As a part of the year-long celebration to mark 175 years (1847-2022) of establishment, the Indian Institute of Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) organised an alumni outreach event at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) on March 27, 2022.
For the first time, IIT Roorkee is conducting zonal outreach activities, viz., Ahmedabad (West), Kolkata (East), Delhi NCR (North), and Bengaluru/Hyderabad (South) to facilitate alumni meets in an attempt to reach out to all alumni and celebrate their achievements and bolster the common bonding.
The event at IITGN was graced by many dignitaries and senior alumni of IIT Roorkee, such as Prof Sudhir Jain, former Director, IITGN and incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Banaras Hindu University; N M Bijlani Retd IAS and former Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad, and former President, Ahmedabad Chapter; Kumud Mukherjee, Practising Architect and former President, Ahmedabad Chapter; Desh Raj, Retd IT Commissioner; P K Taneja Retd IAS and former Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat, and incumbent Director General, Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM), Dr Sumer Chopra, Director, Institute of Seismology, Gandhinagar; Anupam Gehlot, IPS, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), Gujarat State; Prof Amit Prashant, Officiating Director, IITGN; Sandeep Singh, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gujarat State; among others.
In addition, a number of CEOs from many companies, faculty members from SVNIT, Nirma University, DAIICT, Senior Scientists from ISRO, Institute of Plasma Research, and ONGC also graced the event and participated with their spouses.
Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee handed mementos to senior alumni of the Institute in Gujarat who had completed 50 years of graduation. The list included N M Bijlani (1958 batch), Smt Surekha Kumra Chadha (1962 batch), Shri A K Pradhan (1963 batch), Kumud Mukerjee (1965 batch), H K Gupta (1966 batch), S C Gupta (1966 batch), R K Tyagi (1967 batch), Vijai Kumar (1967 batch), K L Gulati (1968 batch), K G Yadav (1969 batch), Manoj Joshi (1970 batch), and Shyam Taneja (1971 batch).
Office bearers from IIT Roorkee provided a briefing about the alumni meet.
Addressing the event, Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, “I am happy to share that in our 175th year these outreach engagements will imbibe within students, alumni and faculty the importance of a closely-knit affiliation. No one reaches the heights of success without being pulled by the people above them. Our teachers, our seniors and every human being that existed before us paved a path for us to climb and eventually we reached where we are today. Thus, the occasion should set the stage for all the members of the alumni network to work as mentors for their juniors to come.”
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Sudhir Jain, former Director, IITGN and incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Banaras Hindu University, remarked, “IIT Roorkee has not only been the pioneer in the field of research and innovation but also fostered the academia-industry relationship for the larger interest of society and the nation. I heartily congratulate IIT Roorkee for making distinguished contributions and taking this initiative for alumni engagement which will work as a cyclic process motivating as well as rewarding both the alumni as well as the institution.”
Speaking during the event, Prof Amit Prashant, Officiating Director, IITGN, highlighted, “The alumni meet aims to foster a sense of community among alumni, while supporting a sense of connectedness back to the institution. It will help new professionals to establish or renew friendships and acquaintances. Also, to institute prizes and awards for outstanding project works, research papers or other professional activities by the teachers, alumni and the students. This in turn will allow students to meet others who share the institutional connection and to start their academic career with new social connections.”
Sharing his thoughts about the event, Prof Vikrant Jain, alumni of IIT Roorkee, Professor of Earth Sciences, IITGN, and one of the co-organisers of the event, said, “It is our pleasure to be part of the celebration by IIT Roorkee and host all the distinguished alumni of the Institute at IITGN. Such an event fosters a sense of belonging and bonding among the community.”
IIT Roorkee, formerly known as The Roorkee College, was established in 1847 AD as the first engineering college in the British Empire.
Recognising its performance and potential in the view of independent India’s needs, in November 1949, it was elevated from the erstwhile college to the first engineering university of independent India. On September 21, 2001, the University was declared as an institute of national importance, changing its status from University of Roorkee to IIT Roorkee.
Since its establishment in 1847, the Institute has played a vital role in providing technical human resource and expertise to the country.