Majestic R-Day celebrations on campus as IITGN Director bags the Padma Shri

Prof Sudhir K Jain, director, IITGN and on the coveted Padma Shri awardees' list this year, hoisted the national flag amid a huge fanfare on the 71st Republic Day.

The institute celebrated the 71^st Republic Day amid great cheering and fanfare as the day marked not only the celebrated day but also Prof Sudhir K Jain (director)’s Padma Shri award. Cointinuing from its previous edition, IITGN also hosted a ‘Bada Khana’, a feast for nearly 5,000 people involved directly or indirectly in campus development. All the stakeholders ranging from the director to faculty, staff, construction workers, contractors, project monitoring units, maintenance agencies, students and families came together for the meal as one large family. Bada Khana embodies IITGN’s inclusive philosophy of being one family by annually bringing together everyone involved in the development of its campus.

Professor Jain’s Padma Shri was celebrated and applauded greatly by the community. On the achievement, Professor Jain said, “This is a collective recognition of the entire community’s efforts, sacrifices and hard work that has put IITGN on the current pedestal. I am most grateful and humbled for everybody’s participation in this mission.”

IITGN also presented the Staff Excellence Awards, Faculty Excellence Awards and Campus Development Awards to various faculty and staff. For the first time, IITGN also felicitated the medal-winning participants of the Inter-IIT Staff Sports Meet 2019 with newly-instituted ‘Achievement in Sports Awards’.

The flag-hoisting ceremony was followed by a cultural programme by the students and IITGN community. Winners of the Undergraduate Research Conclave (UGRC) and students in the Dean’s list were also felicitated during the event.

In the evening, IITGN students conducted a tree-plantation drive in the new hostels on campus. This was followed by an enthusiastic 5-km and 2.5-km Community Run themed ‘Beat the Dean Challenge’ wherein the participants were challenged to beat the Dean of Student Affairs in the 5-km run to win a medal. Several members of the community participated in the run to encourage and inculcate the habit of running.

The Republic Day celebrations ended with a play titled ‘Man Manch – A Journey…’ performed by Rongduli Sanskrit Kendra group, supported by National School of Drama. The play was based on the life of an actor, his struggles with his mind and how destiny delivers a roller-coaster ride leading to self-realisation.