CHENNAI : IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA)has converted its flagship annual event – ‘Sangam’ – into a completely online, global conference this year. Sangam 2020 will be held from the 1^st to 6^th December 2020. Under the theme ‘Driving the New Normal’, the event will deliberate how Governments, businesses and individuals can convert this moment of crisis caused by the global pandemic COVID-19 to an era of opportunities.

IITMAA is also hosting a virtual showcase of global innovations from startups on topics such as ‘Bharat in the New Normal,’ ‘Healthcare and Therapeutics in the New Normal,’ ‘Future of Work and Education in the New Normal,’ and ‘Deep-tech in the New Normal.’

Sangam 2020 will feature fireside chats with eminent dignitaries including:

1. Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament, and National Vice President, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on ‘People, Policy and Politicians in the New Normal.’
2. Prof. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India on ‘Achieving Impact Through Science and Technology in India.’
3. Dr. Subra Suresh, President, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore on ‘Research and Education in the New Normal.’
4. Mr. Sridhar Vembu, Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation on ‘Made in India, Made for the World’ and the idea of ‘idli profitability instead of ramen profitability for Indian startups.’
5. Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras will share his perspectives on ‘IIT Madras – Excellence in the New Normal.’

Highlighting the importance of such deliberations, Ms. Shuba Kumar, President, IIT Madras Alumni Association, said, “We aim to bring together our alumni, students and faculty at IIT Madras as well as experts, academics, and corporates around the globe to discuss, collaborate and implement ideas for driving a new normal in India and the world.”

Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, Founding-director of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) will launch the ‘New Normal’ Showcase of global innovations by startups. He will speak on ‘Sparking an Innovation Culture.’  The showcase will be available for the month of December 2020.

Speaking about the global nature of the event, Mr. Krishnan Narayanan, Vice President, IIT Madras Alumni Association, and Coordinator, Sangam 2020, said, “Sangam 2020 is indeed having a wide-reach – already nearly 2,000 people from 400 cities in India and around the world have responded to our survey. We have speakers and innovators from India, U.S., Canada, Singapore, Australia and Europe. We invite everyone to join us in this global exchange of ideas.”

Those interested can register for the event through the following link – www.iitmaa.org/sangam

As part of this annual event, IITMAA is also conducting free ‘Masterclass’ series aimed at helping Indians grow on professional and personal dimensions between 1^st and 4^th December 2020 on the following topics:

1. Enhancing engagement in an attention-starved world – gamification in business and education
2. SPRING – Bouncing Back From Rejection
3. Neuroscience, meditation and mental well-being – A journey into the heart to achieve personal mastery and excellence
4. Managing Personal Finances Effectively