Pranab chief guest at convocation - First Citizen to award degrees to IIT passouts in October

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna, seems to have learnt from its mistake last year, when it announced its first convocation in June but had to put it off owing to a technicality.

Ninety-two young IIT-Patna techies would get their degrees from President Pranab Mukherjee at the institute’s second convocation on October 26.

The engineering cradle, taking lessons from last year’s mistake, has announced the convocation date and the chief guest’s name three months ahead of the function.

Last year, a typographical error in the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) bill, 2010, introduced by the Union human resource development ministry to hand over power to the eight new IITs and Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University had led to the postponement of the convocation.

Regarding this year’s convocation, a notice put up by IIT-Patna website reads: The second annual convocation, IIT Patna would be held on October 26, 2013. Honourable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee would grace the event as chief guest.

Gaurav Parihar, a computer science graduate presently working with Bank of America in Hyderabad, said: “We are eagerly waiting for the convocation. It will be a proud moment for us to get our degrees from the President’s hands. The other delight will be meeting our old friends and colleagues at the place where we have spent four years together.”

The IIT-Patna administration will personally call and write a letter to students for attending the function.

The 92 graduates from the 2009-13 session have already landed jobs in top multinational companies.

A senior IIT-Patna teacher, wishing anonymity, said: “For a five-year-old institute like ours, the President’s participation in the convocation is a matter of great pride and if students are performing well, it adds more happiness and pride.”

Sources said the placement percentage this year is good with students bagging an average annual package of Rs 6.5 lakh. Six computer science students have clinched jobs in Microsoft IDC with a package of Rs 16 lakh.

Flipkart, the online shopping portal founded by two IIT alumni, has recruited three students at a package of Rs 12.5 lakh each. Of them, two are from computer science, while one is from electrical. Moreover, three students from the passing out batch are pursuing higher studies in different universities in US.

On August 6, the institute would hold its foundation day-cum-freshers’ party. It would hold a series of functions, including plays and dance and song competitions, followed by refreshments.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Guest of honour

President Pranab Mukherjee

Date of convocation

October 26

Batch

2009-2013

Lucky techies
92

Annual package of students

Rs 6.5 lakh- Rs 16 lakh

Recruiting companies

Microsoft IDC, Flipkart

Celebration starts

August 6 with functions, plays and dance and song competitions as part of
foundation day-cum-freshers’ party