IIT Madras Alumni celebrate Institute’s Diamond Jubilee across the World

They have contributed over Rs. 225 core to the development of IIT Madras in recent years with the no. of donors crossing 4,800, which is 10% of total Alumni Strength.

INN/Chennai, @infodeaofficial  

Probably for the first time, an Indian Educational Institution’s Alumni organized celebrations of a historic milestone of their Alma Mater on a global scale.

With Indian Institute of Technology Madras crossing the historic milestone of 60 years, the Alumni organized celebrations simultaneously across 83 cities in the world, including several major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune, on the same day – 13th July 2019.

IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA) in partnership with IIT Madras organized the celebrations in which more than 3,500 Alumni of IIT Madras participated in events held at various cities ranging from Seattle to Sydney, Toronto to Tokyo, Berlin to Bangalore, Helsinki to Hong Kong.

Mr. C.P. Madhusudhan, Secretary, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “The Diamond Jubilee was celebrated in a grand manner across the world with 10 per cent of our registered alumni base participating. We will leverage this powerful network for the Reimagining of India in 2030 which is the topic of Sangam 2019, our Annual Alumni Conclave to be held in Chennai later this year. The Reimagining will focus on Ecological Sustainability and Human Enablement by Technology & Business Leadership and nurturing a global entrepreneurship ecosystem.”

The Alumni are keen to give back to IIT Madras and play a role in the development of the Institute and contribute in numerous ways including in mentoring current students, providing them the industry connect, and in donations.

Speaking about the role of IIT Madras in developing the Institute, Prof Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, “Our Institute is fortunate to have a group of dedicated alumni who care about its growth. This global celebration is their expression of love towards their alma mater.”

The Cumulative funds received from alumni in recent years have crossed Rs. 225 crore. The total number of donors who have contributed to IIT Madras is around 4,800 which is approximately 10 per cent of the total alumni strength of around 48,000.

The Alumni also helped the Institute engage with corporates for CSR funding. Cumulatively, IIT Madras has received over Rs. 80 crore from corporate firms under CSR.

The Alumni have contributed extensively to the following causes:

Ø  Chair endowments

Ø  Students scholarship endowments

Ø  Research & Development

Ø  Innovation ecosystem

Ø  Infrastructure

Ø  Student travel for presenting papers and attending conferences, and

Ø  Student projects. among many other causes.

Mr. Manish Jain, Chair, Hyderabad Chapter, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “The celebrations where conducted on the same day across 83 cities globally. It was a great experience to connect and interact with alumni across so many cities. Interacting with such a wide diaspora of alumni was also eye-opening for me. IITM alumni have made and continue to make significant contributions to our great nation and beyond.”

Alumni from the all the batches, starting from the very first one in 1964, to those graduating in 2019 participated and shared their memories of their time at IIT Madras in many countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, and Australia.

Speaking about their experiences in this celebration, Mr. Deepak Sahoo, Co-ordinator from Bengaluru, said,“We had a great time catching up. It was fun to see younger alums bring their energy and experienced ones bring their wisdom. United by their shared origins, people were in a very nostalgic mood. Such gatherings help us strengthen our bonds with our Alma Mater, and among ourselves, and these networks can be leveraged for both personal and social progress.”

The whole exercise is being taken up at such a gargantuan scale to help re-connect the Alumni with the Institute and get them to engage and make an impact. They can help the current students in numerous ways, from career counselling to mentoring them on starting their own business ventures and startups.

Mr. Abhimanyu Deshpande, Chair, Pune Chapter, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said,“The Diamond Jubilee event at Pune was the most memorable event till date for the Chapter. It saw participation from 1967 batch all the way to 2019 and some current students.”