(Photo: IIT Delhi- 55^th Annual Convocation) 

New Delhi: IIT Delhi held its 55th annual convocation on Saturday. 2656 graduating students received degrees and diplomas from IIT Delhi. Shri. Hari S. Bhartia, Founder and Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group, and a distinguished IIT Delhi alumnus of the 1979 batch (B.Tech. Chemical Engineering), was the Chief Guest. Shri Bhartia delivered the convocation address.

Shri Harish Salve, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Delhi, presented the Distinguished Alumni Awards to the alumni and Institute Medals to the graduating students.

Out of the total students who graduated, 25% are women. The Institute awarded degrees to 481 PhD graduates, a 35% increase from the previous year and a testament to its emphasis on research. 481 is also an all-time high number. Of the total PhD graduates this year, 42% are women.

Manas Choudhary, B.Tech. in Engineering Physics, was awarded the President’s Gold Medal at the convocation.

Manas Choudhary, said, “Receiving the President's Gold Medal is a moment of great honour and pride. Looking back, it wouldn't have been possible without the unwavering support and guidance of my professors and everyone around me, who helped me channel my efforts in the right direction. This achievement inspires me to strive for even greater accomplishments in the future.”

Divyansh Agarrwal, B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering, was awarded the Director’s Gold Medal.

Divyansh Agarrwal, said, “Receiving the prestigious Director's Gold Medal at the convocation is a moment of immense pride and deep gratitude. I am incredibly thankful to IIT Delhi for the invaluable experiences and education that have shaped me into the person I am today.”

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (former President of India) Gold Medal was awarded to Anjali Kumari, an M.Tech. graduate in Instrument Technology. The Perfect Ten Gold Medal was awarded to five students, while the Institute Silver Medal honored 16 others. The complete list of medalists can be found at https://convocation.iitd.ac.in/2024/medals-awards.

This year also marks our first graduates in two UG programs, i.e., B.Tech. in Materials Engineering and B.Tech. in Engineering & Computational Mechanics, and four PG programs, i.e., M.Tech. in Machine Intelligence & Data Science, M.Tech. in Biomolecular & Bioprocess Engineering, M.S.(R) in Transportation Safety and Injury Prevention, and M.S.(R) in Automotive Research and Tribology.

While B.Tech degree awardee Kaveesh Kumar, who is less than 20 years old, was the youngest student to graduate this year, 63-year-old PhD awardee Shri Sunil Gulati, was the oldest. He was a PhD student in Management Studies department.

Twenty-eight international students (M. Tech. 23; PhD-04; and MS Research-01) also received their degrees at the convocation 2024. Out of the 28 international students, four come from Sudan and Ethiopia, three from Tanzania and Uganda, two from Bangladesh and Burkina Faso, and one each from various other countries such as the USA and Venezuela.

“Having completed my M.Tech. degree here, I would like to say that coming to IIT Delhi was one of the best decisions I have made in my life, and given the chance, I would do it again. It was such an honour to be taught by the best professors and interact with the most brilliant minds of India. IIT Delhi has world-class laboratories that indeed enhanced my learning experience. I notably spent most of my time in the Advanced Battery Research Laboratory designing low-cost energy storage solutions for African countries,” said Suubi Mujuni Godwin, a student from Uganda, who received his M.Tech. degree at the convocation.

“As an international student at IIT Delhi, I found it immensely beneficial to interact with and learn from my peers. IITians are highly competitive and offer a lot to learn from. Additionally, the outside world highly values IITians, which is an amazing experience for me. During my stay at IIT Delhi, I noticed the excellent support system for students' physical and mental well-being. As an international student, I never felt alone because I always had friends, teachers, and advisors to help me out," said Parag Choudhury, a Bangladeshi student, who graduated with an M.Tech. degree.

While delivering the Convocation address, Chief Guest, Shri. Hari S. Bhartia, Founder and Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group, said, “Entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in India has evolved from being a nascent and limited to becoming one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing in the world. I encourage you to embrace entrepreneurship spirit, mind set of innovation. The world requires individuals who can connect all the dots through creative thinking and decisive action. Don’t be afraid to take risk. Embrace uncertainties that come your way. The world is changing rapidly and ability to learn and adapt will be your greatest asset. Shri Bhartia added, “To the faculties of this great institution, I will only urge that while keeping time for teaching and research, you include more and more time for translation of your research and ideas in solving problems through creation of commercial and social enterprise”.

Addressing the graduating students, Shri Harish Salve, Chairperson, BoG, IIT Delhi, said, “Being here today with those who will shape not just the future of one-fourth of mankind, which lives in our part of the world, just three percent of land but one-fourth of mankind, but you will be shaping in some way or other the future of mankind itself. You're bringing your intellectual prowess to this world. And if the institute can list so many firsts, remember that it is you and your forebears who have given it this intellectual power. You are one of those unusual people who give as you receive. Shri Harish Salve added, “You are the blessed lot. One percent of those who aspire to come here make it. You are blessed with minds, which have enabled you to come here. You have to lead the trajectory. You have to lead to create technologies because we don’t have time. India is now impatient, and the only way we can keep peace in society is by leap-frogging growth. And leap-frogging growth has to come on the shoulders of technology”.

Addressing the graduating students, Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, said, “As you step out of your comfort zone of the hostels, of the campus, and go out into the real world - the real world has a lot of challenges than opportunities. Please take up all that you have learned, all the skills, techniques and knowledge, approaches, and use them to resolve problems that you face. Approach every new situation with humility and a willingness to learn. Your learning doesn’t stop; your learning starts now. Learn to understand and empathise with people. Learn to work in teams. Prof. Banerjee added, “Creating a sustainable and humane society needs graduates to think about the long term consequences and impacts of different technology solutions. There are trade-offs and value judgements to be made. I am certain that you will stir the ethical and right path and provide leadership in your chosen field.”

At the 55th convocation, the Institute honored its esteemed alumni with the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Awards 2024, which include the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Graduates of Last Decade (GOLD) Award (List of recipients: https://home.iitd.ac.in/show.php?id=499&in_sections=News).

ENDS

(PRESS RELEASE ISSUED ON AUGUST 10, 2024)