IIT Kharagpur is going to organize its 66th Annual Convocation on February 23, 2021, in virtual mode keeping in view safety measures during the post-pandemic situation. Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India will grace the occasion as Chief Guest along with Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Govt. of India, Shri Sanjay Dhotre Hon’ble Minister of State and Shri Amit Khare, Hon’ble Secretary, Dept. of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.
In this one-of-a-kind Convocation event, seventy-five students including nine Institute Gold Medal winners and sixty-six Institute Silver Medal winners have been invited to receive the prestigious medals in person. However other students, totaling more than 2800, will be awarded degrees in online mode. The Institute will also confer DSc (Honoris Causa), IIT Kharagpur Life Fellow Award, and Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Talking about the e-Convocation, Director Professor Virendra K Tewari remarked, “This is a unique occasion for us; while we are welcoming the 2020 batch of alumni, we also feel for the students who would have to miss the cherished occasion. Being a former student myself, I can feel their disappointment and it was an extremely hard decision which I had to take, keeping in mind the welfare of the students. We will plan to organize an event to bring back this batch together at a later date when the pandemic subsides completely to let them have their moment of glory.”
IIT Kharagpur organized its 65th Convocation on August 27, 2019. Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Shri Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kharagpur and Chairman, R P Sanjiv Goenka Group was also present during the Convocation. The event was presided by Prof. Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya, Director (Officiating), IIT Kharagpur.
This year 2802 students were awarded degrees.
372 Ph. D. (i.e., 321 Ph. D. + 2 Joint MS – Ph. D. + 28 Joint M. Tech. /MCP – Ph. D. + 21 Joint M. Sc. – Ph. D.), 34 MS, 671 M. Tech., 35 MCP, 9 MMST, 16 MHRM, 123 MBA, 32 EMBA, 12 LLM, 30 LLB, 52 PGDBA (a tri-institute programme with IIM Kolkata and ISI Kolkata), 516 Dual Degree, 535 B. Tech. (Hons.), 39 B. Arch. (Hons.), 169 five – year integrated M. Sc. and 157 two-year M. Sc. degrees.
There has been an increase of close to 26% in doctoral degree recipients standing at 372 in comparison to last year’s figure of 295. This indicates a clear thrust on a research-based higher education programme in accordance with the goals set by the Govt. of India.
Speaking on these lines, Shri Sanjiv Goenka emphasized on problem-solving nature of higher education and motivated the students to contribute towards the sustained development of the country through the use of technology, knowledge and skills.
“We are living in a rapidly changing world that provides new opportunities often of an inter-disciplinary nature. But, utilizing such opportunities requires critical thinking, knowledge of diverse domains and a deeper understanding of the needs and aspirations of the society. A balanced, friction-free and united society is the only means by which India can become an economic superpower in the world,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments the Union Minister said “I have no doubt that this educational system founded in our rich culture and values will help us unlock the hidden potentials of our citizens. We have urged educators, in the draft document on education policy, to underline “traditional Indian values such as service, non-violence, cleanliness, truth, selfless work, tolerance, honest hard work, respect for women, elders, and all people and their inherent capabilities regardless of background and concern for the environment”.
The Research Park at Kolkata was also inaugurated by the Minister digitally. While the Research Park, the first of its kind in eastern India, will foster entrepreneurship skills by bringing research, development and the industry under a single roof. Young entrepreneurs, typically using research and technology developed in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, will be incubated in this facility.
Shri Pokhriyal also expressed delight on IIT Kharagpur being at the forefront of addressing the issues of national and high societal importance. He made a special mention of the upcoming superspecialty hospital which will not only enable technology-based medical science education but provide affordable medical care to the people from the surrounding rural area.
The Union Minister emphasized the need for research on Indian science and heritage. He also urged every student in India to plant one tree and care for it and also save one litre of water every day to counter environmental and water challenges.
Shri Pokhriyal presented the gold medals to the students. Among them were:
Kaustav Brahma from the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering – recipient of the President of India Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the outgoing B. Tech. (Hons.) and B. Arch. (Hons.) programme
Ms. Kosaraju Akhila from the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning – recipient of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy Memorial Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the B. Tech. (Hons.) and B. Arch. (Hons.) programme.
Shubham Jena from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Rajarshi Saha from the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering – recipient of the Prime Minister of India Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the Dual Degree and Integrated M. Sc. Programmes.
Abin Devassia from the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture – recipient of the Dr. Jnan Chandra Ghosh Memorial Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the Dual Degree and Integrated M.Sc. programmes
Manish Gupta from the Department of Chemistry – recipient of the Professor Jagadish Chandra Bose Memorial Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the outgoing students of all 2-year M. Sc. courses in the Science disciplines.
Srikakulapu Kiranbabu from the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering – recipient of the Director’s Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the students completing M. Tech. and MCP courses
Sankalp Biswal from the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering – recipient of the Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the M. Tech. and MCP outgoing students.
The Director Prof. S K Bhattacharyya, urged these toppers as well as the 2500+ students who will be awarded degree on the coming Tuesday to take tender care of the fellow countrymen while they set their path to conquer the world.
“They have supported your education in the sincere hope that you will make their world better. Please try your best to ensure a smile in the face of fellow citizens through social justice, societal sustainability with due respect to the Indian-ness, which is our great culture,” he said.
IIT Kharagpur is organising its 65th Convocation on August 27, 2019. Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. Shri Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kharagpur and Chairman, R P Sanjiv Goenka Group will also be present. The event will be presided by Prof. Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya, Director (Officiating), IIT Kharagpur.
This year the Institute will confer 372 Ph. D. (i.e., 321 Ph. D. + 02 Joint MS – Ph. D. + 28 Joint M. Tech. /MCP – Ph. D. + 21 Joint M. Sc. – Ph. D.), 34 MS, 671 M. Tech., 35 MCP, 123 MBA, 32 EMBA, 9 MMST, 16 MHRM, 12 LLM, 30 LLB, 52 PGDBA (a tri-institute programme with IIM Kolkata and ISI Kolkata), 516 Dual Degree, 535 B. Tech. (Hons.), 39 B. Arch. (Hons.), 169 five – year integrated M. Sc. and 157 two-year M. Sc. degrees. The doctoral degree programme has witnessed a substantial increase from last year’s figure of 295.
This year the President of India Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the outgoing B. Tech. (Hons.) and B. Arch. (Hons.) students is being awarded to Kaustav Brahma. Hailing from Jamshedpur Kaustav joined the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering. He was awarded the IIT KGP Foundation USA international internship in 2018 for pursuing his 3rd year internship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also an active member of the students’ drama society at IIT Kharagpur.
The Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy Memorial Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the B. Tech. (Hons.) and B. Arch. (Hons.) outgoing students is being awarded to Kosaraju Akhila. The Guntur girl while maintaining her excellent CGPA at the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, played a key role in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit organized by the Entrepreneurship Cell, a student body at IIT Kharagpur. She also headed the design team of Spring Fest, one of the most vibrant college festivals in Asia.
Shubham Jena of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Rajarshi Saha of the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering have been jointly awarded The Prime Minister of India Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the Dual Degree and Integrated M. Sc. outgoing students. While Cuttack boy Shubham holds several feathers in his cap with being a student member of a Boeing project and also representing India at AUVSI’s with his work on autonomous underwater vehicle, public welfare work at villages through IIT Kharagpur’s NSS, Rajarshi Saha from Delhi carries an impressive resume with his internship experience at Carnegie Mellon, Texas Instruments and IISC and an offer of PhD from Stanford University. The Dr. Jnan Chandra Ghosh Memorial Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the Dual Degree and Integrated M.Sc. outgoing students is being given to Abin Devassia from the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture. Abin who is from Pulpally Kerala, is currently working with OYO.
Among the others are Manish Gupta of the Department of Chemistry, who is awarded the Professor Jagadish Chandra Bose Memorial Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the outgoing students of all 2-year M. Sc. courses in the Science disciplines, Srikakulapu Kiranbabu of the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering awarded The Director’s Gold Medal for the best academic performance among the students completing M. Tech. and MCP courses and Sankalp Biswal of the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering being awarded the Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal for the best all-round performance among the M. Tech. and MCP outgoing students.
The Director Prof. Bhattacharyya, urged these toppers as well as the 2500+ students who will be awarded degree on the coming Tuesday to take tender care of the fellow countrymen while they set their path to conquer the world. “They have supported your education in the sincere hope that you will make their world better. Please try your best to ensure a smile in the face of fellow citizens through social justice, societal sustainability with due respect to the indianness, which is our great culture,” he said.
IIT Kharagpur, an Institute of National Imporance will celebrate its 64th Convocation on July 20, 2018, an institution whose history runs parallel to the ultimate freedom movement of India after the World War II. From freedom fighters to personalities like Rabindra Nath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose, IIT Kharagpur in its 68 years of existence has witnessed the brightest luminaries from India and brilliant minds from across the world. The one occasion which shines brightest among all is the Convocation ceremony each year. This is the time when students along with their degrees take the blessings from their Alma Mater to pilot their lives. Probably, that is why the Directors of the IIT Kharagpur over the years, try to bid them a farewell in an unforgettable way inspiring generations of IITians, to be specific Kgpians.
The chief guests for the Convocation have quite a story to tell.
Top: Bhim Chandra Mandal (R), Jawaharlal Nehru (M), Dr. B. C. Roy (L) during the first convocation in 1956; Right: Group photo of 1st Convocation
J. L. Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who was the Chief Guest of the first Convocation of the first IIT, inspired students to dare for the bigger things in life.
“If you indulge in small activities, in small things, then you remain small. But if you dare and go in for the really big things of life, then, even in your endeavour to realize them, you become big in the process” – he said.
What did Mechanical Engineer, Bhim Chandra Mandal think while listening to that speech or while receiving the President of India Gold Medal in the presence of the Prime Minister?
We tried reaching him, hopefully, will get you his experience soon.
Dr. Radhakrishan (L), Prof. S R Sengupta (M), Dr. B. C. Roy. (R)
The very next year in 1957 echoed the voice of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India – “The alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, we do not know. What we do know is the middle – between the beginning and the end; that is all that you know. Do not, therefore, attempt to say that things are understood by you.” Such a message could have come only from a brilliant educationist he was. To this day, the Institute celebrates his excellence in the Radhakrishnan Hall of Residence on Teacher’s Day.
This was the year, the first PhD degree was conferred in the IIT system. Dr. Sahadeb Banerjee, Assistant Lecturer from the Department of Chemistry was the recipient for his thesis on Polymerization and Co-polymerization of Vinyl. Just a year later, the first PhD degree to a student from IIT was conferred. The recipient was the legendary physicist and inventor Dr. Mani Lal Bhaumik. We do not know today whether the words of Dr. Radhakrishan reached them in person but golden words seem to carry the aura and influence the right minds.
In 1959, the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad graced the Convocation. Just a year before the first review committee for IIT Kharagpur was appointed by him.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the 4th Convocation in 1959
In 1962 it was another President of India, whose speech perhaps, is critical in today’s context when higher education is looked upon as a resource for career development only and not evolving life itself. “Life is one long enchanting school; unfortunate, indeed, are those who go through it like truants,” said Dr. Zakir Hussain. While the year is marked for the Indo-China war, it also celebrated a victory. The number of girl students by this time has increased so much for them to have the first girls’ hostel at IIT Kharagpur – Sarojini Naidu Hall of Residence.
Dr. Zakir Hussain in the 7th Convocation in 1962Harimohan Pillai and others receiving Smt. Indira Gandhi
By the time IIT Kharagpur was completing its Silver Jubilee, engineering and technology education was taking a giant leap towards our time and may be beyond. While many of the alumni abroad was establishing brand IIT while their alma mater was setting up new disciplines such as Reliability Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Cryogenic Engineering, Materials Science in late 60s and early 70s which were soon followed by the popular discipline of Computer Science and Engineering by the end of the decade.What might have the Smt. Indira Gandhi commented about these transformations when she visited IIT Kharagpur as the Chief Guest of the Convocation in 1976? Some memoir could tell a story. But Shri Harimohan Pillai who was a third year that time at the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning and was part of the reception committee of the Prime Minister shared a unique experience. During her visit, due to strict protocols of the visit by the heads of state, a shop in his hall of residence was displaced. Pillai wrote about that incident to the PM. When he came back to the campus after the Summer recess, he not only found the shop has been rebuilt as per instruction from the PMO but he was made to inspect and give certification of satisfaction for the newly built shop. After reaching his hostel room he found a letter from PMO! It read:
Indira Gandhi in the Convocation of 1976, the Silver Jubilee year
प्रियहरिमोहन ,
हमेंफक्रहैकिहमारेदेशमेंआपजैसे
नौजवानहैंजोअपनेआसपासकि
खबररखतेहैं . आपकेहॉस्टलके
पास किदुकानकेबारेमेंपढ़कर
खेदहुआ . हमनेएक्शनलेलियाहै .
शुभकामनाएं ,
Indira Gandhi
By 1994, when the President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma visited, IIT Kharagpur was on its way to becoming a multidisciplinary institution. This was the year the Vinod Gupta School of Management, the first management school in the IIT system was set up and the foundation stone of the School’s building was laid by Dr. Sharma. The First Lady and Dr. Sharma Dr. paid homage at the Hijli Shaheed Bhavan at IIT Kharagpur. Vinod Gupta School of Management is adjacent to this grand old building from the pre-independence era.
The very next year, in 1995, the degree recipients witnessed the brilliance of the Missile Man of India. Pokhran-II explosions were yet to happen, but Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the former President of India was not just an inspiration but extremely popular among the students’ community. Years’ later he visited the Institute once more to inaugurate the School of Medical Science and Technology.
The year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Institute which were completed with the Convocation in 2002 was attended by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, the then Minister of Human Resources Development. He inaugurated two main extensions of IIT KGP, Takshashila and Vikramshila, which house the several schools and centers, auditoriums and lecture halls of the Institute. Dr. Joshi conferred the Life Fellow Award, instituted by IIT Kharagpur that year, to illustrious alumni Arjun Malhotra, Vinod Gupta and Suhas Patil and wellwisher and philanthropist Bijoy Chatterjee.
The Diamond Jubilee celebration of IIT KGP which began in 2011 was presided by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister. “IIT Kharagpur can provide a fertile breeding ground to drive innovation by creating a strong R&D environment and entrepreneurial support systems” he said. Thus idea germinated for the IIT KGP Research Park at Kolkata.
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Governor of West Bengal, Shri M.K. Narayanan, the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ajit Singh and the Director, IIT Kharagpur, Professor Damodar Acharya at the 58th Annual Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, West Bengal on September 15, 2012.
The celebrations ended in 2012 with Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, who held the office of the President of India at that time. He announced Rs. 200 crore grant for the development of IIT KGP and the establishment of the superspecialty hospital. He welcomed the initiative of IIT KGP to offer new degree courses and programs in order to lead from the front and to keep pace with the growth and development of science and technology. The Former President emphasized on global rankings of the IITs and the higher educational institutions in India.
The Institute is now gearing up for the visit of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, the current President of India as the Chief Guest of the 64th Convocation.
Prof. P P Chakrabarti, Director of IIT KGP said “I am glad the Institute has been leading is several large projects in the area of education outreach and technology development such as National Digital Library of India which was formally launched few days back, the Research Park at Kolkata, the superspecialty hospital which will be a hub of research in medical science technology. We are also making significant efforts in establishing integrated programs with top institutions in India and abroad which is going to redefine Indian higher education, research and industry. We are looking forward to the vision which the President of India would be sharing with us during this visit.”
The do’s and dont’s being rolled out for the insiders. Tweets and flashes of the visits are all over. But the real charm is always felt among the students who numbered at close to 2400 will be receiving their much coveted IIT degrees in the presence of the heads of the nation.
“It is an experience a person gets once in a lifetime, never to be forgotten,” said Rahul Goel, a graduating student who will receive his B.Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering. Rohan Gupta another graduating student from Geology and geophysics is feeling privileged to receive the degree in the presence of Shri Kovind. “Of course the excitement is a lot more and we hope there is some good news to arrive with him as well” hoped both. Asish Koruprolu who will receive his B.Tech. degree in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering and thereafter head for Stanford University in his candid mood trying to make his friends jealous. “Aaj mere paas IIT KGP ka degree hai, Stanford admit hai, Convocation mein President of India hai, aur maa-baap bhi hai, tere paas kya hai haan? (Today I have a degree from IIT KGP, admit at Stanford University, the President of India attending on our Convocation and I have my mother and father as well, what do you have?)
By 1994, when the President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma visited, IIT Kharagpur was on its way to becoming a multidisciplinary institution. This was the year the Vinod Gupta School of Management, the first management school in the IIT system was set up and the foundation stone of the School’s building was laid by Dr. Sharma. The First Lady and Dr. Sharma Dr. paid homage at the Hijli Shaheed Bhavan at IIT Kharagpur. Vinod Gupta School of Management is adjacent to this grand old building from the pre-independence era.
The very next year, in 1995, the degree recipients witnessed the brilliance of the Missile Man of India. Pokhran-II explosions were yet to happen, but Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the former President of India was not just an inspiration but extremely popular among the students’ community. Years’ later he visited the Institute once more to inaugurate the School of Medical Science and Technology.
The year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Institute which were completed with the Convocation in 2002 was attended by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, the then Minister of Human Resources Development. He inaugurated two main extensions of IIT KGP, Takshashila and Vikramshila, which house the several schools and centers, auditoriums and lecture halls of the Institute. Dr. Joshi conferred the Life Fellow Award, instituted by IIT Kharagpur that year, to illustrious alumni Arjun Malhotra, Vinod Gupta and Suhas Patil and wellwisher and philanthropist Bijoy Chatterjee.
