MANDI : Indian Institute of Technology Mandi celebrated its 11^th Convocation today, on 16^th October 2023, with a graduating class of 565 students (426 male & 139 female), with 60 PhDs.

Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, & Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Along with him, Prof. R. P. Singh, Physical Research Laboratory Ahmedabad; Dr. Balvinder Singh, Senior Director, Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore; Mr. Anand Vora, Senior Vice President, Engineering Persistent Systems, Pune, and Prof. Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Principal Research Scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan, were the Guests of Honor. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Mandi, presided over the Convocation event.

Congratulating the students at the 11th Convocation of IIT Mandi, Chief Guest, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, said, “Completing graduation does not come easily. It involves years of hard work and perseverance, struggles and sacrifices, successes, achievements and perhaps some disappointments as well. This day will therefore probably be one of the most important and memorable milestones in the journey of your life and career.”

Prof. Mohanty further added, “In your next phase of life as the young leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and professionals, you will find multiple challenges and opportunities waiting for you. You have acquired skill sets that include technical proficiency, critical thinking, as well as the ability to grasp complex principles and theories. With this, in any role, your primary goal should be to find solutions to multifaceted real-world problems looming upon the horizon, and this can only be successfully addressed when scientists and engineers join hands to work in unison.”

The Institute has seen a rise in the number of girl students passing out in different streams. This year a total of 52 female students in undergraduate programme; 66 in postgraduate and masters’ programmes, 14 in Ph.D. programme have graduated from IIT Mandi surpassing the numbers from the previous years.

Degrees awarded were:

Addressing the graduating class during the event, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Mandi, said, “Today is the day of culmination of your efforts and reason to celebrate the fruition of your aspirations and dreams. As you enter the next phase of your life, hold onto your Alma Mater’s legacy of a scientific culture, and let it always inspire you in everything you do. Today you are joining the elite club IIT Mandi Alumni. Although you are moving out to make a bright professional career, your Alma Mater will always be there with you and will keep abreast of your achievements and successes with a great degree of satisfaction and pride.”

Congratulating the graduating batch, Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, said, “I wish my heartiest greeting to all the graduating students. As you become the torch bearer of IIT Mandi, I am sure that your professional competencies and uncompromising character will empower you to lead the society in various ways. Your success will also be the success of IIT Mandi. That is the real Guru Dakshina expected from each one of you.”

Highlighting his vision for the Institute, Prof. Behera, said, “IIT Mandi has just begun its journey. We have a long way to go. I am glad to share that in the academic year 2022-2023, the Institute has published more than 400 journal papers and received 83 projects with a total grant of Rs. 21.28 crores.  Along with this IIT Mandi is currently carrying out 158 research projects worth Rs. 87 crores. With this, In the next five years, we have planned to increase the faculty strength to 350+ from the current 187, and the student strength to over 5000 from the current 2800 (approx). In the coming years, the Institute’s focus will be to encourage faculty members and research scholars to publish impactful research works that are at par with the best Universities across the world to solve real-life problems that will impact the lives of the people around us.”

Further, Prof. Behera, said, “IIT Mandi stands tall, nestled in the serene lap of the Himalayas, as the highest among the IITs in India, where innovation and excellence meet nature’s grandeur. Now, it is our collective mission to scale this institution to even greater heights in terms of achievements, contributions, and our relentless pursuit of science and technology. The 11th Convocation marks the beginning of an exciting journey towards a brighter future.”

During his address, Dr. Balvinder Singh, Vice President, Research, Samsung Electronics, Bangalore, gave the graduating class a mantra on how to embrace the opportunities and challenges of life with open arms and conquer the world.

Prof. R. P. Singh, Physical Research Laboratory Ahmedabad, highlighted the importance of Quantum Technology and emphasised the importance of young generation to lead research and develop technology for the mass consumption.

Prof. Anand Vora, Senior Vice President, Engineering Persistent Systems, Pune, encouraged the students to choose the path of continuous learning as without it, one cannot stay on the path of success.

Prof. Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Principal Research Scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan, emphasised every engineer’s unique vision and keen instinct to innovate, create, and transform, and the need for correct mentors to help in achieving the goals.

Delivering this year’s Valedictorian’s address, Mr. Pritish Chugh, Director’s Gold Medal winner, 2023, said, “Four years ago, we embarked on this adventure with dreams and a touch of apprehension. Back then, the initial weeks seemed the most challenging, with early morning exercises, classes, and late-night club sessions. But in hindsight, those initial weeks remain some of the best days we’ve had. As we stand here today, on the brink of a new chapter in our lives, we carry with us the experiences, knowledge, and resilience that we’ve gained during our time at this institution. As we move forward, let us carry the lessons we’ve learned, the friendships we’ve made, and the hope for a brighter tomorrow in our hearts.”