Mumbai, March 8, 2019: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) celebrated its 60th Foundation Day today. The foundation stone for the internationally-recognized Institute was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India on March 10, 1959. IIT Bombay was the second IIT to be established in the country and the first one to be established with a foreign aid received from UNESCO. Since then, the Institute has grown from strength to strength and is now counted among the best engineering institutions across the globe.

The ceremony commenced with a welcome address by the Director of IIT Bombay Professor Devang Khakhar, highlighting key milestones achieved by the Institute in 60 years. Welcoming the guests, he said, “The biggest change in the Institute is the trend of faculty from different Departments collaborating to form large multidisciplinary Centres to address particular areas. I am happy to announce that we have placed an order for a new supercomputer 'Space Time' that will provide a visible leap forward in our computer capabilities”. He also spoke about increased industry interactions, international engagements, entrepreneurship and increased alumni engagements.

On the occasion, the Chief Guest for the function, former Director Prof. S.P. Sukhatme released the Diamond Jubilee Brochure, Chair Professors Booklet and Infrastructure Calendar.

The Institute celebrated 60th anniversary of its inception today by honouring its select alumni for their achievements in diverse fields ranging from academics, research and entrepreneurship. The 'Prof. S.C. Bhattacharya Award for Excellence in Research in Pure Sciences' and 'Prof. H.H. Mathur Award for Excellence in Research in Applied Sciences, and the Distinguished Alumnus Awards and Young Alumnus Achiever Awards’ were given away by Prof. Sukhatme.

  • The Institute had long felt the need to recognize the alumni of IIT Bombay, who have excelled in their field of work and made the Institute proud. With this intention, the Distinguished Alumnus Awards (DAA) have been instituted. The awardees this year include: 
  • Mr. Raj Nair
  • Prof. Nitin Samarth
  • Dr. Ajei Gopal
  • Prof. Das Narayandas
  • Mr. Kaizad Mistry
  • Dr. U. Kamachi Mudali
  • Prof. Kaivan Munshi
  • Vice Admiral Gurtej Singh Pabby
  • Dr. Lalitesh Katragadda
  • Dr. Shashidhar Thakur
  • Prof. Amol Dighe
  • Mr. Rizwan Koita
  • Prof. Vishal Misra
  • Prof. Nikhil Ashok Koratkar

The 'Prof. S.C. Bhattacharya Award for Excellence in Research in Pure Sciences' was conferred on Prof. M. Ravikanth, Department of Chemistry. The 'Prof. H.H. Mathur Award for Excellence in Research in Applied Sciences’ was conferred on Prof. Ashwin Gumaste, Department of Computer Science & Engineering.

The Young Alumnus Achiever Awards (YAAA) are for alumni who have made outstanding achievements in their chosen field of work and are below 40 years of age. These awards were instituted in the year 2011. The awardees this year include:

  • Dr. Ameet Jain
  • Mr. Shantanu Rastogi
  • Dr. Parag Agrawal
  • Mr. Sourabh Pagaria
  • Mr. Pranay Jivrajka
  • Mr. Ankit Bhati
  • Mr. Manoj Meena
  • Ms. Suhani Mohan

Mr. Abhay Pandey, IIT Bombay alumnus and Director Prof. Devang Khakhar signed an MoU in support of the construction of the Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS) Annex building at IIT Bombay. Mr. Pandey presented a cheque of Rs. 10 crore for the same.

Dr. Veena Joshi, IIT Bombay alumnus and Director Prof. Devang Khakhar signed an MoU to set up the Dhananjay Joshi Endowment Fund, that aims to breed research scholars through fundamental research. Dr. Joshi presented a cheque of Rs. 2 crore for the same.

About Chair Professors Booklet:

The Chair Professorships have a rich history and prestige that has remained unchanged over the years. The Named Chair Professorship encourages faculty excellence and sparks innovation in teaching, research and scholarship. It is one of the highest honours awarded in the academic arena. It is reserved for the top faculty members as an acknowledgement of their contributions to research and teaching. The prestige of a Named Chair also lends an additional cachet to the departments. It helps attract the brightest students and investigators thus securing the future of the Institution. Through these chair professorships, the recruitment of accomplished researchers in specific areas of study will also usher in new areas of specialization.

Appointments to the Chairs are made by a committee headed by the Director of IIT Bombay, with field experts and Institute functionaries as members and a nominee of the donor as an observer in case of named chairs. Selection is based on peer reviews of the overall research achievements and other achievements in the recent past. Contributions made to the growth of the Institute are given due weightage.

About Infrastructure Calendar: 

The Diamond Jubilee Infrastructure Calendar of IIT Bombay provides a glimpse of the landmark buildings on campus that have recently been completed like Hostel 10, Hostel 15 & 16 and Padmavihar guest house. Some other buildings like Research Park Building, Rahul Bajaj Technology Innovation Centre, Hostels 17 & 18, B25 Residential Building, Married Students Accommodation and Centre for Excellence in Steel Technology will adorn the campus soon.

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