SANGAREDDY: Premier institutions across the globe boast of a strong alumni network that help fresh graduates bag high-paying jobs, entrepreneurs get funding and many others build lifelong connections. While the alumni culture is a big part of the tradition in Western countries, it is slowly gaining hold across India, especially at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
IIT-Hyderabad, popularly known as IIT-H, is not one to fall behind on this trend. The IIT Hyderabad Alumni Association (IITHAA) was created with the purpose to help alumni of IIT-H reach the pinnacle of their professions.
“Many Indians are now CEOs and the heads of many foreign firms with global presence. However, many Indians working in foreign firms are not willing to grow in their companies due to a lack of confidence and exposure. We believe that each alumnus of IIT-H is capable of being a role model for the rest of the generation. Thus, we are trying to build a community to encourage people to be their best versions,” IITHAA president Dr R Sai Chandra Teja tells TNIE.
10/10 Alumni Summit
Hopping on this trend, the IITHAA has come up with an innovative idea to identify and honour visionary leadership in the alumni. For this reason, they are conducting the ‘10/10 Alumni Summit 2022’ on the lines of MIT Innovators under 35 and Forbes 30 under 30.
It will help recognise 10 big visionaries and influential alumni of IIT-H, says Sai Chandra. Mentioning that the summit will be a first-of-its-kind event in India to promote and celebrate visionary leadership among the young brains, he said it is aimed towards making visionary leadership thinking a part of culture and society.
IT and Industries Department Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan is among the nine chosen to select the 10 former students. IIT-H Director Prof BS Murty and representatives of Mahindra & Mahindra, and firms from the US and Japan are also expected to be part of the panel.
This programme was envisioned with the idea of persuading the desire to create their own companies among the students instead of being regular employees after graduating from IIT-H, says Sai Chandra. As part of this programme, a meeting is being organised at the Tech Mahindra Auditorium in Hyderabad on November 20. A representative of the IITHAA said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of Make in India will enable IIT students to set up and lead their own companies.
ALUMNI NETWORK
■ Seeing that many Indians working in foreign companies lack ambition to reach the top, the initiative to build an alumni network was proposed
■ It was aimed at guiding fresh graduates seek wisdom from the seasoned veterans who have at the pinnacle of their profession for years