IIIT Bangalore hosts its second e-convocation to confer degrees to the class of 2021

Also celebrating the change of guard as Professor Sadagopan hands over the directorship to Dr. Debabrata Das

Bengaluru, India, July 4, 2021: The International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIITB), today hosted its 21^st annual convocation through an e-ceremony, amidst the ongoing pandemic. Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay was the Chief Guest and Mr. Umang Bedi, Co-founder, Dailyhunt was the Guest of Honour. The Ceremony was presided over by the Chairman of the IIITB Governing Body Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, Professor S Sadagopan as Director and the Dr. Debabrata Das as Director Designate of IIITB. The event culminated with the formal ceremony of Prof. Sadagopan handing over of the charge of Director to Prof Debabrata Das.

The past academic year has been particularly trying for students due to the prolonged virtual learning atmosphere. With remote learning continuing, its final year students have had to work on their research projects without physical access to labs and other facilities at the campus. Even then, the students have surpassed expectations with 322 individuals graduating with the following degrees: 5 PhD degrees, 8 Master of Science by Research degrees, 163 M.Tech. degrees, 16 M.Sc. degrees, 102 dual degrees, and 28 students with sponsored M.Tech. degrees. As tradition goes, 10 exceptional graduating students in academics and extra-curricular activities were also bestowed with medals and recognitions. In addition, two alumni were awarded, respectively, for outstanding doctoral thesis and entrepreneurial success through IoT driven products.

Chief guest of the ceremony, Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, in his address to the students said, “As you are ready to pursue your careers in various fields, I want you to always look for ways to create opportunities for our younger generation, create more wealth for the nation and contribute towards providing better education to the students who might not be as privileged as you are. As proud alumni of this wonderful Institution, you have the responsibility to contribute to your alma mater and the society.”

Guest of Honour, Mr Umang Bedi in his address said, “Reflecting back on my own journey, I want to remind you all that the biggest transformations start with the smallest of ideas. The digital age today gives you the opportunity to solve unsolved problems and build products that could uplift the nation. As vibrant young minds, have faith in your capacity and create a fulfilling future for yourself, your families and the nation.”

This year the ceremony also marks another milestone in the IIITB’s legacy as Professor Sadagopan completed his term as Director of the Institute after more than 20 years of glorious service. Since its inception, Professor Sadagopan has been at the helm and instrumental in leading the Institute towards excellence. His tenure with IIITB marks an entwining legacy that is inseparable from each other. Today, Professor Sadagopan handed over his duties to the Director Designate of IIITB, Prof. Debabrata Das. As the new Director of IIITB, Professor Das is primed to lead the Institute to achieve greater excellence in academics and innovations in science and technology.

“Today is a special day. The graduation ceremony is the most-awaited and celebrated occasion at IIITB and the faculty members and our graduating students pay high regard to it. I took charge as the first director of IIITB on June 3, 1999 and have addressed 20 convocations on the same podium since then. I heartily congratulate all outgoing students and wish them success in their chosen fields”, said Professor S. Sadagopan speaking about the Institute’s 21^st convocation.

Prof. Debabrata Das, Director of IIITB recalled the legacy that Professor Sadagopan has created during his many years of service at the Institute and said, “IIITB as an institute has flourished under the leadership of Professor Sadagopan and this also reflects how our students and alumni have performed in life. On this day, I congratulate our graduating batch of 2021 and wish them motivation and success to innovate and contribute toward technologies that will shape the future.”

Chairman of the IIITB Governing Body, Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, in his address said, “The past year has been challenging for both the students and the faculty. However, all the hard work and dedication has paid off, as today the students are armed with a degree from the prestigious institution of IIITB to shape a bright future. As I congratulate all the students graduating, I also want to leave everyone with a message to contribute to society and help build a nation that is more inclusive, sustainable and innovative.”

Among the graduating students, the prestigious Institute Gold Medals were awarded to Sai Bharghav, Satvik Ramprasad and Umar Abdul Aziz. IIITB alumnus Mr Nawal Lodha was awarded the Late Sri. N. Rama Rao Medal for Entrepreneur of the Year. With regards to faculty achievements, Dr Debabrata Das has been appointed as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the INR 150 crore Technology Incubation Hub funded by MEITY, Government of India, with focus in the area of Advanced Communication System, while Professor Madhav Rao is the PI for the INR 22 crore Centre for Internet of Ethical Things funded by the Government of Karnataka.

IIITB is known as a research based IT institute providing world-class education, entrepreneurship and innovation opportunities to its students. The graduating students of this year will join some of the leading national and international technology giants including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Cisco and Intel, among other organisations. Some of the graduates are proceeding to pursue a career in Research by joining PhD programmes in prestigious institutions such as the John Hopkins University, Illinois Institute of Technology and Oxford Brookes University, among others.

About IIIT Bangalore:

IIIT Bangalore is a premier institute focused on Post-Graduate IT education and research, located in the heart of Electronic City, Bangalore. It contains state of the art infrastructure, world-class faculty, vibrant alumni community, cutting-edge research facilities and close industry collaboration. The institute’s specially designed programmes make the students cognitive of the current technologies and practices, thereby equipping them with the tools and knowledge to solve contemporary real problems. Since the founding of the Institute in 1999, IIITB has enjoyed 100% placement each year, on account of the strong support of the Industry and the growing base of talented alumni.