for the children. But then, they are slowly getting used to a cosmopolitan culture, which I think should mould them into better human beings,” remarked Mr Alok. Thus when the daughter pointed out to a Punjabi dish on the menu which she didn’t quite like, but loved the mishti doi, it did not come as a surprise.

Ujjavalaa playing the drums

“Yahan papa ko khana koun khilata thha?” asked Ujjavalaa, while fiddling with the drums in one segment of the Arena. Now that was a real googly. The close to 12,000 students on campus make friends who ultimately become second family to them. Their father himself did so, which is why he was back for the Annual Alumni Meet… to be with his long lost friends. But that is something beyond the comprehension of little Ujjavalaa. For the pre-schooler, it is impossible to imagine a world without parental love and attention. Hence her innocent query.

Currently residents of RCF Kapoorthala Punjab, the Aloks would be moving out of the place very soon since Mr Alok has already been transferred to Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. “I will miss my friends at Oxford Junior School,” said the two munchkins in unison, “but will have new friends in Ratlam,” chipped in Ujjavalaa.

The family had a wonderful time in the campus. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves running along the tree-lined campus roads, enjoying swing and see-saw rides at the children parks and dancing to the tunes of Balam Pichkari on the Gala Dinner Night with bonfire and DJ, on Saturday 11th January 2020.

Art of Gift, Gift to Art

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IIT Kharagpur’s Academy of Classical and Folk Arts has roped another key patron with US-based alumnus Mukund Padmanabhan donating ₹52 Lakh to this one of its kind outreach unit in the IIT system. The funding is towards building a music auditorium with a digitally enhanced learning environment, conducting thematic workshops on classical and folk arts and engaging teaching fellows.

Plans have been drawn to set up a digital classroom for music training in proscenium setting as distance mode teaching-learning with aesthetic and acoustically appropriate interiors. Two teaching positions are also being created for providing training on classical music and arts on a regular basis.

The Academy will offer training in music, fine arts and the performing arts, and also introduce credit courses in the forms of electives and micro-specializations. Additionally, it will create national and international outreach programs for dissemination and collaborative research on science and technology interventions in Indian classical music and other classical arts. The Academy will also be a hub to create teaching-learning resources for Indian classical music and other classical arts.

“While the Institute will provide the required space we are thankful to Mukund who has come forward to patronize this initiative. This new pedagogy in teaching and learning these classical and folk art forms will go a long way in preserving the core fundamentals of the traditional art form,’ said Subrata Chattopadhyay, Dean Alumni Affairs and Avinash Gupta Chair Professor.

Students of IIT Kharagpur will get the unique opportunity to explore this transdisciplinary program in classical and folk arts. Prof. Pallab Dasgupta and Prof. Joy Sen who are heading this initiative are enthusiastic about introducing students of engineering and architectural disciplines and encourage them to supplement the highly-competitive technical education through the use of artistic talents.

“Students of IIT Kharagpur constitute a rich talent pool of cultural virtuosity combined with exceptional creative intellect. We believe the Academy will open up new forays for expression of this talent, nurtured through a deeper understanding of our unique cultural heritage, and study through the lens of Science and Technology”, expressed the duo.

An MoU signed recently will also involve Mukund’s non-profit organization Guru Krupa Foundation. Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan is an expert in the domain of finance specializing in statistical financial modeling though he pursued his education in the field of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.  After completing his B.Tech. from IIT Kharagpur in 1987 from the Dept. of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, he did Masters and Doctoral degrees from UCLA in electrical engineering.  Mukund set up Guru Krupa Foundation, a New York-based charitable foundation to support social, educational and cultural initiatives.

Talking about the Academy Mukund said, “IIT is an institution that is known for hosting the best and brightest technical talent in India. Developing and excelling in a modern scientific approach to all things is required to make practical progress and advance our knowledge about the world we live in. However, traditional art and culture are also very important as it defines our history and represents our roots. From my point of view, the newly formed Academy of Classical and Folk Arts at IIT KGP represents a very creative experiment.”

According to him, the Academy serves three purposes – a non-technical creative outlet for the students and staff, enabling traditional forms of creative expression (music and arts) to be examined through the lens of technology and modern science, and introducing future leaders to these traditional art forms, it helps preserve the art forms for posterity.

Mukund’s philanthropic organization Guru Krupa Foundation will be involved in supporting the activities of the Academy. Guru Krupa Foundation has a charter of promoting the acquisition of knowledge, preservation of knowledge that we have already acquired (in the form of our cultural heritage) and also helping the disadvantaged in society.

“Support for the Academy of Classical and Folk Arts aligns well with this charter. In the near term, GKF will provide financial support, for instance, we are already providing support for Academy workshops that are planned for the 2020 year. Besides IIT KGP is my alma mater and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to give something back to the institution that laid the foundation for my professional life. It is my privilege to be able to give back to the institution that laid the foundation for my career,” he said.

The Academy has had additional contributions and support from other alumni, including Arjun Malhotra and Kiran Seth. Arjun and his associates has also been major contributors to the Academy. The IIT Kharagpur Foundation in the US has been actively working towards bringing forward more alumni towards this initiative.

“We are proud to bring alumnus like Mukund Padmanabhan in active engagement with their alma mater,” said alumnus and President of the Foundation, Ron Gupta.

Attempts are being made to collaborate with corporate houses with CSR goals towards preserving the scientific heritage and culture of India in the lines of IIT Kharagpur’s SANDHI programme funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.

Mukund is optimistic about alumni contributions driving areas that break away from the traditional expertise of the IITs.

“Historically, many advances have been made by cross-pollination of ideas. Enabling additional areas in which the traditional expertise of IITians can be applied could lead to great advances in those areas and also develop new applications for traditional expertise. Hence, support for new areas like the Academy of Arts is a good way of paying our dues forward to our alma mater. Who knows where this cross-pollination may lead!” – remarked Mukund.

Photo Credit: University of California, Los Angeles

KGPian for Life, and proud to be one

Homecoming 2019 had a unique feature that will make it stand out in the history of IIT Kharagpur. This was the first time that the alumni of the Institute took a formal pledge of loyalty. On August 17, a day before the Foundation Day of the Institute, members of the 1999, 2004 and 2009 batches who came for the event thanked their alma mater for nurturing them, helping them “grow in knowledge and wisdom”, instilling in them “faith and integrity”, and promoting “intellectual freedom, dialogue and diversity”.

‘Homecoming’ is an annual event in IIT Kharagpur’s calendar. Since 2018, batches who have completed 20, 15 and 10 years have been congregating on campus to celebrate, together with students, faculty and campus residents, the birthday of the Institute on August 18. This year, more than a hundred alumni from batches of 1999, 2004 and 2009 came for Homecoming.

The assembled alumni pledged loyalty to their alma mater. They promised to “uphold the ideals and prestige” of the Institution and make use of every opportunity to speak on its behalf, give back their time, talent, and whatever else they could share, visit their alma mater and represent her with “passion and loyalty”. They also promised to enrich the world with whatever they had learnt at IIT Kharagpur.

“I am a KGPian for life. And proud to be one,” is how the pledge ended.

Sarika Singh, who graduated in 1999 in Mathematics, said, “The pledge is wonderfully worded and I liked it very much. I think it has been liked by all.” She thanked the Institute for hosting her for Homecoming, which she said, “is a really nice way to help us reconnect with the Institute and our batchmates.”

Singh’s batchmate, Chandra Shekhar Prasad from Computer Science and Engineering, said, “It felt nice to take the pledge, but I don’t think we really need it. We pledged our loyalty to this Institute 20 years back.” His friend from Aerospace Engineering, Alokesh Das, chipped in saying, “We’ll preserve this pledge and try our best to act on it.”

At the ‘KGP & You’ session on August 17, conducted by the Dean, Alumni Affairs, Prof. Subrata Chattopadhyay, the 1999 batch, which had the strongest presence at Homecoming, pledged to be the next Founding Endowment Batch of the Institute by raising a collection of Rs 50 lakh or more.

Out of the donations made by the Founding Endowment batches, the Institute has recently launched the Undergraduate Research Program (UGRP) that will fund 20 research projects initiated by undergraduate students. The program will be implemented from the current academic session 2019-20.

Vikram Vippula, who graduated in Chemical Engineering in 1999, tried to build up the mood for his batch by saying, “When I think back, I realize that we had paid only Rs 1,000 per semester for our studies.” To his batchmates he said, “If you guys reflect back, please think how much subsidization you extracted and now how much you need to give back.” His plea was greeted by resounding appreciation at the Bhatnagar auditorium.

During the session, Prof. Chattopadhyay, Dean, Alumni Affairs, reminded the batches that it was not just financial donations, but there are many ways of ‘giving back’. He exhorted them to consider the newly launched ADEP or Alumni Department Engagement Programme, where alumni are encouraged to teach students as visiting faculty, or take lectures and workshops, or help in foreign and industry collaborations or in placements and internships for students.

What came through during the discussions was the concern about the hostels. “Are we thinking ahead?” asked an alumnus. Prof. Chattopadhyay reassured them. “We have prioritized where the Institute will need to intervene about bettering the hostel infrastructure and facilities and we are calling it the ‘minimum programme’ that will be executed by us,” he said.

Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs, Prof. Surjya Kanta Pal, pointed to the alumni-Institute engagement in the newly established DHI Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing in the Institute and encouraged the alumni to come forward in research and training activities and in “knowledge sharing”.

The batches of Homecomers had several ideas to share with IIT Kharagpur. Many of them wanted students to go out and work on local problems and use technology to resolve issues. One idea – to have a service corps of students and faculty who would go out to cities/localities and resolve problems with frugal technology use, and have their stipends and expenses borne by the alumni – won appreciation from the Deans.

Before they came to the campus, the Office of Alumni Affairs had written to the Homecomers of 2019, “It helps to rekindle thoughts of service, give ideas concrete shape, and bring life to dormant wishes. The pledge will help you realize the thoughts you already treasure in your heart for your alma mater, and may even push you to bring them to fruition.”

The care with which the Homecomers held their copies of the ‘Pledge’ as they trooped out of Bhatnagar auditorium that day made it obvious that they would treasure it for the rest of their life. It was only a matter of time before they acted on it as well.

Photo credit: ChickenSnake Films