Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology got a Distinguished Alumnus Award among others IIT Kanpur
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur celebrated its 62nd Foundation Day by honouring its illustrious alumni and fellows for their achievements and contributions in various fields. The event was held in hybrid mode owing to pandemic restraints.
The Foundation Day function was presided over by the institute’s Board of Governors chairman K Radhakrishnan, who was also the former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
IIT Kanpur director Abhay Karandikar said, “The pandemic saw the IITK fraternity coming together to support India and the world in the battle against the novel coronavirus. The IITK family rose to the occasion, providing solutions and services to overcome the challenges. As the world enters a ‘new normal’, we felt it appropriate to celebrate the Foundation Day of our ‘alma mater’ through the hybrid mode. 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.”
A total of 20 awards were presented during the event, 16 to esteemed alumni and four to fellows of IIT Kanpur. The awardees included eminent scientists, industry experts, politicians, administrators and technocrats, most of them pioneers in their respective fields.
IIT Kanpur alumni who were honoured at the Foundation Day function:
The institute’s Fellows who were felicitated include Jagjeet Singh Bindra, member of the board of directors, LyondellBasell Industries N.V. & HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd; Gautam Biswas, Emeritus Fellow at the department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur; Santosh K Gupta, distinguished professor at the department of Chemical Engineering, University of Petroleum and Engineering Studies (UPES), Dehradun; and Alak Kumar Majumdar, a former professor at the department of Physics, IIT Kanpur.