March 15, 2010
Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore
 

Amritotsavam 2010 saw enthusiastic participation from engineering students at the Coimbatore campus. Hundreds participated in the annual intra-mural competitions as well as various literary and cultural events.
 

The festival culminated in the Fifteenth Institution Day celebrations. “We are, in fact, 15 years old as an engineering school, and 6 years as part of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham,” proudly noted Dean Engineering, Dr. M.P. Chandrasekharan.
 

The Amrita School of Engineering traces its origins back to the Amrita Institute of Technology and Science that was started in 1994. It was founded before the instiution came into being and was Amrita’s first institution for higher learning.
 

“The School offers 8 undergraduate programs leading to a B.Tech. degree, with a total annual intake of 960 students,” shared the Dean, while presenting the School’s annual report. “There are a total of 297 M.Tech. students and our MCA program has an annual intake of 60.”
 

“I am happy to announce that our institution has been placed in category A status by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, New Delhi,” he noted further. “In Tamilnadu, there are only two Universities in category A; ours and the Chennai Mathematical Institute.”
 

Two distinguished guests of honor Dr. Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Govt. of Kerala and Prof. A. Jayakrishnan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, respectively represented the academia and the government at the celebrations.
 

In his address, Prof. Jayakrishnan recalled that the ancient seers saw the dangers in the practical application of science that we called technology. “The nuclear demon and the dangers posed by biotechnological adventurism are well known to us,” he stated.
 

“I feel that the training imparted to you in this institution lays special emphasis on development of values of life,” Prof. Jayakrishnan emphasized. “I wish you all the courage and fortitude to go ahead and also all good fortune in your lives.”
 

The guests of honor shared the dais with Pro-Chancellor Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya and Vice-Chancellor Dr. P. Venkat Rangan. Also present were Prof. R. Chinnaswami, Professor In-Charge of Students Welfare and Mr. Prashant R. Nair, Vice-Chairman – Information Technology.
 

Over 350 students received prizes for academic and cultural proficiency. For most group events, students were part of any one of four teams or houses. Of these, the Anandamayi house won the overall championship, and the Amritamayi house emerged as the runners-up.
 

Editors of the award-winning college magazine were also honored. The SAE club achievers and the team that designed the all-terrain vehicle, Silver Spirit were also felicitated. Prize-winning individual and team items in song and dance were showcased.
 

Thus the Fifteenth Institution Day Celebrations of the Amrita School of Engineering conducted in the open-air auditorium on the sprawling greens of the Coimbatore campus came to a close.