On February 28, Amrita’s Coimbatore campus hosted a well-attended alumni reunion. Although planned initially as the Alumni Meet for the Amrita School of Engineering, large numbers of alumni from the campus Social Work and Communication programs participated as well.
The alumni were welcomed back to the campus by the Pro-Chancellor Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya, Registrar Dr. S. Krishnamoorthy, Dean-Engineering, Dr. M. P. Chandrasekharan and Director-CIR Prof. Parameshwaran, together with faculty members from all departments.
In his address, the Pro-Chancellor emphasized the need for alumni to participate in social welfare activities. “It is very much required to have large teams to do good things today,” he stated, emphasizing the need for them to come together.
The Pro-Chancellor quoted the example of Amrita’s flood relief activities in Raichur. After unprecedented rains had lashed North Karnataka in Sept-Oct 2009, the MA Math had announced a relief package of Rs. 50 crore to rehabilitate those affected.
When Amma visited Bengaluru on her North Indian tour last month, the keys for the first 100 houses were handed over to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, who lauded the effort of the Math for completing the houses so quickly.
Several Amritians participating in the meet also shared their feelings. “It is great to come back to our campus, where nature’s ravishing beauty revives the spirit of joy yet once again,” said Krishnadas, who graduated with a B.Tech. degree in Computer Science and Engineering in 2008.
The meet was followed with department-specific meets, wherein alumni of a particular department had the opportunity to interact with their teachers. “Overall, great effort was put in by the organizers and I feel at a loss for words to express thanks,” added Krishnadas.
“One always feels a connection with one’s alma mater no matter where one is and what one is doing. But retaining this connection between the institution and the individual is no easy job. Kudos to the Amritians team for successfully organizing this event,” stated Krithikaa K., who also graduated with a B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering in 2008.
Final year students had prepared a video that received wide appreciation from the audience. This was part of a creative contest that saw participation from not only the alumni, but also students and faculty. The winners received iPods and cell phones. The afternoon session saw final-year students, who would soon graduate, being formally inducted into the alumni body.
“We are fortunate that so many Amritians are working closely together in areas of entrepreneurship and social service activities,” stated Gokuldas G., Manager, Alumni Relations at Amrita. “This event will help in further strengthening our ties. The Amrita Alumni network seems to be ever expanding. We look forward to organizing such large-scale events in the future also.”
March 9, 2010
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore Campus
