IIT Bombay Celebrates Alumni Day, Awards Bestowed (Photo on X - IIT Bombay @iitbombay)
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) today (December 24) celebrated its annual Alumni Day at VMCC on the campus. The event began with a warm welcome by Prof. Ravindra Gudi, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Bombay. This was followed by address by Prof. S. Sudarshan, Deputy Director (Academic and Infrastructural Affairs) and Prof. K.V.K. Rao, Deputy Director (Finance and External Affairs), IIT Bombay, highlighting the Institute’s progress over the years. In his address, Prof. Sudarshan said, “The success of our alumni in every aspect of life has made us proud, and enhanced IIT Bombay’s reputation all over the world. Our alumni have also been giving back in multiple ways, including record breaking donations, serving on numerous advisory boards in IIT Bombay, helping make connects between our faculty, students and industry, and some are contributing directly as faculty, professors of practice and other roles. We are very grateful for the wonderful support we are getting from our alumni, which will help build IIT Bombay’s infrastructure to a level we can be justifiably proud of, and help us take IIT Bombay to even greater levels of excellence in the years to come”.
This year’s Distinguished Service Award (instituted in 1999) was bestowed on Gajanan Vithal Gandhe, B.Tech., 1986, Civil Engineering. Besides being an achiever in his own chosen domain, Mr. Gandhe has made a significant and enduring contribution to the advancement of the Institute. The award consists of a certificate, a memento and an uttaria. The Chapter Service Awards (instituted during the Diamond Jubilee year celebrations) are given to select alumni who have contributed consistently to the progress of their Chapters and the Institute. The awardees for this year include Mr. Kicha Ganapathy, B.Tech., 1967, Electrical Engineering (Chapter: New York); Mr. Deepak Digambar Thite, M.Tech., 1996, Mechanical Engineering (Chapter: Pune); Mr. Amit Gupta, B.Tech., 2002, Chemical Engineering (Chapter: Japan); and Ms. Tarana Gupta, M. Design, 2009, IDC (Chapter: New York). In his address, Mr. Ravishankar Gedela, CEO of IIT Bombay-DRF, celebrated the achievements of its alumni community and recognized their continued support and giving back to the Institute. IIT Bombay also recognized its top donors of 2023 by unveiling a Donor Wall on the occasion.
The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Invest in Excellence. Shape Tomorrow’. The campaign is a concerted effort by the Institute to engage a wide spectrum of its alumni community. The Institute aims to harness the power of collective giving and welcomes all contributions – substantial or modest – towards the various causes that will propel IIT Bombay on its continued journey of excellence. The core causes for this year’s GO IITB campaign include Student Scholarships, Project Evergreen (hostel infrastructure) and the Institute Development Fund.
The Silver Jubilee Batch (class of 1998) pledged a sum of Rs. 57 crores towards its Legacy Project.
The Legacy Project is a way for alumni to come together with their batchmates to give back to their alma mater and leave behind a lasting legacy and remembrance of their milestone reunions. The Class of 1998″s contribution exceeded the significant donation of Rs 41 crore made by the Class of 1971 during their Golden Jubilee celebrations at the Institute in 2022. The funds raised by the Class of 1998 will help the Institute support key academic projects and the research landscape at IIT Bombay. They include Project Evergreen, which aims to create sustainable and eco-friendly hostels for students; Makerspace labs to foster scientific and technological innovation and creativity; and Student Aid initiatives (including Scholarships) to fuel the aspirations of the next generation of students at the Institute. The funds raised will also help drive IIT Bombay”s ambitious 2030 vision of ranking among the world”s top 50 universities and foster a legacy of excellence on the global stage.
The Golden Jubilee Batch (class of 1973) pledged a total of Rs 7.15 crores to support two causes: C1973 EV Power Train Laboratory and C1973
Setting up the C1973 EV Power Train Laboratory will allow IIT Bombay to leverage its exceptionally talented pool of faculty, globally competitive scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, to take the lead in the indigenization of EV research and technology. While it will initially focus on 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, small cars, and light commercial vehicles (which account for the lion’s share of EV sales in India), the Lab will also support India’s journey toward becoming a worldwide hub for small EVs.
C1973 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Research.
The awards will promote and recognize original research from IITB young faculty and encourage them to conduct and publish impactful and viable research in peerreviewed and globally reputed academic journals. This will help increase the visibility of IIT Bombay as a premier research-driven Institute in the world, even as the impact of its practical research will help in nation-building.
