The Hindu Business Line : IIT-M alumni to catch up with old times

ON December 28, over 100 old students of the 1979 batch of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) would be landing at the institute's campus in Adyar, Chennai from all over the world to catch up with old times and for three days of fun, frolic and festivities.

They are also planning to raise funds for the prestigious institute in Chennai.

The organisers of the Silver Jubilee Reunion have packed the three-day event with interesting programmes including bringing in a non-IITian celebrity to lecture them on "How I became famous without going to IIT?" so as to bring the IIT alumni "down to earth".

According to the Cheer Leader of the meeting, Mr Sarath Naru, who is the Managing Director of APIDC Venture Capital, souvenirs to be brought out to mark the event include cushions and lungis with the IIT logos.

Festivities apart, on December 30, the final day of the meeting, there would be discussions on how to get back to the IIT and to the community as a whole. The meeting was meant not for "simply coming out with ideas but to make commitments with regard to funding," Mr Naru told Business Line.

Mr T. Muralidharan, one of the fund-raising coordinator, said that the alumni's objective was to raise about Rs 50 lakh through contributions as well as the sale of souvenirs.

Mr Raghuveer Mendu, who arrived here from the US to take part in the event, also said that the alumni was expected to make contributions as "everyone now is in a stage to look beyond their own."

On the first day of the event, students would go round the institute meeting faculty and administrative staff and showing their spouses and children the campus and hostel rooms.

They also plan to meet the professors who taught them but retired after they left the campus. They would be meeting vendors of Chandran Fruit Juice Shop and Joe's Chai Kadai where they had spent their leisure time.

Mr Naru said that majority of the 250 students of the 1979 batch of IITM were currently residing in the US. Others like him were spread over India, Europe, Australia, Singapore and West Asia. Till Wednesday last, 73 of the 250 students have registered themselves to take part in the celebrations.

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