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IIT Kanpur honours alumni on 62nd Foundation Day
Railway and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw among those felicitated by IIT Kanpur, two centres of reseach launched
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) felicitated its alumni, including railway and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, for their outstanding achievements and contributions in various fields on the 62nd Foundation Day of the institute on Tuesday evening.
In all, 20 awards were presented on the occasion — 16 to prominent alumni and four to fellows of IIT-K.
The awardees included eminent scientists, industry experts, politician, administrators, and technocrats, most of them pioneers in their respective fields, said IIT Kanpur director Prof Abhay Karandikar.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan presided over the function that was held in a hybrid mode in view of Covid restrictions. Radhkrishnan is currently chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur.
The Alumnus Award was conferred on railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; Indigo Paints MD Hemant Jalan, Engineers India Ltd chairperson and managing director Vartika Shukla and CureFit CEO and co-founder Mukesh Bansal.
This year’s Satyendra K Dubey Memorial Award was given to former Enforcement Directorate chief Karnal Singh for his contributions and exemplary service to the nation with integrity in upholding human values while in the IPS (Indian Police Service), the IIT-K director said.
The other alumnus awardees included former Fresenius Kabi Oncology Ltd chairman Rakesh Bhargava, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd director and chairman Saurabh Chandra, Moglix founder and CEO Rahul Garg, Prof Rajesh Kumar Gupta of the computer science and engineering department of the University of California.
Prof Abhay Karandikar said, “Our alumni have contributed immensely at the national and global level. We are proud of their achievements, and this is a moment to celebrate their accomplishments. This occasion is an opportunity for each of us to rededicate ourselves to the ethos of IIT Kanpur.”
The services award was presented to Pradeep Bhargava, COO and co-founder, GladMinds, for his contribution in facilitating alumni connect and major fundraising efforts of IIT Kanpur.
Along with him, the award was also conferred on Kushal Sacheti, founder and CEO, Galaxy USA Inc, for his contribution to IIT-Kanpur as a goodwill ambassador.
IIT Kanpur also formally launched two major centres of research and learning – Shivani Centre for the Nurture and Re-Integration of Hindi and Other Indian Languages at IIT Kanpur and Chandrakanta Kesavan Centre for Energy Policy and Climate Solutions.
The Shivani Centre is an ambitious initiative set up with generous donation from IIT Kanpur alumnus Muktesh “Mickey” Pant, founder, Micky and Vinita Charitable Foundation, to gradually integrate students from Hindi and other Indian Language backgrounds with socio-academic milieu of the institute.
This centre will also facilitate the creation of academic resources (STEM content, textbooks, references, digital tools) in languages other than English and will enable dissemination of technological tools to increase the ease-of-use for Hindi and other Indian Languages (OILs) on digital platforms.
The Chandrakanta Kesavan Centre for Energy Policy and Climate Solutions has been set up with generous contribution from distinguished alumnus Sudhakar Kesavan, former chairman and CEO of ICF International Inc. It will help India in developing, adapting, and implementing technologies to reduce emissions and grow sustainably, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
