The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) hosted its 14th convocation ceremony at Mahatma Mandir on Saturday, marking a major milestone in its history by awarding degrees to 668 students—the institute’s largest graduating batch to date.
Among the graduates, a record 111 PhD degrees were conferred, highlighting the institute’s growing focus on advanced research and academic excellence.
Inspiring Words from Leaders
The ceremony featured Aditya Ghosh, co-founder of Akasa Air, as the chief guest, who shared lessons from his leadership journey. He praised India’s economic momentum and encouraged students to pursue their passions, build trust, and commit to lifelong learning. Ghosh underscored the need for humility, sustainability, and continuous self-improvement, urging graduates to measure success not by wealth or titles, but by the positive impact they have on others.
“Our biggest auditor is the person staring back at us in the mirror,” he said, stressing the value of self-reflection and personal accountability.
Sanjiv Puri, Chairman of the IITGN Board of Governors and Chairman & MD of ITC Limited, also addressed the gathering. He encouraged graduates to lead with purpose and humility while contributing to a more equitable and sustainable world.
Honouring Excellence
Top-performing students were honoured with some of the institute’s most prestigious awards:
Director’s Gold Medal:
- Falak Vats (PhD)
- Hemant Poonia (MTech)
- Aayushi Jain (MSc & MA)
- Adit Atul Rambhia (BTech)
President’s Gold Medal:
- Vala Kiritkumar Hemrajbhai (MTech)
- Mohan Murlidhar Tiratkar (MSc & MA)
- Mithil Pechimuthu (BTech)
Additional honours included Gold Medals for Outstanding Research, 20 Institute Gold Medals for academic toppers, an Outstanding Leadership Award, and 14 Commendation Awards for excellence in areas such as sports, entrepreneurship, culture, social service, and student initiatives—emphasising IITGN’s commitment to holistic development.
Academic Growth and New Programmes
In his address, Prof. Rajat Moona, Director of IITGN, highlighted several key academic developments:
- Launch of a new BTech programme in Integrated Circuit Design and Technology
- Curriculum reform allowing BTech students to spend their 7th semester off-campus for internships, research, entrepreneurship, or global academic collaboration
- Growth of IITGN-X, the institute’s outreach unit, which has introduced e-Masters in Energy Policy and Regulation and Data Science for Decision Making
- An upcoming e-Master’s in Applications of Machine Learning in Engineering (launching August)
- Approval of new programmes: Master of Design and Professional Leader’s PhD
- Ongoing dual-degree collaborations with Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Graduating Class of 2025:
- 111 PhD
- 141 MTech
- 135 MSc
- 36 MA
- 12 PGDIIT
- 7 BTech (Dual Major)
- 5 BSc (Engineering)
- 221 BTech
The event celebrated not only academic achievement but also the institute’s growing reputation as a centre for research, innovation, and leadership.