Alma Communiqué

Alumni Newsletter (Jul ’22)

Read about the updates in RnD, the life
journeys of fellow alumni, and the

memories made at LC!

Glory of the past,

through the eyes of the future!

 Institute Updates
1. IIT (BHU), Varanasi, and Shraman Foundation, USA, signed an MoU for scholarships
to undergraduate students. Shraman Foundation, USA shall offer initial scholarships
to 30-40 students currently enrolled in B.Tech./IDD (first four years) at IIT (BHU),
Varanasi. Students with family income up to Rs. 5 lakh and following other criteria laid
MoU signed between IIT (BHU), Varanasi

and Shraman Foundation, USA down in the MoU will be awarded approximately Rs. 70,000 annually. Students with
the least family income will be preferred. Female applicants in the PwD category will
get appropriate weightage.

2. The family members of a 1942 graduate, Sh. Jinendra Kumar Jain, B.Sc. Engineering
(Mechanical and Electrical), donated Rs. 5 lakh to start a one-time scholarship which
will be a reimbursement of the total amount of tuition fee of the student after
successful registration in each semester. The scholarship shall be awarded to one
Sh. Jinendra Kumar Jain donates
student of B.Tech. first year in any discipline selected by the Institute Scholarship
Rs. 5 lakh to start a one-time scholarship

for B.Tech. students Committee based on merit-cum-means criteria and shall continue for the four years
of his/her B.Tech. program subject to some conditions.
3. IIT (BHU) signed an MoU with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), USA for
joint academic and research activities on 25th July, 2022. The said MoU was signed by
Dr. Michael Rao, President of VCU and VCU Health System, and Prof. P. K. Jain,
Director, IIT (BHU). The potential collaboration shall include, exchange of faculty
members, students (U.G./P.G. and Ph.D.), educational materials and academic
publications, and joint research publications. The potential research areas of
collaboration include, Electric Vehicle and Research, Pharmaceutical/Biochemical
Engineering, AI, Vision and Cyber Security, Materials Science and Engineering, and
any other research area upon mutual consent.
4. The I-DAPT Health Hackathon was successfully concluded at I-DAPT Hub
Foundation, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, from 28th to 29th July, 2022 to boost critical and
emerging technologies in the health-tech sector. Fifteen teams from all over India
were invited to exhibit their prototypes/live models and posters to explain the
working principles in front of jury members and invitees. Prizes were given in two
categories, Category-1 Students and Category-2 Startups. IIT (BHU) will provide all
technical and mentorship supports to the winner teams to build their prototypes into
value-added products.
5. Banaras Hindu University and IIT (BHU) have joined hands to facilitate IPR filing on
collaborative research in Science, Technology, and Humanities. The two institutions
inked a MoU on 3rd August, 2022 for the purpose. BHU Registrar, Prof. Arun Kumar
Singh and Dean of Research & Development, IIT (BHU), Prof. Vikash Kumar Dubey
BHU and IIT (BHU) have signed an MoU signed the 5-year MoU. The understanding will give a fillip to IPR and patents
to facilitate IPR filing on research covering multi-disciplinary research. The coming together of the two institutions will
open and offer multiple avenues to explore new products and IPR. As per the MoU,
the two institutions will file joint Intellectual Property Rights/Patent applications.
6. IIT (BHU), Varanasi, and the Defence Research Laboratory (DRL-DRDO), Tezpur,
signed an MoU on 22nd July, 2022 to establish close linkage and functional
coordination, facilitate joint proposals for funds, recognize qualified DRL-DRDO
scientists as Ph.D. supervisors/guides/co-guides/teachers, and recognize DRL-DRDO
as a recognized research center at IIT (BHU). The document was signed by Prof. P. K.
Jain, Director IIT (BHU), and Dr. D. V. Kamboj, Director of DRL, in the presence of
Director General (Life Science), DRDO, Dr. U. K. Singh.
7. An Umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between an Indian
network of Indian Institute of Technology and a French network of engineering
schools members of the Federation Gay Lussac. The MoU was signed between the
two networks of institutions on 12th July, 2022 for a period of five years. This
MoU signed between IITs and the
collaboration shall include, exchange of faculty members, students (bachelors,
Federation Gay Lussac masters and Ph.D.), educational materials and academic publications, and joint
research publications.

Connect back with your Alma Mater

Alumni can now connect with their fellow batchmates by registering themselves on
the official alumni portal created by the office of Dean (Resource & Alumni Affairs). It
will keep the alumni updated about the various developments in the Institute.
Link to the portal - https://alumni-reg.iitbhu.ac.in/

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi Page 1

Nominations for DAA Internship/Placement Updates
The Institute invites nominations in the attached prescribed The month of July marked the beginning of the internship
format for the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award, IIT season with pre-placement talks and tests. Till 31st July,
(BHU), Varanasi, which is to be given to a person who has 2022, 93 students have earned Pre-Placement Offers
obtained a degree from IIT (BHU) or its predecessor (IT-BHU/ (PPOs), and 171 students have bagged paid internship offers
BENCO/ MINMET/TECHNO) to recognize his/her outstanding from several reputed companies like Microsoft, Google,
contributions in one of the following seven categories:
Goldman Sachs, Sprinklr, Procter and Gamble, De Shaw,
i) Profession, ii) Academics, iii) Research and Innovation, iv) Salesforce, Uber, ITC, Instabase, APT Portfolio, etc.
Industry/Entrepreneurship, v) Public Life, vi) Distinguished
Services to the Institute, vii) Young Alumnus/Alumna
Achievers Award below 45 years (03 Awards)
Any of the following can nominate
+ Heads of the centrally funded academic/research
institutions and public sector unit
 Presidents of National Scientific and Engineering
Academies & Societie Students’ Updates

 Secretaries of Departments, Ministries dealing with

Science and Technolog
 Head of the prominent organization in India and abroa' E-Cell IIT (BHU), in association with
 An eminent person of reput, SAIC, conducted an interactive session

 Self-Nomination will also be accepted on ‘Entrepreneurship by Acquisition’
which was delivered by Sh. Manvendra
The last date for receiving nominations is 17th August, 2022. Saxena (CER ‘09), the former President
The nominations in the prescribed format may be sent & CEO of Contract, Statewide
through email to the Office of the Dean (Resource & Alumni Construction & Szeremi Sweeping
Affairs), IIT (BHU), Varanasi.

Services. An intriguing idea-generation

event named ‘START-BUCKS’ was launched with a prize
Email: [email protected]
pool of more than Rs. 10,000 to bring out the inner
With CC to: [email protected] entrepreneur of students. Its motive was to brainstorm and
The notice, guidelines and prescribed format (pdf, docx) for come up with unique and innovative ideas.
nominations for DAA can be found here.
International nominations are also invited.
The Student Counselling Services
conducted a session on the occasion of
Research and Development the 8th International Yoga Day with Sh.
Animesh Jain (MEC ' 15), and another
one on practicing yoga for wellness with
Ms. Malvika Gupta. To elaborate on the
Consultancy/Testing Projects
Keeping the prestige of the opportunities in the IT industry, they
Institute as high as ever, the held a session on ‘Everything about IT
students and faculty industry’. The college’s counseling psychologist, Dr. Laxman
members have continued Yadav, took a session to share some tools and tips to make
experimentation to make the best of one’s college life. Captain Richik Sinha Roy led a
amazing discoveries. Before guidance session to help students build a robust resume. A
July, two international series of panel discussions were organized to tell about their
MoUs were signed with the journey to getting jobs at their dream companies.
University of Siegen,
Germany, and the
University at Buffalo (UB), Under the Social Service Council, the
Sahyog Club was consistent in its task of
The State University of New York, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT calling the students even during their
Bombay, IIT Jodhpur, and Ashoka University, Sonipat. vacations. Kashi Utkarsh has completed his
National MoUs were signed with Farmanex International Pvt. visit to interact with the sophomores, while
Ltd. and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt. other visits are in process. Under the Social
of India, New Delhi. The Institute was granted two patents in Projects Club, DIC shortlisted various
July and a new patent has also been filed. projects, namely Krishi, Agtech, Gardenio,
Eyegaze, and Terrific Lights. They are currently working on
Media Section these projects, and their mid-term evaluation is completed .

ShARE IIT (BHU) conducted a session

titled ‘Convince - The Power of
Persuasion’ which elaborated on
becoming better leaders by making
others feel entirely at ease around
them, pay attention, and trust their
judgement. The chapter has also
launched the initiative ‘Caseletters’- a
series of weekly cases to hone students' critical-thinking
MoU signed between IIT (BHU)
I-DAPT Health Hackathon at MoU signed for joint academic
skills. It is building a problem-solving community that
and BHU IIT (BHU) and research work with VCU grows together.

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi Page 2

 Dr. Rajendra Prasad Singh, an
Alumni Updates alumnus of IIT (BHU), Varanasi
[B.Tech. (MEC '69) and M.Tech.
(MEC ' 71)], is appointed as the
SAIC continued with its flagship new Chairperson of the Board
Student Alumni Mentorship Program, of Governors, IIT Kharagpur. Dr.
conducting weekly panel discussions on Singh is currently the Chairperson of the Board of
‘Data Science’ and ‘Data Analytics’, Governors, IIT Bhubaneswar and is additionally conferred
where experienced alumni talked about with the responsibility of IIT Kharagpur. He was, formerly,
the skills required to succeed in the the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Grid
respective industries. Additionally, the Corporation of India Ltd.
Cell commenced with its Alumni
Visiting Faculty Program for the odd semester of 2022-23. Startup Success Stories
Currently, four courses are being offered under the initiative
with more than 170 students registered for each. O neCard, co-founded by Sh. Anurag
Sinha (EEE ‘99), galloped into the unicorn
territory with their recent Series-D
Jay Chaudhry Lecture Series funding of US $ 100 million, which was led
by Singpore’s sovereign fund, Temasek,
which invested Rs. 375 crore. The round
The Jay Chaudhry Lecture Series on also saw participation from various giants
Software Best Practices, aimed at such as Sequoia Capital, Ocean View Investment, Q ED
educating the students, pursuing a Holdings, Matrix Partners, and Hummingbird.
career in software, on the industry best
practices is being held at the Institute.
These lectures were made possible by Media
AlumniSection
Diaries
the generous contribution of Sh. Jay
Chaudhry (ECE '80), CEO & Founder of
Zscaler, to the IIT (BHU) Foundation My journey started as a 16 1/2-
The lectures are conducted by our year-old boy who arrived in
alumni who are industry experts and academic stalwarts, Varanasi after spending 11 years
and take place every Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM IST. at school in Delhi. The
admission back then was based
The upcoming lecture in the series on the PCM aggregate. I had a
would be held on 20th August, 2022 at chance to join IIT Delhi, where I
10 AM. The session would be taken by got selected, but since I was not
Prof. Rakesh Verma (ECE ‘84), a getting a Chemical Engineering
professor of Computer Science at the option there, I decided to branch out and moved to BHU. In
University of Houston. He will talk BHU, we had boys from every nook and corner of India. As a
about the importance of security in fresher at the University, I got the no. 1 hostel there: Annie
software development and the best Besant Hostel.
practices one can adopt to incorporate
security acpects. During our second year, we were shifted to the BHU
campus and allotted Morvi hostel; the college timing was
7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The time spent with seniors came with
Alumni Achievements memorable experiences of a lifetime.
Dr. Gopal Tripathi was the Head of the Chemical
Engineering Department at that time, under whom the
Sh. Deep Jariwala (MET ’ 10), assistant specialty was Petroleum Refinery Engineering; the course
professor at the Dept. of Electrical and was very comprehensive and ranked as one of the best in
Systems Engineering at the University of the country.
Pennsylvania, has been awarded the 2022
Young Scientist Prize in semiconductors When we graduated in 1968, there were not many jobs
by the International Union of Pure and available. I was selected in the campus interview as a
Applied Physics (IUPAP), in recognition of management trainee in DCM, the 5th largest business
his pioneering studies on exciton-polaritons and electronic house in those days, and I moved back to my hometown,
heterostructures of two-dimensional semiconductors. The New Delhi. Thereafter, I worked in the Indian corporate
award was presented at International Conference on the sector for about 25 years, and then branched out as an
Physics of Semiconductors in Sydney, Australia. entrepreneur in 1991. Today, I am the Managing Director of a
private limited company established by me. I cherish my
Sh. Sumeet Arora (ECE ’95), the Chief time and experience at IT-BHU, and believe it gave me an
Development Officer at ThoughtSpot, has excellent foundation to build my corporate career.
gotten his book, ‘Design of Secure IoT
Systems: A Practical Approach Across I am sure the present academic leadership of IIT (BHU) has
Industries’, published. Including instilled in the young boys and girls the spirit of persistence,
guidelines from a team of experts, the diligence, and fortitude we picked up during our time. In
book features industrial automation case the coming decades, technology in AI, computers, and
studies and simulation examples from a wide range of fields every sphere will shape our lives. Young students must be
in the industry. With the help of this book, one will be able prepared for these challenges and build their acumen in
to discover how to design and engineer IoT devices and line with the changing times.
networks with trust and security. - Sh. Chander Prakash Ratra, (CHE ‘68)

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi Page

Page 33
 My Journey into an Unfolding Future
Sh. Deoki Nandan Bhargava, a utilized to the fullest. In July 1965, he joined the Indian
graduate of the Mining Bureau of Mines (IBM) as Deputy Chief of Mines, even at a
Engineering batch of 1953, lower starting salary than was paid by NFCL. During the
climbed to the top of his subsequent years, he managed an iron ore mine and moved
professional ladder within just up the ranks at IBM. Sh. K. S. Mahapatra, the Head of the
20 years of his graduation from Department at IBM, conveyed his confidence in Deoki
our prestigious Institute. Nandan to the Ministry, and Bhargava led IBM from August
Starting from just some 1973 up to his superannuation in April 1989.
practical training during
summer vacations and Under his leadership, IBM grew and was even appreciated for
conducting mineral processing its diversified activities by a review committee headed by Sh.
operations on a laboratory R. Ganapati.

scale as a research student in

1953, he moved to his job as an After retiring from IBM, Bhargava worked as a Mining
Assistant Quarry Manager in Engineering Professor for two years. He also worked as a
1954 and began managing limestone production. Commonwealth Expert at the Ministry of Mines and Energy,
the Namibia Republic, where he led a team to draft the
Sh. Bhargava gained four and a half years of rich experience Minerals (Exploration & Mining) Act and advised the Ministry
in handling problematic matters and was picked up by on short-term and long-term support for the small-scale
Nangal Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (NFCL) for the post of Mining Sector of Namibia.
Quarry Manager to manage an already chosen quarry at
Morni Hills limestone deposit. He expressed his doubts about The detailed account of his experiences in life is covered in
assessing the reserves using his previous experience and his memoirs titled - My Journey into an Unfolding Future.
expertise in the matter. After re-assessment, the deposit was The book is about the author's adventures in the
considered too small to justify any investment for developing Management of Opencast Mines and later in the field of
a quarry project. An alternate limestone deposit in Rajasthan Public Administration as the Head of the Indian Bureau of
was offered and his role was reduced to coordination of Mines (IBM).
limestone supplies between the Government of Rajasthan,
other suppliers of limestone, and the NFCL. It is now available for sale in India and the net income from
the sales proceeds have been earmarked for donation to two
However, he later decided to move to another organization already identified institutions engaged in supporting senior
where his professional skills as a Mining Engineer could be citizens, widows, poor students, and Adivasi citizens.

A Tea Stop: Stories from Limbdi Corner

Limbdi Corner, situated at the heart of the Institute, has a Times have changed,
special place in the college life of every IIT (BHU) graduate in and so has the
the past three decades. A regular hangout spot, this is where environment at Limbdi
the students stop for a sip of hot tea after a tiring day of Corner. Remembering
classes and assignments. Breakfast at the mess is often the old days, he recalls
skipped for samosas and kachoris sold here all day. how there used to be
only eight girls in the
Everyone’s favorite, the owner of the small shop at LC, has entire college who rarely
been serving batches after batches of students with love and came to LC. He says,
care. He fondly remembers many incidents that have “The number has
embraced his 34 years of career here. Recalling one such increased significantly
event, he says, "I still remember everyone's names - Kapil by almost 30%. Now many girls come here and buy things
Rao, Shukla Ji, Bhutani, Bhardwaj. They had fantastic from me fearlessly.”
bonding with me, as well as my children, and used to spend
a lot of time together. When someone among the mess Placing his interaction with the students of the IIT (BHU) and
workers or guards or the staff at LC got ill, students used to the satisfaction of helping others above all financial gains,
take them to the hospital and pay for their treatment." the ‘LC waale bhaiya’ is an inspiration for all who choose to
interact with him. A part of the daily routes of every student
A perfect depiction of the respect and love that the students during college, LC also remains one of the places that alumni
have for him, this is one amongst several other heart- visit back on trips to their alma mater.
warming incidents.
To read more on Limbdi Corner, click here

SAIC is grateful to the Director, Dean (Resource & Alumni), Alumni Associations, and the entire
IIT (BHU) fraternity for their constant support and blessings. We look forward to your valuable
feedback. To share information for future editions, reach us at [email protected].

Contact: Connect with us: Newsletter Team, SAIC:

Prof. Rajeev Srivastava,
Akshil Ahuja, Anushka Chopada,

Dean (Resource & Alumni)

Faiz Aman, Garima,

[email protected], [email protected] Anshika Jindal, Shreyansh Verma

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi Page 4