Expressnews
KATTANKULATHUR, 23.12.23
Former students of SRM Institute of Science and Technology appealed to the current batch of students to channelise their energy towards becoming entrepreneurs, establishing startups, and generating opportunities for others.
Speaking at the Alumni Day, 2023 celebrations held at SRM IST in Kattankulathur, the former students said there were plenty of opportunities for the current students of science, engineering, and technology to give wings to their innovations and establish their own units.
In his address, Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan, Pro-Chancellor (Academics), SRM IST, appealed to alumni to engage more actively and frequently with the institution and their department, especially with the current batch of students. “The current batch of students is very aspirational. Your interaction with them and your help to make them come up in life will be a great service to the institution,” Dr. Sathyanarayanan remarked.
Stating that he was elated to be present at the event and in the midst of the alumni who felt that SRM was part of their lives, Dr. Sathyanarayanan said occasions like Alumni Day celebrations served as a good platform for the former students to get connected with each other, their former faculty, and students from other departments and other batches whom they would not have met during their course of education at the campus.
Dr. Sathyanarayanan, who also handed over awards to distinguished alumni on the occasion, said the SRM family was huge with about 1.7 lakh former and current students since its inception. He wondered if it would be possible to bring all the former and current students to come together. While it was a challenging task, it could happen only with the connection of the alumni. He said the alumni could recall their days as students at SRM where students lived in peace without any barrier or discrimination.
Dr. C.Muthamizhchelvan, Vice Chancellor, SRM IST, said compared to the intake of a mere 118 students for its first batch of SRM Engineering College, the intake had now increased to 20,000 per year and with 5 campuses – four in Tamil Nadu and 1 in Uttar Pradesh. Stating that SRM had gone up in rankings nationally and globally, he said they had to move further in terms of perception, and the alumni, with its strong network all over the world, could contribute immensely. He said that at present, SRM IST’s five focus areas are energy, environment, water, healthcare, and disruptive technologies.
In his address, Dr. A.Rathinam, Director of the Directorate of Alumni Affairs, presented a report on the activities of the Directorate, including its outreach and engagement activities, events, conclaves, and many more.
Former students of different batches and different departments, who had excelled in their respective areas, spoke during the inaugural function and recalled their days as students, apart from assuring that they would continue to work with the institution.
The speakers included Satish Vaidyanathan, Girish Pandian, Srini Ramaswamy, Vino Supraja, Rishabh Singh, and in their address, appealed to the students to work towards setting up their industrial or other units in their bid to become self-employed and entrepreneurs. They stressed the need for them to innovate and pursue their chosen path of interest. This, they said, would help the society through the generation of jobs for people and also in the economic growth of Tamil Nadu and India.
Others present on the occasion included Lt. Col (Dr.) A.Ravikumar, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Medical and Health Sciences), Dr. S.Ponnusamy, Registrar, Dr. T.V.Gopal, Dean, CET, Dr. Nitin M. Nagarkar, Dean (Medical), Dr. T. Mythili, Additional Registrar and Dr. Vinay Kumar, Pro Vice-Chancellor (S&H, Management and Law).
