Sukanta Chaudhuri

Of: DA Block

On: January 20

Achievement: Received the Atul Chandra Gupta Distinguished Alumnus award from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Chaudhuri had studied at the department of English of Presidency College from 1967 to 1970. He had taught at Presidency College from January 1973 to December 1991 and at Jadavpur University from December 1991 till his retirement in June 2010. He holds the post of Professor Emeritus at Jadavpur University. Chaudhuri is the fourth recipient of the award after former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Mihir Rakshit, a former professor of economics at Presidency College. The award is conferred on the founders’ day of the institution. “It’s a moment of great privilege and profound humility. The privilege of receiving the Atul Chandra Gupta Distinguished Alumnus award at all and that moreover at the historic 200th years of this institution is so great that my only fitting response can be to thank the alumni association warmly,” he said.

Dilip Mahalanabis

Of: CF Block

Achievement: The 83-year-old paediatrician, who was with the Institute of Child Health in 1960, and his wife Jayanti Mahalanabis, a retired professor of physics, donated Rs 1 crore from their savings for the institute’s new building. Mahalanabis is the man behind Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) who showed its efficacy during the cholera outbreak among East Pakistan refugees in 1971. The institute now has 220 beds, which will go up to 300 once the new building is ready.

Tushar Kanti Ghosh

Of: FE Block

On: August 20

Achievement: Received the Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Gold Medal from the Global Economic Progress and Research Association. The award was handed over to the doctor by the former Union minister of state for planning M.V. Rajasekharan at the National Unity Conference in Bangalore on Rajiv Gandhi’s 71st birthday anniversary. “The NGO gave the award to 25 people with a social commitment like scientists and social workers. It felt great to receive it alongside them.”This was not the only award that the founder of Ghosh ENT Foundation got this year. “I also received recognition for being the highest user of plasma wand used for bloodless surgery in eastern India. “This is used mostly to treat obstructive sleep apnoea, adenoids in children and tonsil,” said the 45-year-old surgeon.

Rajesh Nath

Of: BE Block

On: October 6

Achievement: Federal Cross of Merit, a federal decoration of Germany. Nath is managing director of the Indian office of VDMA, the German Engineering Federation, and received the honour for his contribution to building Indo-German ties.

“My work is primarily with helping bilateral trade. When I joined VDMA 19 years ago German exports to India in the engineering sector amounted to 600m euros. Now they stand at 3,200m euros,” said Nath, who received the decoration from the consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Calcutta, Michael Feiner. “It was a pleasant surprise to have my work recognised.”

Vishal Vashishtha

Of: GC Block

Achievement: Switch on the telly this New Year’s day at 9.30pm to see Vishal playing the title role of a do-it-all domestic help in Star Bharat’s serial Jai Kanhaiyalal Ki. Vishal, who left home four years ago for Mumbai, has since worked in prominent roles in Crazy Stupid Ishq on Channel [V], Ek Veer ki Ardaas… Veera on Star Plus, Gangaa on &TV and the short-lived Jaat ki Jugni on Sony. The new serial is being shot in Calcutta. “It feels great to be back home. I can hang out with my school friends,” says The Heritage School pass-out. His only peeve point is the one and half hour drive back home from the sets in Ashoknagar, beyond Thakurpukur, after a strenuous day of shoot.

Sudeshna Mukherjee

Of: DL Block

On: July 26

Achievement: Became Bengal’s first woman All India Football Federation (AIFF) match commissioner. She is only the second woman in the country to make the cut after Janice Lynrah from Shillong Lajong Football Club. Daughter of Debajyoti Mukherjee, a former vice-president of Indian Football Association, Sudeshna always wanted to get involved in sports administration. She learnt the ropes through her involvement with a football club, Taltala Dipti Sangha, that her family ran. Before taking the match commissioner’s test, she had served as manager of the Bengal team and then the India women’s team. “We went to Sri Lanka for the SAF Games and won gold, beating Nepal.” The 38-year-old shifted to Salt Lake after marriage 17 years ago. A match commissioner’s job is to ensure the smooth running of a tournament, right from accommodation to refereeing. “I cleared the test on my second attempt. My next target is to become a match commissioner for the Asian Football Confederation.”

Aparup Chakraborty of BL Block also became an AIFF match commissioner on her heels, in September. 

Jhulan Goswami

Of: Dum Dum Park

On: May 9

Achievement: Became the highest wicket-taker in the history of One Day Internationals as India beat South Africa by seven wickets in the Women’s Quadrangular Series. Goswami eclipsed the decade-long record held by Australian Cathryn Fitzpatrick. Goswami claimed her 181st victim in her 153rd match, breaking Fitzpatrick’s record of 180 wickets from 109 matches.

She was also part of the team that put up a spectacular show at Women’s World Cup, losing narrowly in the final at Lord’s. The tall pacer with a beautiful, easy action was brilliant in India’s semifinal win over Australia, where she bowled skipper Meg Lanning for a duck with what was hailed as the delivery of the tournament. In the final, the 34-year-old pacer again proved her mettle by capturing 3/23 with crucial strikes in the middle overs to peg back England’s scoring momentum. She finished the World Cup with 10 scalps.

Sushila Sripad

Of: HB Block

On: February 23

Achievement: A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons.

Sripad, who has been in this field since 1963, is now a visiting senior consultant at Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Mukundapur. She has won several recognitions in her career but says this award sums up her body of work down the ages. “Now-a-days there are more women in this field but back in the day I faced subtle discrimination. Sometimes I was posted in districts without any infrastructure. I had to buy my own instruments and conduct surgeries,” says the doctor.