Homecoming 2019,me an annual alumni meet organised by the Office of Alumni Relations at IITGN, began today with former students from different undergraduate and postgraduate batches coming together. In its third edition this year, Homecoming 3.O brought IITGN alumni from all over the country and overseas together to their alma mater.
The two-day event started with an informal interactive session with the institute leadership team about new developments at IITGN such as Maker Bhavan, non-degree programme, JEE Open House in different cities, and new infrastructure for various academic, sports and student activities. Discussions also included ideas for more close and active engagement of alumni in the special initiatives of the institute such as the Alumni Residency Program and Student Leadership Initiative.
Addressing the participating alumni, Prof Sudhir K Jain, director, IITGN asked the alumni to do a little bit of introspection and suggest in what ways we can do better and improve further. Giving more information on the latest developments in terms of infrastructure and pedagogical initiatives, he stressed upon IITGN’s aspiration to lead in student entrepreneurial landscape. “We now want to scale up on this front too. We intend to train our students in entrepreneurship in such a way that they build products and contribute to the economy of the country, and therefore, provide employment and capability.” He encouraged alumni to contribute and participate in the Student Leadership Initiative.
Welcoming the IITGN alumni at the event, Prof Jaison Manjaly, Professor-in-charge of Alumni Affairs, IITGN said, “The campus is a very interesting space in a student’s life which one can never forget. Homecoming allows you to reclaim your stories and memories.”
Prof Madhu Vadali, Associate Dean, Students Affairs, talked to the participants about the Student Leadership Initiative wherein graduates from IITs, some of whom become leaders in society, can come to IITGN and share their insights with the students in order to inculcate leadership qualities in students. Prof Pratik Mutha, Dean, Academic Affairs, gave more information about setting up the Maker Bhavan, one of the major academic initiatives of IITGN to create a state-of-the-art maker space which will be the best in India and at par with other global universities.
The alumni also shared their stories from college days at the IITGN campus. They shared a common feeling of nostalgia as they renewed old friendships and interacted with each other, faculty and current students.
Candid moments captured by the lens…
Rounak Mehta, an alumnus of 2015 batch of BTech Mechanical Engineering and currently working in San Francisco, shared his feelings about returning to the campus after a gap. He said, “I came to the campus after almost three years. I feel so happy and jealous at the same time upon seeing the campus so well developed. I look forward to bond with some old friends and faculty.” Rounak works actively with the IIT Gandhinagar Foundation in the United States.
Charu Gupta, a 2017-batch student of MSc Maths, and Ayushi Tyagi, a 2017-batch student of MSc Chemical Engineering, jointly shared their thoughts and said, “The interdisciplinary culture at IITGN is one of the most important things that we cherish. It helped us connect with each other even if we were from different disciplines. The same thing was possible in the hostels, thanks to the well-thought design of hostel buildings. We are coming after two years and a lot of things have changed, but we still feel connected with the institute.”
In the evening, recreational activities like monopoly, poker, snooker, carom and foosball in the Student Activity Centre; informal interactions at Panchayat Circle, and campfire dinner near the hostel Jalmandap added to the enthusiasm of the participants.
The second day of Homecoming 2019 saw alumni having informal interactions with faculty and peers. This was followed by an open-mic cultural event where the alumni showcased their various talents.
Stills from Homecoming 3.0
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