Past Mumbai Monthly Meets

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  • ok, iit alumni monthly meet is in business again:-) and this time it is slated for 9 april (sunday) so we dont have cynical alums thinking its an all fools' day prank.

    a nature trail has been organised at maharashtra nature park, once upon a time bombay's dumping ground. domain experts will conduct the group thru' the hajjaar medicinal plants / herbs / flowers / butterflies on the lush green campus. the trail will conclude with breaker ( aka double omelette ) at about 0900 under the cool shade of the poolside trees.

    pl reach the moolah, at rs 100 per head > 3 ft, to the rokda centres listed below by 5pm, 5april'06. ( no charges for heads < 3ft ) (those who paid for the starry nights can get appropriate refunds on the spot)

    the venue: MNP, opp dharavi bus depot (and PMPO housing colony)
    the time: 0730, sunday, 9april'06
    the theme: say hi to birds and bees ( and assorted flora)
    the menu: natural ( without eggs and H5Nxx)

    connect with the environment, as it could be:-) and all ages and colours welcome. caps, drinking water are recommended options esp for the chillar.

    cheers

     

  • The Common Maximum Programme of the IIT Alumni Mumbai Monthly Meet for March will examine the economy after math of the Union Budget. Experts will make sense of sensex, define the deficit. You knowledge gains will be capital! Bring your tax deductible questions. No customary tariff. All welcome - whether in tax net or not.

    Topic: Union Budget: AfterWords
    Venue: Indian Merchants Chamber, opp Churchgate Station Fringe
    Benefits: Non taxable refreshments
    Time: 430pm to 630pm
    Format: Opening Statement by panel, followed by Q & A.
    Date: Saturday, 18th March 2006

    Panel of Speakers:

    Dr. Susan Thomas - Professor at Indira Gandhi Institute (RBI Research Instt) (also an IIT alum and PhD from Caifornia). She has been on advisory committees of the ADB, RBI and the National Stock Exchange. Research interests in risk management, forecasting and derivatives.

    Dr Rupa Rege Nitsure - Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda, Formerly Senior Economist with ICICI and ICICI Bank.

    Gautam Doshi - Group President, Reliance Capital, (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group). Formerly Director, Ambit Corporate Finance, and senior partner of RSM & Co. Chartered Accountant, awarded the U.R.Mazumdar prize for the best paper in Company Law. also been Chairman of the Board of Studies - Fiscal Laws Committee, the Western India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

    Saumil Trivedi - Stock Market Analyst, CNBC commentator and IIT Alum

  • this month iit alumni meet, to advance to basics (?)!! dr raj khandekar* ('73 iitb, iimc and more) expounds on the Zero'th P of leadership, of a piece with the 4 Ps of marketing and 5 Ps of strategy. his ZP hypothesis is that problem-solving processes pervade our life, somewhat like space and shunyata, at every level of any social system we may think of. it utilizes a well accepted definition "problem as a gap between the current state of the system and a desired state" to visualize problem-solving at multiple levels of systems, and the leadership to achieve that state.

    the time : 5.30 pm., saturday, 28th jan'06
    the venue : balle balle, s.v.rd, andheri (w), (near shoppers stop)
    the theme : 'The Zero'th P of Leadership' - Dr Raj Khandekar*
    the menu : (solved problem, no Ps and no Qs)
    the option : dinner-aperitif at 8 pm @rs 200 per head,
    mailto:mumbai [at]iitbombay.org before 24jan 1200hrs**

    application of this concept at the "individual" level for illustration may perhaps help in your own personal quest. so come along, bring friends who are problem-makers;-) non-alumni are our guests.

    cheers for 2006.

    * Raj Khandekar went on to IIM, Calcutta after finishing his B.Tech
    (Electrical) from IIT, Bombay. As he finished his MBA - with a purported reputation for innovative ideas, IIMC Faculty lured him into the Institute to become a Research Fellow, and set him on the academic path. Subsequently, he went to the University of Kansas in 1977, finished his Ph.D. in 1983 and joined the University of Colorado at Denver as an Assistant Professor.

    Currently he is Professor of Management at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. During his career, he has taught several thousand students, presented and / or written twenty-five papers and cases, and consulted with small and large companies on issues of Strategic Planning to Diversity Training.

    His 30 years of teaching have finally culminated in what he calls the Zero'th P of Leadership. He believes that visualization is an important part of transforming the world around us. Being an engineer at heart, systems-thinking is second nature to him.

    ** else regret maybe vada paav ;-)

  • Agenda: How alumni of IIT can get involved with BMC
    Date and Time: Friday, 13 Jan, 2006 from 5 to 7 pm.
    Venue:  Conference Room in BMC Annexe Bldg,
                3rd floor, opp CST, Fort
     
    Chair: Shri Subrat Ratho, IAS, Addional Municipal Commissioner (City) -- a young, dynamic, JNU graduate
    Co-Chair: Shri Vinay Somani, IITB 80, Ch.E, Convenor of the NGO Council

    BMC provides a host of civic services to Mumbai. If you have an expertise in any of these and would like to get involved in the policy planning or implementation of these, read on.
     
    BMC has signed an MOU with the NGO Council enabling involvement of civil society in policies, procedures, awareness creation, monitoring, feedback, etc. Steering groups, think tanks, theme groups, etc. comprising BMC, NGOs, citizens, etc., are being formed for different civic issues. The meeting is for you to explore the possibility of your getting involved to the extent you can.
     
    Notes:
    1. The BMC - NGO MOU and list of civic services can be read at www.karmayog.org
    2. If your interest is to be a vendor, then please email your company profile. We will revert to you thereafter. This meeting is not for you.
    3. The meeting is not for complaints and suggestions to BMC. The meeting is about what you can do for BMC and Mumbai.
    4. IITians who are elsewhere in India or abroad can also join specific think tanks on a virtual basis.
     
    RSVP: email to mumbai [at] iitbombay.org back or phone Atul of Karmayog on 22000478 / 22013535
  • Mumbai Floods in 2006?

    26th November 2005

    namaskar

    the subject year is not a printer's devil. the iit alumni mumbai monthly meet for nov05 delves into the technical causes for flooding in bombay, spelt out by domain experts listed below. at the end of the participative meeting, we expect to generate an action plan for the future to prevent any recurrence. and hopefully janta will want to take up punitive steps against govt servants for dereliction of duty leading to the 26/7 disaster.

    panelists:

    1. prof v subrahmanyam, former faculty of iit - geo-morphological changes
      in terrain over last 25 yrs
       

    2. mr ss tinaikar, ex-municipal comm. - violations of urban development norms
       

    3. mr sg kale, ex-municipal comm. - BRIMSTOWAD drainage plan
       

    4. mr yp singh, retd ips and activist - subversion of developmental rules/crz
       

    5. mr v ranganathan, ch. secy (gom) - summarising recommendations for action plan

    the time : 5.30 pm, sat 26nov05
    the venue : IMC, 2nd floor( across churchgate stn )
    the theme : mumbai floods - causes and remedies
    the menu : mouth-watering

    come if you want to make a difference. and bring along other citizens looking to do their duty too.

    cheers

     

  • Belachi-wadi is a picturesque village at the base of Bhimashankar in Karjat Taluka 80 KM from Mumbai. The Center for Technology Alternatives (CTARA), an interdisciplinary center of IITB, is building a dam for drinking water for Bela-chi-wadi village. This roject, besides its obvious utility to the villagers, is also an important instructional experience for IIT students. The project depends largely on alumni funding. This project is done together with Academy of Development Science (ADS).

    ADS is s a people oriented science & technology organisation involved in traditional medicine, ecological agriculture, food processing, womens empowerment initiatives and other works with tribal communities. More details about ADS can be accessed at http://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~supratik/temp/appeal/adsnote1.html. Details on the IIT project are at http://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~ctara.

    This is a full day trip which will include a visit to ADS, and the current dam site. This trip can be enjoyed by Alumni along with family members. Children welcome.

    • Transport: Bus will be arranged with pickup at IIT Powai, Dadar Station (east) and Vashi Toll naka.

    • Food: Breakfast and village lunch provided.

    • Fees: Per persons Rupees 150, to cover transport and food.

    We have a limited capacity, and hence urge you to confirm your participation by email to iitbaa [at] iitbombay [dot] org, or call 2576-7086 between 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays.

     

  • the theme for the panIIT alumni monthly meet, viz waste management, is in line with nature's tutorial-cum-demo on 26/7 which wasted the city for days. dr uday bhawalkar, iitb alumnus btech'74 to phd'97, will put up some laws of nature and bio-technology solutions to convert waste/pollution into wealth. his doctorate in bio-technology earned him (jointly with iitb) a us patent and his product BIOSANITISER is in line for one too. he will present the fundas of nitrates in the ecology and some case studies in india and
    abroad.

    as part of the program, a site visit (read conducted tour) of the 'sanitised' part of powai lake has been planned for the curious as also doubting thomases - starts from g.h. @ 4 pm. - for a seeing-is-believing experience.

    the time : 5 pm, sat 24sept05
    the venue : l.t., iit powai
    the theme : turning pollution to resources - dr uday bhawalkar
    the menu : bio-clean

    if you are open to a paradigm shift in recovering high value from sh** and pi** , you cant miss this one. naturally, alumni are welcome to bring along like-minded folks as guests.

  • "Varsha Stuti"
    27 Aug 2005 at 5:00 pm
    Venue: IDC Auditorium

    the venue for varsha stuti has been shifted to a more upmarket one:-0), viz F.C.Kohli Auditorium' at KReSIT. alumni who dont know the location can either go for a treasure hunt for old times' sake or smartly take the road (ok, patlaa gully) behind the physics dept leading to the l.t.

    the lush green on the campus calls. remember those gurgling brooks which deterred forays outside the hostel? and the monsoon melodies played out by the frogs and warblers, both winged and human?

    revive the nostalgia, come for varsha stuti, our annual music concert as obeisance to the rain-gods. except this time for a change we might have to appeal for more handle-able volumes:-)

    world renowned vocalist Pandit Prabhakar Karekar will enthrall us with his mellifluous voice. he will be accompanied by Shri. Purushottam Walawalkar on Harmonium, Shri Rohidas Parab on Tabla & Shri. Atul Deo on Tanpura.

    the time : 5 p.m., saturday, 27th august '05
    the place : F.C. Kohli Auditorium at KReSIT, IIT Powai
    the menu : soul stirring

    the recital will be followed by optional dinner at Gulmohar Cafeteria, @ rs125 per head.

    all are invited.
    saa re gaa,
    cheers

     

  • namaskar

    our new alumni office on campus is being inaugurated by prof ashok misra (aka diro) - further from main bldg and closer to the lake:-)

    the monthly meet will also feature 2 of our own, shailesh gandhi and p.s.v. ananthanarayana, who will hold forth on right-to-info and rural knowledge centers resp.

    the programme on 23rd July 2005 at the powai campus:

    4.30 p.m. - chai-biskoot at Gulmohar Building
    5.00 p.m. - inauguration of Alumni Center by Prof. Misra
    5.15 p.m. - assembly at Conf. hall at old Guest house Gr.floor
    5.25 p.m. - welcome address
    5.30 p.m. - diro's pep talk
    5.45 p.m. - "Village Knowledge Center" - IITBAA's social initiative        
                     P.S.V.Ananthanarayana (President, IITBAA Bangalore chapter)
    6.00 p.m. - 'Right To Information' - Shailesh Gandhi ( Chairman IITBAA )
    6.30 p.m. - Vote of Thanks
    6.40 p.m. - high tea - 1st floor Dining Hall, Old Guest House

    calling all MMM regulars - and irregulars - to establish ownership, indulge in nostalgia and generally pfaff.

    cheers

  • namaskar

    dr sreeram dhurjaty*, iitb alumnus, will deliver a lecture on the developments in medical imaging followed by lunch. all are invited.

    Topic: Frontiers of Medical Electronics
    Date: July 10, 2005 at 11 am
    Venue: KReSIT (seminar room, second floor)
    Lunch: 1 pm

    The Sponsors, US India Forum and India Public Policy Forum, with Ajit Gopaldas at their executive front will host lunch for the participants at Gulmohar from 1 pm.

    Kindly convey your confirmation RSVP by email to Milind Gokhale, mygokhale [at] iitbombay.org or Shrikant Joshi, sjoshi [at] celetronix.com asap. We need your email confirmation to issue the lunch coupons to the participants on arrival.

    The IIT Bombay Alumni Association welcomes the Participants and is Proud to Support this Activity

    *Sreeram after his B.Tech., did his M.Tech. in 1973. He then submitted his Ph.D thesis and went to Yale Univ. At Yale he did an MS and his Ph.D at IITB was accepted only in 1978 as remote monitoring had its disadvantages! Presently Senior Research Fellow at Eastman Kodak Company headquarters at Rochester, New York, USA, he has several papers and patents to his credit in the field of Bio-Medical Engineering and Digital Imaging, with emphasis on Medical Imaging. Currently, on a short visit to India, in addition to conducting a session for PROSE-2005 at IIT Bombay during the week, he will conduct a Workshop on Frontiers in Medical Imaging Technology.

     

  • theatre evening followed by dinner - this month-end is a double header:-)
    ek kadam ka fasla - a play produced by iitb students/alumni - will be staged for the june MMM on sat25th. an encounter between 2 soldiers, pakistani and indian, it is an overnight 'silsila' between 2 humans at war with each other, but havng to live and let live for the moment. emotional peaks, tension, commonalites opposing one another - its all there. (not at haji ali).

    the time : 25june, saturday at 6.00pm
    the place : balle balle, s.v.rd, near shoppers stop, andheri west
    the action : ek kadam ka fasla - play by NOAC (night outs and coffees)
    the menu : from sardarland

    dinner with good cheer has been arranged from 8 pm for alums and spice and kids and all, in non-combat mode. high tea will be served only upto 6.30 pm.

    all heads will be charged rs 50 for the performance while dinner is optional @ rs 175. the cook will appreciate if you send mumbai [at] iitbombay.org with head count by thursday23.

    enjoy a rainy evening indoors in excellent company with nostalgia.
    cheers
     

  • of late there has been extensive media coverage on mumbai's lungs, heart and most other body parts. and how the city is heading towards disaster or replicating shanghai - depending on which citizens' group one belongs to. and we have decided to ask, as panIIT alumni and involved citizens. along with other mumbaikars.

    the flavour for this month's meet is mumbai city's growth and sustainability - beyond mills lands to sea links and more flyovers. a panel* of domain experts will present the prospects from their professional standpoint.

    the time: 31 may, tuesday at 6.00 pm
    the venue: IMC, churchgate (fourth floor)
    the theme: mumbai city development
    the menu: bambaiyya

    come and take your chance - what you say is what you'll get!

    *the panelists, moderated by Ms Sucheta Dalal:
    Mr Niranjan Hiranandani - real estate developer, Chair IMC Infrastructure
    Committee
    Mr Nanik Rupani - Chair, IMC City Development Committee
    Mr Hafeez Contractor - well known architect/town planner
    Ms Neera Adarkar - well known architect

     

  • the hills are alive.....with the sound of music....and gunfire! MMM on april 23 will be in commemoration of the golden jubilee of the successful kanchenjunga expedition. the theme is mountaineering and is open  to all kinds of mountaineers, esp those who reluctantly climbed the convo  slope:-)

    mr harish kapadia*, the intrepid mountaineer with an international rep will  speak (and show) of the beauty of nature at high altitude and his extensive  romps in the himalayas. he will also hold forth on the Indian Army in  action in the siachen glacier - on the war, politics, its financial  effects, human costs and impact on indians. these are troubled areas where  india, pakistan and china are engaged in hostilities for decades and he will discuss the proposal for a "Siachen Peace Park" to stop this conflict.

    IITB Mountaineering Club reunion is also being held on this occasion. vasant limaye** (aka balya) will also screen a short film on 'Climb of Katrabai face near Ratangad'

    the time: 4.30 pm, saturday 23 april05
    the venue: saxena audi (l.t.), iit powai
    the theme: Mountaineering and War in The Siachen Glacier - mr harish kapadia
    the menu: elevating

    come with your youngsters and enjoy the breeze and view at 20,000 ft in a/c
    comfort. dinner, as option, follows at 8 pm (Rs. 100 per head). pl write to iitb_aa [at] iitb.ac.in with head count.

    *mr harish kapadia
    Patron: Royal Geographical Society, Ex-Vice President: Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Editor: Himalayan Journal, Author: Trek the Sahyadris, Passage to Himalaya, Meeting the Mountains etc.
    Synopsis: A look at mountains, war and politics of the Eastern Karakoram
    Treks and climbs in the regions of Karakoram Pass, Col Italia and the Siachen glacier. The talk is based on Harish Kapadia's nine visits to these areas from 1980 onwards and with many visuals. He has reached Karakoram Pass and Col Italia and stood on Indira Col - all three being the northern most points of India.

    **vasant limaye
    IIT Bombay Alumnus, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London, Professional Member of the ISISD, ace mountaineer

 

  • Union Budget - AfterWords
    PAN IIT Alumni Mumbai Monthly Meet

    - UNION BUDGET - AFTERWORDS -

    Venue: Indian Merchants Chamber, Churchgate
    Date: Tuesday, 29 March 2005
    Time: 6:30 p.m.
    (refreshments will be served)

    Speakers:

    Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Mumbai's Mega Investor

    Mr. Saumil Trivedi, IITian and Stock Market Analyst

    Mr. Sunil Bhandare, Economist

    Ms Kalpana Sharma, Authoress, Researcher and Bureau Chief, The Hindu

    Come along with interested friends and family members.

     

  • namaskar

    iit alumni (and family) will have the privilege to take a conducted heritage walk through the naval dockyard, built in the 18th century. the shipping industry was the engine for bombay's growth and the ramble through the morning promises to take you back centuries. and come away with the navy's fascinating glimpses of maritime and world history.

    it began with the Wadias, master shipbuilders from Surat who built more  than 400 ships big and small down eleven generations. but you and yours can walk through the big central gate through which Lord Nelson passed when he arrived aboard the Sea Horse.

    the feb. monthly meet is on sunday, 6th march at 0945, ending around 1200  hrs, and pre-regn is mandatory for navy's security rules.

    Update as of Feb 20:

    the good news is that the heritage walk through the naval dockyard is free, the bad news being the planned lunch is cancelled. regn accepted till 23feb mumbai [at] iitbombay.org - individual names/age/gender/group tel.no/email id (alumni who have paid will be able to recover the money using their charm with the treasurer on the day)

    cheers

    Collection centres:

    1. powai - alumni Cell, 1st fl,main bld,iit (2576 7019)
    2. fountain - chaganlal keshavji, s.a.brelvi marg, near mumbai samachar
    press ( 2287 3007 / 3558 )
    3. shivaji park - access electronics, dr m.b.raut marg, s.park,near
    balmohan vidyalaya (2444 2962 / 3)
    4. andheri - netcom strategix, 220 saptashringi,d.n.nagar, andheri(w),lane
    opp.apna bazar (2624 5495 / 2628 4653 )
    5. ghatkopar - jewej metallochem, a12, ghatkopar ind.estate, off lbs marg,
    gkp (w) ( 2500 7724 / 45 )

     

  • e-governance has been a buzz word lately, being touted as panacea for curing the evils of corruption and inefficiency holding back our bharat which could be mahaan. dr ajay bhushan pandey*, iitk '83 (elect) and ias '84, will hold forth on egovernance issues. as the pointsman in the i.t. dept (g.o.m.), he will give us a byte-by-byte take on how i.t. can transform our daily lives, especially in maharashtra. and the road map ahead.

    the time: 4.30 pm, sat 29 jan 05
    the theme: E-Governance: A Road to Government Efficiency and Citizen Empowerment
    the venue: indian merchants chamber, 2nd fl, churchgate
    the menu: megabytes

    panIIT alumni are welcome to bring along guests for this inter-active session on what concerns all of us. pl note the change in venue.


    cheers


    *Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey is Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra. He has held various positions in the Government of India and Government of Maharashtra which include Director, Ministry of Labor, Government of India, Private Secreatry to Minister of Food, Government of India, Collector, Jalgaon, and Deputy Commissioner, Sales Tax.


    Dr Pandey, a graduate of Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur has leveraged his knowledge of technology to bring innovation, process reforms and efficiency in the departments he has worked. In 1998 he joined University of Minnesota where he obtained his MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science. While he was in the University of Minnesota, he taught computer science to undergraduate and graduate students. He has published and presented several research papers in reputed international conferences and workshops such as ACM, IEEE, and SIAM.

    Hurda Party 2005 on 30 January 2005

    come one, come all ye alumni - for the *hurda party05*. for the ignorant, hurda is pre-harvest baby millet (jawaar), considered a delicacy. like the gujjus relish *pok* (baby wheat ). hurda is roasted with masala and had garam garam. yum yum:-0)

    the whole day jaunt is on a farm near talegaon on sun.30jan. jointly (mis) managed by mumbai and pune chapters, the program is given below. essentially sun, fun, masti and sing-song.

    panIIT aloo mutter from bombay need to rush the bread to one of the collection centres listed below by 5pm, 25jan05. the tariff is rs 200 /adult and rs 100 / child upto 12 yrs. incl. of breaker, lunch and high tea.

    mumbai [at] iitbombay.org name/group size/tel.no/email id/have car or need a lift.

    [No ALCOHOLIC beverages permitted on the site]

    09.00 am: Registration
    09.30 - 10.30: Tea & Snacks
    10.30 onwards: Impromptu gaana bajana by alum talent
    11.30 - 13.00: Lunch
    15.00 - 17.00: Hurda
    17.00: Tea & Departure

    Confirmation Essential by 24th January by tel. and/or e-mail

    Mumbai Contact    :
    Janak Daftari: indepth [at] vsnl.com
    Milind Gokhale: mygokhale [at] iitb.ac.in

    Pune Contact:
    Sudhir Bapat  2433 4962 / 937 101 6187
    Shekhar Datye  2433 1240 / 937 101 1768
    Shekhar Chirputkar 2433 1705 / 98220 41265
    Shantaram Kane  2567 2833 / 2567 6160

    Collection centres:
    1. powai - alumni Cell, 1st fl,main bld,iit  (2576 7019)
    2. fountain - chaganlal keshavji, s.a.brelvi marg, near mumbai samachar press ( 2287 3007 / 3558 )
    3. shivaji park - access electronics, dr m.b.raut marg, s.park,near balmohan vidyalaya (2444 2962 / 3)
    4. andheri - netcom strategix, 220 saptashringi,d.n.nagar, andheri(w),lane opp.apna bazar (2624 5495 / 2628 4653 )
    5. ghatkopar - jewej metallochem, a12, ghatkopar ind.estate, off lbs marg, gkp (w) ( 2500 7724 / 45 )
     

  • Elections for three Directors of the IIT Bombay Alumni Association (IITBAA) were held in December 2004. The Mumbai Chapter also held its elections at the same time.
     

  • namaskar 14dec04

    us-india forum and iitb are conducting a workshop - "think policy" - on 15dec04 at saxena audi from 0915 to 1700, followed by a musical evening. eminent speakers and the workshop contents are listed below. lunch and chai are to entice gen-next.
    your participation and inputs might make bharat mahaan:-)
    cheers

    9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

    Speakers

    • Mr. Anant Nadkarni and Ms. Shernawaz Colah, Tata Community Initiatives : “Corporate Social Responsibility”
    • Prof. Deepak Phatak, Faculty-SOM & KRESIT (IIT): “State of Engineering Education in India”
    • Mr Shyam Chainani, B’bay Envrmntl. Action Grp.: “Heritage Legislation: Tool for Urban Planning”
    • Ms Neera Adarkar, Pakistan - India Peace Forum: “India - Pak Relations: From Enmity to Amity”
    • Maj. Gen. H. K. Kapoor, Director, Centre for “India’s Maritime Potential”: Maritime Research

    12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Lunch

    2:00 pm to 5:00 pm : Workshops

    • Institute Auditorium:
      • Developing Entrepreneurship Centres
        Dr. Roger Stough (Director, Mason Enterprise Center), Dr A. Sahay (Management Development Institute) and Dr. R. K. Lagu (IIT Bombay)
    • IDC Auditorium:
      • Low Cost Universal Healthcare
        Dr. S. G. Kane and Mr. Pande

    5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
    Cultural Programme: Music performance by S. V. Ramachandra and Party at the Saxena Auditorium

    SPONSORS : HDFC LTD & IIT BOMBAY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

     

  • namaskar

    winter melodies beckon alumni to the campus! ms shubhangi kulkarni* will regale us with a vocal recital on sat.,11th dec04, 4.30 pm @ saxena audi (l.t.) on the iit campus. she is an upcoming artiste based, ironically, in california and currently visiting india. and us. all guests are welcome, chai-biskoot for all :-) (after 5 pm, only music)

    cheers

    *Shubhangi Sakhalkar

    M.A. in Indian Classical Music from S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai. Initial training from Mrs. Kunda Vaishampayan, later from Dr. Prabha Atre. Presently a deciple of Mrs. Padma Talwalkar.

    Some of her more prominent concerts in U.S. include :

    • The first annual music festival of Basant Bahar in Palo Alto – accompanied by Pt. Swapan Chowdhary and Pt. Ramesh Mishra.

    • BMM-99 and BMM-2001 conventions in San Jose and Calgary.

    • Winter Series at Ali Akbar College in San Francisco.

    • A concert organized by Lata Mangeshkar Foundation, U. S. A. - accompanied by Ustad Tari Khan.

    • Hindustani-Carnatic Jugalbandhi concerts in California.

    • SPICMACAY concert in U. C. Davis
      Several other concerts in cities like Sacramento, Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Wichita, Kansas City, Phoenix. She has also performed in Pune, Mumbai and a host of other cities,  accompaning Ms Padma Talwalkar

     

  • nov04 MMM is all about a pada-yatra. dr deepak phatak, iitb alumnus and founder-head - school of IT, took a sabbatical and toured the engg colleges all over the country for a year. he has inter-acted extensively with the students and faculty to derive a contemporary and grass-roots perspective on the state of education w.r.t. engg in general and IT /Comp. Sc. in particular.

    based on the lessons learnt, he is currently setting up a web-portal based national framework for providing guidance to final year students for BE projects. he will share the concept and some details of this proposed framework, tentatively termed "Eklavya with e-Dronacharyas", initially targetted towards contributing to the Open Source Movement. (fact is most of his students will affirm he's personally open-source too:-)

    in keeping with his much-loved humble style, he would be "soliciting comments and advice on this initiative from the audience."

    the time: 4.30 pm, sat 27 nov 04
    the venue: inst.of engrs, haji ali
    the theme: State of Engineering education in India
                        - Experience and lessons from a mini Bharat Yatra
    the menu: 0s,1s and more

    if you wish to pay back for the quality programming you *underwent* at iit, come and pitch in with your 2 or more bits (or bytes). together as iit aloo-mutter, we might manage to leave for posterity some iit-like excellence. cheers

     

  • namaskar

    mr yp singh, indian police services and fire-brand cop, will address panIIT alumni mumbai month-end meet on 30 oct'04. he has already stirred up a hornet's nest with his first book highlighting corruption in the police. his next missile, oops, book titled 'vultures in love' is now ready for launch! the theme for MMM is the venal corruption in our society and panIIT alumni will glimpse some vintage stuff from his forthcoming book too. remember you heard it here first:-)

    the time: 4.30 pm,sat 30oct'04
    the venue: indian inst.of engrs,haji ali
    the theme: corruption in our public life
    the menu: squeaky clean

    all ye closet activists, this is your chance to come out. and clean up our
    legacy to our children. shed your typical IIT-bred cynicism and bring along
    your neighbours too.

    **there is a public meeting on 'criminals in politics' on sunday,10oct,1100hrs at sacred heart school, s.v.(ghodbunder) rd, santa cruz(w) - the speakers are shri anna hazare and shri jayprakash of loksatta.

    all are invited. netas,cops and robbers better watch out!

    cheers
     

  • namaskar                                                                         9 sept 04

    this month end, the MMM is a conducted tour of Reliance's Knowledge City at Mhape on Saturday, 25th Sept 04. sanjay mashruwala, the man behind this hi-tech workplace, is our banda from mech, 1971 batch and he will quickly run us through the fundas before we are taken around the place. kickoff is at mhape at 0945 and the visit concludes with lunch together in their *mess*.

    alums, spice, chillar and friends are all welcome subject to group limit. foll data is reqd latest by sunday 12th evening (cutoff) and this may be sent to mygokhale [at] iitb.ac.in:

    alum name
    how many
    have car / need transport from dadar/vashi
    tel no

    mouth-watering, the fare
    c u there
    cheers

     

  • Remember the joy of watching pouring rain from the hostel, and skipping lectures? and the all-pervasive croaking of frogs? and the gurgling brooks on campus? well, its that time of the year again:-)

    varsha stuti, the annual alumni homage to the monsoon gods, will feature Ms. Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar this year and everyone is welcome. come back to the campus, surrender to nature in full bloom, recharge worn-out mental ckts with hajjar shades of lush green and soul-stirring lilts of raag malhaar.

    this year the mngmnt has even made provisions for overnight stay and an indolent breaker (aka doubleomelette) next morning. naturally you have to confirm head count for dinner and collect coupons from one of the *rokda centres* listed below. for acco in the guest house, you'll need to procure separate coupons before 7 aug due to limited availibility.

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday, 28 aug'04
    the venue : Parag Saxena Auditorium (l.t.),iit powai
    the theme : malhaar ke prakaar - Ms. Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar
    the menu : a la varsha-carte @ gulmohur cafetaria
    the cost : rs 100 per head above 4', no charge for heads below 4' overnight stay rs 150 per head (twin-sharing), breaker optional

    listen to the falling rain, listen to it fall.

    cheers

    rokda centres

    1. bharat shah, datatrade 2287 3007 / 3558 opp poddar chambers, s.a.brelvi marg, fort

    2. mahavir jain 98921 66430 krishna nivas, 3rd floor, outside wadala stn(w)

    3. vijay kambe, access electronics 2444 2962 / 3 svarakar sadan,m.b.raut marg, near balmohan vidylaya, shivaji park

    4. sanjay dasgupta, jewel metallochem 2500 7724 / 45 a-12, ghatkopar ind. estate, off lbs marg

    5. janak daftari, netcom strategix 2624 5495 / 2628 4653 220, saptashringi, d.n.nagar, andheri(w), lane opp apna bazar

    6. milind gokhale, iitbaa 2576 7019 / 3104 6682 main bldg., 1st floor, iit powai
       

  • bigger and more up-market than the grand bibllical story about jesus feeding thousands with loaves and fishes, the annual union budget nourishes (or otherwise) millions of indians. panIIT alumni MMM (mumbai monthly meet) for july intends to deliver the full mon(e)ty on this year's budget, both speakers being iitb alums. Saumil Trivedi, '71 btech (chem) and pg (mngmnt), is a regular TV personality on stock market analysis, while ajit ranade, '82 btech (elect) and dr-ate (economics) is chief economist in the a.birla group.

    the time: 4.30 pm, saturday, 31 july '04
    the venue: inst. of engrs, haji ali
    the theme: union budget 2004 - 2005
    the menu: one-sigh-fills-all

    alumni are invited with friends (and accountants) to figure out the  intricacies of the budget and estimate change of drop-dead value:-) (would like to recommend as must-read nandan nilekani's interview in indian express of 20july - alumni ka jawab nahi)

    cheers

     

  • Here On Project Environment(HOPE) - trust an IIT alum to select esoteric
    labels for grass-root activities:-) shyam ghate (IITK,Chem'72) founded HOPE and will update us this saturday on  environment related initiatives they have taken up.

    the campus at IITB has increased tree cover over the last 15 yrs. dr arun
    inamdar, faculty @ CSRE, will also address MMM on how remote sensing and satellite mapping has been deployed for this purpose. and invite alumni to participate in this ecology boosting program.

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday, 29may04
    the venue : institute of engrs, haji ali
    the theme : HOPE / Tree Mapping for enhancing ecology
                         - shyam ghate,dr arun inamdar
    the menu : green,eco-friendly

    keep the FAITH - june5 is world environment day. and come with friends, junior citizens.

    cheers

     

  • a couple of trojan horses will address the alumni (and others) at MMM this saturday. arun bhatia* (IAS) and sanjay pande* (IIT-K,IPS) are former bureaucrats who had fought corruption in the system and are now attempting to get elected so as to continue their mission in a new legislative avtaar. they will bring out how citizens (thats us) who do not exercise their rights are aiding the corrupt. and how we should, instead, be performing our civic duties for india to shine:-0)

    Flash news: Medha Patkar has confirmed that she will also attend this MMM

    to jog fading memories, arun bhatia was the irrepressible firebrand who was transferred 26 times during his career because of the dirt he relentlessly pulled out wherever he went. and sanjay pande unravelled the 'cobbler' scam before being put to pasture;-)

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday, 27 march04
    the venue : inst.of engrs, haji ali
    the theme : citizens' franchise for good governance

    due to the anticipated thermal energy generation, the management will provide a/c comfort for us to keep our cool. this MMM is open to ALL, independant of having suffered (or not) the travails of the jt entrance. so come alumni and all, and add lustre to the shine.

    *Mr. Sanjay Pandey holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, USA and a B.Tech.(Computer Science) from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has over 19 years of experience working as a senior police officer in India. He worked for TCS as Global Head of E Security Practice. In his role as the practice head he was involved in advising large companies as well as countries in setting up secure IT infrastructure. He is also a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) and BS 7799 Lead Auditor.
    Currently, he is the founder-CEO of iSec Services Pvt Ltd.

    *Mr. Arun Bhatia received his graduate degree from St Stephens, Delhi and postgraduate degree in History, Economic History, and Political Thought from Cambridge, England. His IAS career spanning over 30 years has earned him a reputation for exposing the shortcomings of and corruption in the system as also the price for his actions - regular transfers, insignificant postings and juniors being promoted ahead of him.  He belongs to a rare breed in India - the honest, committed and courageous. He was transferred a whopping 26 times in his career. The final straw was when he was appointed Municipal Commissioner of Pune when he immediately started breaking down illegal constructions in the city -mostly belonging to politicians. Within five days he was transferred again. But this time the public did not take it lying down...and the citizens of Pune took to the streets! Ultimately, the High Court and Supreme Court held that his transfer was illegal and he was reinstated. The will and resolve of the people prevailed ... more details from http://www.arunbhatiaelect.org/about.htm

     

  • namaskar

    the moving finger having writ.... a book about iit aloomutter, invites you to its release at MMM (mumbai monthly meet, for acronym-challenged alumni). since the author sandipan deb* is an alumnus of iitkgp, its going to say nice things about our tribe :-0).

    Managing Editor of Outlook and Editor of Outlook Money, sandipan has titled his book "The IITians: The Story of a Remarkable Indian Institution and How its Alumni Are Reshaping the World". come 28th, he will speak to us about us.

    the time : 4.45 pm, saturday, 28 feb,'04
    the venue : Oxford Book Store #
    the theme : IITians - sandipan deb
    the menu : (alphabet soup?)

    #: pl note the mgnmnt has declared 2004 as discover bombay year - the venue this time has shifted to:

    Apeejay House, (Next to KC College), 3, Dinsha Vachha Road, Churchgate

    come, all ye errant, truant alumni for your share of @feel good@. ego massage on the house for alumni, only chai-biskoot for giuests. sequel writers are entitled to additional perks. copies of the book will be on sale, rs 425.

    cheers

    * sandipan deb, in his book, offers the first comprehensive study ever of the IITs, India's biggest and most powerful brand, and arguably the toughest and most influential engineering school in the world. himself an IITian, he delves into his own experience and those of scores of alumni ­ from both among the most successful in the world, and lesser-known ones, to try and explain what makes IITians such outstanding achievers.
    Mixing history with autobiography, analysis with anecdote, he examines how India could create these excellent educational systems. And how the unique IIT experience, of living, studying, fighting and having fun with the brightest people of a generation on a secluded campus, creates "the IITian". most of all, however, "The IITians..." is a success story, peopled by marvellous and passionate characters, entertainingly told.

     

  • what goes up and up and down and up? this month-end we have a bevy of experts to enlighten IIT alumni on the Market (of the Stock variety, natch) and its vagaries. get a handle on PNs, IPOs, MFs, bulls, bears and other creatures which influence the Stock Market. and, as a consequence, the fortunes of hajjar investors all over. figure out how to enhance your capital by smart choices (like abstaining! ). and pl note the MMM is at a new venue in the new year - washed in lux, air-conditioned!

    the theme : The Stock Market - Is the Party Over? ( list of speakers* below )

    the time : 4.30 pm on Saturday, 31 January 2004

    the place : Dahanukar Hall, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 6th Floor, Oricon House, 12, K. Dubash Marg (in line with rhythm house at kala ghoda)

    the menu : SEBI regulated

    so come for a dose of shareagra, learn a few indian rope tricks, share your cribs, bond and enjoy. and feel free to bring along afflicted janta ;-)

    Speakers:

    • Mr. S. Naganath, Joint President & Chief Investment Officer, DSP Merrill Lynch Fund

    • Managers Mr. Sanjeev Mohta, Chief Executive Officer, ABN-Amro Asia Equities (India)

    • Mr. Sandeep Dasgupta, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Asset Management (I) Pvt. Ltd.

    Meeting on January 29, 2004

    CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Mumbai Regional Centre, most cordially request the pleasure of your company for the Sixth Dr. R. B. Roy Choudhury Memorial Lecture by Jairam Ramesh,
    Thought leader - Economic Policy & Public affairs, Secretary - Economic Affairs Department, Congress Party, Past Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and Distinguished Alumnus IIT Bombay (B.Tech. '75  Mech. Engg.):

    White Collar, Blue Collar: India and China in the Contemporary World

    Date: Thursday, 29th January 2004
    Time: 6.00 pm
    Venue: IIT Bombay, P.C.Saxena Auditorium, Powai, Mumbai - 400076

    RSVP: Prof. R.K.Malik Vice Chairman, 25767796 (O), email: rkmalik[at] che.iitb.ac.in
    Mr.A.Sankholkar Jt.Secretary, 28581044(O), e-mail: asa[at] lntenc.com
    Dr. Sanjay Mahajani Exec.Councillor, 25767246 (O), email: sanjaym[at] che.iitb.ac.in

    PROGRAMME
    6.00 pm High Tea / Fellowship
    6.30 pm Welcome by Shri.Mukesh Rohatgi, Chairman, IIChE - MRC
    6.35 pm Citation Reading
    6.45 pm Introduction of the Speaker
    6.50 pm Sixth Dr.R.B.Roy Choudhury Memorial Lecture By Jairam Ramesh
               *White Collar, Blue Collar: India and China in the Contemporary World*
    7.35 pm Question - Answer
    7.45 pm Vote of Thanks by Dr. S.Ganeshan, Hon.Secretary, IIChE - MRC

     

  • namaskar

    on May 24, 2003, PM Shri Vajpayee honoured a team from IIT Bombay with a trophy, certificates and cash award for their draft manufacturing policy document titled "Made in My India".

    it was submitted in response to a nation-wide competition organized by "We Think for India" foundation, EMPI Business School and FICCI that received over 160 entries from various academic, research, professional, public sector and private organizations. the top awardees included Anderson Consulting, IIT Madras, IIM Lucknow and IIT Bombay.

    the team will make a presentation in our monthly meet and look forward to the inter-active session with alumni and faculty. (transport has been arranged from the campus at 3 pm to haji ali,courtesy PRO)

    the time : saturday, 29nov at 4.30 pm
    the venue : inst of engrs,haji ali
    the theme : The Past, Present and Future of Indian Manufacturing Industry - IITB faculty and students team*
    the menu : desi maal

    come, bask in the glory of the alma mater. come to give them a big hand (or will we wait for harvard/mit to define excellence?)

    *the team:
    Prof B.Ravi and Prof Pushpa Trivedi,with Manish Jalan, Manish Jain, Rahul Gupta and T.V. Ravikumar (dual degree students)

    An online version of the executive summary of “Made in My India” is freely available at:

    Authors: B. Ravi is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Coordinator of Manufacturing group at IIT Bombay; Pushpa Trivedi is a Professor of Economics in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department

     

  • the hold-up is by the super-cop himself - mr julio ribeiro*, now retired.

    also, the oct monthly meet is on 1nov(!) when mr ribeiro will share with the panIIT alumni his views on policing and governance issues.

    ye ol' soft disk remembers mr ribeiro, as commissioner of police, firmly tackling the riots of the mid-eighties in bombay. subsequently he took on the terrorists in punjab and put them in their place (not khalistan) - in the face of all the santa & banta singh jokes flying around. he is currently at the forefront of the communal harmony initiative by citizens of aamchi mumbai:-)

    the time : sat, 1 nov'03 at 4.30 pm.

    the venue : inst.of engrs, haji ali

    the theme : ' impact of the police force on governance'

    the menu : (strictly legit)

    come, shore up the communal peace movement as concerned citizens. come, as chauvinists, since mr ribeiro has 2 sons-in-law from the alumni fraternity :-0) cheers

    * Mr JULIO FRANCIS RIBEIRO

    Padma Bhushan 1987, joined the Indian Police Service in 1953 and rose to be the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai from February 1982 to May 1985.

    Later he served in quick succession as Director General Central Reserve Police, Director General of Police-Gujarat, Special Secretary to the Government of India's Home Ministry, Director General of Police Punjab and finally Advisor to the Governor of Punjab. Appointed Ambassador to Romania, he served for four years from 1989 to 1993.

    Two years ago, Prime Minister Shri. Vajpayee asked him to go as Governor of Jammu & Kashmir but he declined because of his involvement in social work in his native city of Mumbai.

    He heads the Mohalla Ekta Committee, which seeks to bring about harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims in the city of Mumbai. A fairly prolific writer, his book "Bullet For Bullet" was on the bestseller list for three or four months after its publication. He is the Governor's nominee on the Senate of The SNDT University, Mumbai.
     

  • namaskar

    after the charge of the monsoon, this month we are in for bigger stuff. dr anil kakodkar will address the panIIT alumni meet at the mumbai monthly meet on 27th, saturday. he is chairman, atomic energy commission, and has been building the nuclear arm of the country for many, many years. he will speak on nuclear power and research in india and we hope to get the inside track commentary of the *radio-active* scenario.

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday 27th

    the place : inst.of engrs, haji ali

    the topic : nuclear power and research in india

    the menu : organic:-)

    come all ye nukes and anti-nukes - alumni bonding (fusion?) makes for branding. guests form this side of the border welcome. cheers
     

  • namaskar

    its that time of the year again. the rains have spread a carpet of green all over the campus, those mini brooks are gurgling, the resident frogs are croaking - its the sound of monsoon music (not the freshies singing!). and the alumni venerate the rain gods at the annual varsha stuti. as usual with melliflous malhaar followed by dinner in the right spirit -:0)

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday, 23 aug.

    the place : Audi (2nd floor), IDC, iit powai

    the stuti : vocal recital - smt meenal deshpande*, sangeet visharad

    elevation of spirit & soul is priceless,but natch. dinner, however, will cost - alumni to contribute rs 150 each and accompanying guests rs 100. small fry below 4ft, of course, are our guests. c u there, tra la la

    smt meenal deshpande - brief bio

    pg in hindustani music, she has charmed rasiks in india and abroad. her taleem has been acquired from smt kishori amonkar and currently shri ratnakar pai. she has been awarded several scholarships and fellow ships and has performed at many prestigious music soirees. smt meenal is a regular performer in AIR and many TV channels.

     

  • namaskar

    bombay - the citi never slips or so we thought. this month, we meet to figure out where aamchi mumbai is heading in terms of a habitat and prices thereof. our very own sudhir badami (iitb-civil,btech'71, mtech'73) presents a perspective of the city's progress(!) and what could be the future.

    next, m.balachandran (iitkgp-mech,btech'70) will share his experiences of bombay's real estate scenario and property prices.bala is upto his bank account in BIG property deals and has been literally operating at grass roots:-)

    when : 4.30 pm, saturday, 26 july

    where : inst.of engrs, haji ali

    what : 'yeh hai bambai, meri jaan'

    as bonus, attendees can give gaalis for this short notice between 4.30 and 4.45 pm. so be there and get a better deal.

    cheers

     

  • namaskar

     

    a peep into international finance (read yankee) and shenanigans therein is slated for this month-end panIIT meet. dr anup agrawal(bio-sketch below),professor of finance at univ.of alabama,will deliver a talk on hi-finance and hi-fliers in there.
     

    the time : 4.30 pm, saturday 24th may '03

    the theme : insider trading & corporate governance fraud

    the venue : inst.of engrs, haji ali

    the menu : greenbacks
     

    welcome to hot tips, come figure out how not to stretch the $.

     

    cheers

    dr anup agrawal is a specialist in areas of Corporate Finance, Control and Governance, Investments, Executive Compensation, Insider Trading, Market Efficiency. he has presented his research at over 40 universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. several of his recent working papers have been on the Social Science Research Network's Top 10 lists. he is a member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Corporate Finance, Review of Financial Economics, and Finance India.

     

    partial list of publications:

    "Do Takeover Targets Under-perform? Evidence from Operating and Stock Returns." -Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. (With J. Jaffe.)

     

    "Do Some Outside Directors Play a Political Role?" Journal of Law and Economics.(With C. Knoeber.) April 2001.

     

    "Management Turnover and Corporate Governance Changes Following the Revelation of Fraud." Journal of Law and Economics. (With J. Jaffe and J. Karpoff.) April 1999.

     

  • april mmm features 3 mind-boggling multi-media clips at the campus (l.t.) on sat, 26th april.

     

    the first is likely to inflate alumni ego to 10X - the CBS clip on IITs, broadcast across the u.s. in jan03 which said iit = harvard + mit + ...

     

    follows a report of the alumni study tour to tarun bharat sangh (raj.) and their rain-water harvesting projects. check out how 2 crops are produced with 2" rainfall in 2002 !

     

    to round off the evening is a short film 'right to information' by MKKS (remember aruna roy, magsaysay award winner). this docu deals with corruption & leakages in rural development and has won awards at the international and national level.

    the venue: Lecture Theatre - sat, 26th april [at] 4.30 pm

    the theme: enjoy in multi-media

    the menu: triple saturdae

    needless to add, we might, typically, indulge in polemics; or actually hatch an action plan :-) dont miss peace, cheers

 

  • panIIT monthly meet (Mar 29) will hear ajit gopaldas, btech '71 & iimc 73, on his views on entrepreneurship, public policy, development,et al. ajit, to revive fading memories, was editor, technik and prolific debater on the campus. currently based out of washington dc, he is involved in matters of public policy. (brief bio-sketch below)

    the time : 4.30 pm, sat 29mar

    the venue : inst.of engrs, haji ali

    the theme : Building A Culture of Entrepreneurship

    its all happening at mmm,catch the habit.and contribute socially - we are not after your money:-) cheers

    more: ajit gopaldas

    IITB alum Ajit Gopaldas ( B.Tech. 1971) is an Indian American. He obtained a degree in Management from IIM Calcutta, worked as Marketing Manager of a chemical company in India before entering into business for himself. His businesses have involved trading

    in bulk chemicals, industrial materials, engineering spares. As independent consultant he helped start a number of Pvt. Ltd. leasing companies, also chemical marketing companies.

    His interest in public policy prompted him to get a second Masters degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University in Virginia. He attended summer courses, with academic credits, at Beijing University (Capital University of Economics and Business) and at Oxford University (St. Peter's College).

    To disseminate accurate and positive information about India he started several voluntary initiatives, including an India Studies Program for Masters and Ph.D students from America. He holds seminars on India regularly in Washington; has facilitated

    guest lectures by visiting professors both in India and in the US. This year he conducted public policy conferences at Indian institutions, the first being a daylong conference at IITB on March 9.

     

  • Tour to Bheekhampura

     

    register for Goa trip by Feb 14th - see below for details ...

    ... please confirm participation with name/sex/age/tel.no. URGENTLY (by fri, 14th feb) - mumbai [at] iitbombay.org (the to/fro rail bookings will be made on mon17th) ...

     

    namaskar

     

    the 28 dec mmm addressed by mr rajendra singh on "paani ka kaam" proved to be an eye-opener for the record 75+ crowd. he challenged the alumni to evaluate his methodology - aaplog iit ke vidwano sirf baato ka bhajiya khaate ho;-)... for the full report, waterwaytogo [at] netcomindia.com
     

    by popular demand, there is a tour to bheekhampura planned:

     

    depart fri, 28 feb evening to jaipur/bheekhampura - reach sat night sun/mon spend with rajendra singh / tarun bharat sangh at b.pura tue, 4 feb leave jaipur, reach town 8 am wed, 5 feb. (we might be able to visit sariska sanctuary, but dont count on it)

     

    travel/3 nights acco/no food is budgetted [at] rs 1500 and max 30 heads go. tickets will be booked only for name/sex/age/tel.no cnfmd by rtn mail before midnight, sun 26th jan. (we already have 2 youngsters below 8yrs and obviously their parents)

    the moneys can be delivered by mon 27th jan to the collection centres (for location, rokda [at] netcomindia.com)

     

  • namaskar

     

    in the 'international year of water', the annual panIIT shibir is dedicated to, but natch, water. we go back to goa since janta had a whale of a time last year and the program is being fine-tuned. meantime please confirm participation with name/sex/age/tel.no. URGENTLY (by fri, 14th feb) - mumbai [at] iitbombay.org (the to/fro rail bookings will be made on mon17th).
     

    the details:

     

    the shibir theme: water - our diminishing lifeline

    1. rain water harvesting

    2. report of the alumni study tour to bheekhampura(rajasthan)

    3. discussion on 'interlinking of rivers' [at] rs 5,60,000 crores

    depart: fri 14 mar,2200hrs

    return: wed 19 mar,0630hrs

    cost: rs 2499(approx)for travel and stay,excludes food.

    (note:for ages 5-12 -> rs 1999, 4ft minus -> FREE, 15sat is mohurrum and 18 mar

    is holi)

    this year we plan to look a few crocodiles in the eye,go parasailing,boating on the high(!)seas and frolic with the mermaids. and like last year, on offer: fun,frolic and feni,a/c when the windows are up and 5star+ on clear nights:-)

     

    cheers

     

  • namaskar

     

    the inaugural bridge tourney for panIIT alumni will be conducted with due regard to nostalgia on sat 21st dec at the Convo. for pairs, cog-sheets and ref.books et al:-)

    the first family of bridge and our own alum, rohet tolani ('75) will sponsor the tourney and raman giridhardas ('71) will direct it to some logical conclusion (read cash prizes).

     

    sat 21st dec

     

    4.00 pm : chai-biskoot/regn

    4.30 : play starts

    8.30 : lift spirits,have dinner

    9.30 : results, pile onto the winners

     

    cost : inr 150 per pair (incl dinner)

    eligiblity : alumni,faculty or staff and their spice, any IIT

    the deal : bid up a storm,apply rusted fundas,revel

    cutoff date : friday,13th (heaven help raman)

     

    PRE-REGISTRATION IS A MUST ...

     

    entries for the pairs, accepted only upto friday13th, must bear names of pair with resp batch/IIT-xx, dblrdbl [at] netcomindia.com for ms-like help, argee47 [at] hotmail.com  or picaa [at] cc.iitb.ac.in 

     

    thodasa bridge hojjaaye, pardner

     

     

  • there is much ado currently about the aam janta's right to information, to enable better governance and less corruption. disclosures by candidates contesting elections of their financial, criminal and educational records would allow the voter some chance of

    reducing the criminality straddling the political firmament. as expected, ALL political parties are twisting, torturing and otherwise diluting the Election Commission's fatwa.

     

    come, listen to *learned council* ex-justice mr pb sawant and barrister mr gg kalsekar (bio-sketch below), and walk the talk. to provide the impetus to this movement for a bharat which could be mahaan again,Indian Merchant Chambers have co-sponsored this

    meeting and considerately provided us a cool adda in their premises :-)

     

    mr raju moray, much-loved activist lawyer of high repute, will lend legal assistance to the panIIT alumni effort to dovetail with the epochal success of the IIM-A group in may'02.

     

    the theme:  people's right to information

    the speakers: ex-justice mr pb sawant and barrister gg kalsekar

    the venue: IMC, 2nd floor, churchgate

    the time: 4.30 pm, sat 30 nov

    the menu: (who knows)

     

    all ye alumni who want to be counted, please note the change of venue. and inform your alum cronies - they need to know too.  be there to stop riff-raff ruling us and ours!

     

    about the speakers

     

    ex-justice mr pb sawant,formerly in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, had created the first draft on the subject as chairman,press council of india. he will share with us the nuances of this long-pending bill and his view of the road map ahead.

     

    barrister gg kalsekar is the columbus of public interest litigation, beginning in 1974, and including the freezing of hon.antulay's trust(!) funds. he has been actively plugging away at various anti-public, non-compliant projects right from backbay reclamation

    to the recent bandra land's end development and the bandra-worli link. for us, clearly a case of 'follow the leader'.

     

  • An Invitation to a presentation on Urban Transport Priorities and High Capacity Bus Systems on Friday, October 18, 2002 at 6:30 PM at Coomaraswami Hall, Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai (see below for details).

     

    AND

     

    panIIT alumni invited to come out of the closet on October 26th / 27th on a trail through the Karnala Bird Sanctuary on NH17 (goa highway). 2 dy. diros of the forest dept will conduct us over the 4 hr walk (in 2 parts) threading our way in the dense jungle amidst all the birds (feathered only) and creepy crawlies; followed by lunch cooked by the foresters over a low wood-fire, yummy:-) and a slide-and-talk show on nature and environment (see below for details).

     

    October 18th event:

     

    The speakers:

    • Dr. Walter Hook, Executive Director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, USA

    • Dr Geetam Tiwari, Architect and Transportation Planning & Traffic Engineering Specialist, IIT Delhi

    • Prof Dinesh Mohan, Henry Ford Professor for Biomechanics and Transportation Safety and Coordinator, Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Programme, IIT Delhi

    Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) is a forum that supports interaction among architects, urban designers and professionals from such related fields as urban economics, sociology, planning, conservation and history, with the hope that this inter-disciplinary dialogue will make the city of our grand children a better place.

     

    An independent institution, which requires no previous membership or affiliation, UDRI aims to enrich the understanding of the urban environment and work towards its improvement UDRI's objective is to raise the standard of architectural dialogue, enhance the role of designers and planners, give content to public discussion on major issues concerning the urban fabric of Bombay and to expose urban design and planning to other mediums.

     

    In order to achieve this, UDRI has developed a programme which focuses on Seminars, Lectures, Publications, Research Projects and the creation of a Research and Resource Centre.

     

    (Please be seated by 6:20 PM)

    October 26th event:

     

    namaskar

     

    come along ye bird watchers! panIIT alumni invited to come out of the closet on oct 26th / 27 th on a trail through the karnala bird sanctuary on NH17(goa highway). 2

    dy.diros of the forest dept will conduct us over the 4 hr walk(in 2 parts) threading our way in the dense jungle amidst all the birds(feathered only) and creepy crawlies; followed by lunch cooked by the foresters over a low wood-fire,yummy:-) and a slide-and-talk show on nature and environment.

     

    the program:

     

    Saturday, October 26

     

    noon+:login at the resort,62kms(+/- 2 hillocks) from bombay

    (nestled at the foot of slyvan hills,in verdant forests)

    5.00 pm:lecture on vedic mathematics by mr chandrahas halai

    6.30 pm:play bridge,play with the monkeys,freak out

    9.30 pm:lights out,heh,heh!

     

    Sunday, October 27

     

    6.30 am:leave the resort bleary-eyed from last night's revelry

    7.00 am:start the trail in the forest

    9.00 am:halt for breaker,rest creaky joints

    12.30pm:have lunch at the base camp,if able

    1.30 pm:talk by mr avinash kubal,dy.diro,forest dept.

    2.30 pm:leave tearfully towards pollution,smog,slums(read bombay)

     

    spice,children specially welcome,trail structured for ease not athleticism. choice of sleeping in the open(under a canopy) or ac rooms (for city slickers), rs 400 and 750 per head. bring your own mosquitoes and binoculars.(package doesnt include use of swimming pool,26th lunch/27th tiffin & dinner) rush the bread to the collection centers by 5 pm on wed 16th else watch this space in 2003;-);for center nearest to you rokda [at] netcomindia.com (pl email if you can offer a ride/s to alums w/o transport)

     

    cheep,cheep till 26th

    namaskar (this repeat mail is because of many complaints of non-recpt, crave your tolerance)

     

    iit alumni are coming out of the woodworks world over and delivering. come September 28, mmm (mumbai monthly meet for late-comers) is charted out for house-keeping:

     

    AGM of the alumni assn, electing the mmm team and audit of the various action groups on the freshly washed campus in the LECTURE THEATRE :-)

    • 4.30pm : chai-biskoot on the l.t.lawns

    • 5.00pm : AGM of IITBAA(chairman kirat patel)

    • 5.15pm : MMM elections(chairman ashok doshi)

    • 5.30pm : start audit of pan-alum activities-

    KTK series, SBT, VoT et al nominations for mmm posts (prez, secretary and treasurer) can be sent to mahavir jain, jainlase [at] vsnl.com by Tue, Sep 24th.

     

    no foreign observers will be allowed, banners are banned. come, vote, be responsible.

Contacts :

IITB-MMM -> iitbalumni2000 [at] yahoo.com

Sudhir P Badami (71) -> iitb-mmm [at] usa.net +91+22+367 6536
Janak H Daftari (73) -> indepth [at] vsnl.com +91+22+628 4653
Mahavir Jain (79) -> jainlase [at] bom3.vsnl.net.in +91+22+375 9717
Parag Rele (69) -> rele [at] vsnl.com +91+22+414 2912
Rangan Banerjee (88) -> rangan[at] me.iitb.ac.in +91+22+576 7883
Girish Sant (86) -> prayas [at] vsnl.com +91+20+37 3596

 

  • The BMC garbage dump of yesteryears between dharavi and bandra-kurla is now the Mahim NISARG Park - 15 hectares of thriving lush green forest. once no-mans-land, this city forest supports a population of more than 84 varieties of birds and about 34 kinds of butterflies,380 varieties of plants (many medicinal) and numerous other life forms. Dr Salim Ali, the world famous ornithologist, was the first to plant a sapling here in 1983, the tree plantation drive subsequently picked up by children, mainly students. If there is nisarg on earth,this is it,this is it.

    the panIIT alumni have the special privilege of a conducted *walk thru* exclusively for us on sunday, 9th june followed by breakfast and a small talk on environment by Mr Avinash Kubal (dy diro of the park). pile on to take deep breaths of fresh ozone laced with medicinal flavours - and show the kids what CAN be. assembly at 6.45 am on sunday, 9th june outside the main gate, opp the dharavi bus depot - the early alum gets the birdsong :-))

     

    the damages are 50 bucks for all above 4ft and a hot,yummy breakfast will be served inside for those who confirm headcount by 4th june.we go in at 7 am and leave by 9.30 am.

     

    cheep,cheep till then.

    ps: this is the first of an unplanned series of trails, with hopes of running across,in the future, leopards,snakes and foxes! stay tuned.

  • panIIT Alumni bandwagon rolls to Goa ...

    • Celebrate Holi in your own rail coach

    • Free (Nature) colors from the scenic lush Konkan

    • Welcome by the CM Goa

    • Revel in Goa's natural bounties

    • Interactive discussion on Budget, Technologies

    • Build up alumni brand equity

    The expedition leaves march 29th (friday) morning, hits the arabian sea by evening; for 30th, plans are being firmed for an inter-active discussion on the Budget, Technologies and Business scenario, with Media coverage. we leave madgaon 31st evening and reach bombay monday morning (no fooling). shopping/touring timepass for the family ON.

     

    Targeting about Rs 1999 max per head, 5+ star but only on clear nights,food and swimming trunks yours.

    The land of zero entropy, palm fronds swaying on the beach, the local and alumni spirit beckons ?? You've got a ticket to ride :-))

    URGENTLY confirm participation (head count) by 5th march to beat the cutoff date - hit the reply button NOW. (NRIs to send good wishes.) (since the program with costs is still being finalised, please dont send your questions till 15th - they'll be sent to a robot ;-)

     

    Confirmed attractions:

    • mandovi river cruise

    • stay in holiday resort with swimming pool

    • candolim beach 200 mt away

    • meet alums, numero unos in police,tourism,...

    panIIT alumni leaves for goa shibir on fri, 29th mar, at 0700 hrs from VT and returns on mon, 1st april, at 0630 hrs. confirmations accepted till sat, 9mar. pl mail with name, age, gender of each expeditioner (FREE for relatives below 4ft).
     

    cheers in anticipation of sun,sand and frolic :-)

     

  • VENUE: Bombay House Basement Auditorium, Homi Mody Street

                Flora Fountain, Hutatma Chowk, MUMBAI 400 023
    DATE: Sat 9 March 2002 (yes this Saturday)
    TIME: 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM -- Fraternizing

             5:00 PM to 7:00 PM -- Main Programme - (expected to commence punctually)

    • Jayant Pendharkar, V.P. Marketing TCS introduces Prof Dinesh Mohan

    • Presentation by Prof Dinesh Mohan

    • Discussion on the subject.

    Topic: "Urban Transport for Growing Cities - High Capacity Bus Systems"

     

    "Public transportation issues have become a major concern for urban planners in view of the increasing congestion and pollution problems faced by all cities around the world. International projections indicate that most megacities will be located in low and middle income countries, most of which do not have high capacity metro systems in place at present. Recent developments in communication and computer technologies, innovative designs of dedicated bus lanes and bus stops have demonstrated that these systems have the possibilities of moving large number of commuters at very low costs."

     

    Currently Delhi Transport Corporation and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation are working on the pilot projects. Dr Dinesh Mohan, Henry Ford Professor of Transportation Safety at Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme, IIT Delhi will be making a presentation on "Urban Transport for Growing Cities - High Capacity Bus Systems."

     

  • Are IIT alumni, self-labeled creme-de-la-creme, worth their weight in gold? silver? cream? Is the alumni under-achieving as a terrific national human resource? (Of course, here we are talking apart from the millions of USD and INR donated and expected.) This month-end meet will feature 2 alums holding forth on this prickly subject:

    • Prakash Kewalramani, IIT-D'75 (Elect) and IIMA '77, is a Consultant for Recruitment and H.R.

    • Kishan Khanna, IIT-KGP '65, is the motive force behind the NGO 'India Watch' and is a civic activist of note.

    The Theme : "IIT alumni - future human resource?"

    The Time : 4.30 pm, Saturday, 23rd February'02

    The Venue : The Institute of Engrs, Haji Ali

    The Menu : Nation-building

    All 7 IIT alumni (one Roorkee alum had attended last month) and friends welcome to come and build synergies. C U there,ciao for now.

     

  • OK, OK the Dec 8th meeting was called off - that was a demo of the first Law of Dynamics! Mr N.Vittal, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, is finally catching up with us next week on Friday,Jan 18 for the second L of D. Quoting Strait Times (Singapore): India's chief graft-buster means business. At 61, Mr N. Vittal is still the sort of man who makes

    people half his age feel exhausted. He speaks rapidly and incessantly, underscoring points with jabs of the fingers and ideas drawn from Hindu mythology, Socrates and de Tocqueville.

     

    Quoting the great man himself: "I have taken corruption out of the closet..." and onto his website - list of hundreds of indicted officials!

     

    As Chairman of the Telecom Commission, he took on the powerful DoT unions which opposed liberalisation - "Who is more important, the 400,000 union members or the 600 million people waiting for telephones?"

    The Time : 5.30 pm, Friday,18th January '02

    The Theme : Make no mistake, we'll get them

    The Place : Institute of Engineers, Haji Ali

    The Menu : (Politically Clean, mostly correct)

    All wannabe-activist IIT alumni as also friends and govt officials are invited to come,interact for some action plan for a clean-up in society. (*brooms* provided).

    Either you're with us or you're for corruption - Be there.

    **Sneak review of pan-IIT day-picnic on Saturday, 26th Jan, also Ganatantra Divas: along the banks of Vaitarna river with boating, swimming and thou!

     

    Send replies to Janak Daftari at mumbai [at] iitbombay.org, put subject=alumpic 2K2 and cnfm headcount (adults/kids/pets) and whether you'll need transport/can offer rides. brevity will get window seat.target costs are rs 250/200/0. if y'all dont cnfm by Tuesday 15th,management reserves the right postpone to Independance Day.

     

  • The Beatle song serves well to beckon the IIT alumni. Along with Yuletide cheer in this season of giving, there is a strong alumni fervor blowing. The need to synergize within and with the alma mater is the area for discussion this month-end meet.

    A panel of worthies from Government, Corporate, Public and Specialists AND Marg-darshaks plan to mould pan-IIT views and suggestions into a scheme of things with the specific aim to increase contribution to the janambhoomi. Especially recommended for those alums who wish to take a deep breath of the winds of progress. And create a storm!

    The Theme:    IIT alumni synergize for Growth
    The Time:      4.30 pm, Saturday 29th December, 2001
    The Venue:    The Institute of Engineers,Haji Ali
    The Menu:      (more of the same)

    The list of Panelists and Marg-darshaks will be finalised from:

    • Mr Manohar Parrikar (CM of Goa, IITB)
    • Mr V Ranganathan (Chief Secretary, Gov of Maharashtra)
    • Mr T M Bakshi (Municipal Commissioner-Thane,IIT Kharagpur)
    • Mr Varun Arya (Director-Aravali Inst of Management, IIT Delhi, IIMA)
    • Ms Renu Gera (UNICEF Bombay Chief,IIT Bombay)
    • Mr Mukul Jain (GM-Container Corporation of India,IITD)
    • Mr Deepak Satavlekar (MD-HDFC Insurance,IIT Bombay)

    As usual alumni of IITs (all 7) are invited with friends and even cynics. Ciao till then :-)

     

  • Regrettably, our dynamic CVC, Mr N.Vittal, has an equally dynamic schedule and has to rush off to Delhi in the afternoon. He will NOT address the IIT Alumni this evening. Disappointment all round to be shared. He has promised to come in 2002.

    Ciao till the next meeting (and Year).

    Namaskar:
     

    This Saturday, December 8th, we are holding an extraordinary meeting in more ways than one.  For one, Mr N.Vittal,Chief Vigilance Commissioner, will talk to us.Having run down corrupt officials, he has even *hosted* them on his website :-) This firebrand son of the soil speaks in multiple languages and punctuates with profound slokas! This out-of-turn event is for the IIT alums who wish to learn Vittal's First Law of (Government) Dynamics AND tell him a couple of things.


    The Time : 5.30 pm, Saturday December 8th.

    The Theme : Make no mistake,we'll get them

    The Place : Institute of Engineers, Haji Ali

    The menu : (squeaky clean)
     

    This is open to all IIT alumni as also their friends and enemies.
     

    (To jog fading memory,the annual Alumni Meet is on 23rd December on campus, more at http://www.iitbombay.org or picaa [at] cc.iitb.ac.in).

     

  • Mumbai Monthly Meet on Saturday, November 24th features Ram Jethmalani the celebrated, *feisty* Ram Jethmalani, erstwhile Law Minister, acknowledged legal brain and defender of the virtuous (and not so virtuous) who has promised to turn our legal fundas around ! Mr Jethmalani, to jog your memory, was shooting 10-questions-a-day to the PM during the Emergency faster than today's Kalashnikovs, fiercer than SCUDs. And has come a long way thence.

    The Theme: Legal eagle takes on Techies
    The Time: 4.30 pm,Saturday,24th November
    The Venue: Institute of Engrs. Haji Ali
    The Menu: Constitutional, with early-bird incentive

 

  • This one's for active trekkers as well couch potatoes - Round trip to Kailash Mansarovar with dinner only Rs 100

    ** An audio-visual presentation of the exhilarating yatra to Kailash Mansarovar with a commentary by Ms Leena Vaidya is slated on Sunday, 4th November at 6.30 pm, at SOM Auditorium,IIT Bombay. Breath-taking slides will be followed by dinner at H8, like ye ol' times.All are invited and that means anyone :-)

    To  ensure that you get dinner, please confirm to the Kambe's:

    Ms Leena Vaidya is well travelled on the spiritual paths to Kailash Manasarovar, Gaumukh, Tapovan and beyond to Reiki, Pranic and Siddha healing) ... she can even be talked into an impromptu mass healing session right there !

     

  • Anish Tawakley (McKinsey & Co) presented to the PM a report on growth factors in India and Anish (IIT-D) will do the same for us this month-end meet. The report brings out how India, by removing certain key barriers that are shackling its economic potential, can achieve a 10 per cent growth rate per annum. In 3 years! Is this the road to progress or will we advance to the rear? Dr Rajan Kamat (IIT-K), a distinguished academician and internationally acclaimed for corporate strategy, will then give us some related insights and also his expert opinion on the 'Growth Report'. (Bio-sketch of both alumni follows at the end.)

    The Theme : "India - the Growth Imperative"
    The Time : 4.30 pm, 27th October 2001
    The Venue : The Institue of Engineers, Haji Ali
    The Speakers: Anish Tawakley and Rajan Kamat
    The Menu : Thought Provoking

    Come and push the national bandwagon to excellence, in these times of economic uncertainty and comedy of terrors.

    Janak Daftari
    (    mumbai [at] iitbombay.org )

    Profile of Anish Tawakley

    Anish Tawakley graduated from IIT-D in 1992 (Mech) and PGDM (Finance) from IIM-B in 1995. He is currently employed with McKinsey, the MNC commisisioned by the GOI to carry out the study on GDP. Qouting him: "The uniqueness of this report is that it is based on a bottom-up understanding of the Indian economy. Our team studied 14 sectors of the economy in depth, representing a cross-section of agriculture, industry and services. The choice of sectors was based on their significance; taken together, they account for 26 per cent of India's GDP and 24 per cent of India's employment. Similar studies by McKinsey in Brazil, South Korea, Poland and Russia made a substantial impact on the economic policies of these countries."

    Profile of Dr. Rajan Kamat

    Dr Rajan Kamat (Ph.D.) is one of the founding partners of Artesiaa Consulting Group. His work on competition, innovation, and value-creation has gained national recognition including the prestigious 1995 Shingo Prize. President Clinton described Dr Kamath as belonging to the group of "management thinkers who have helped make the very term 'Made In USA" synonymous with high quality and unparalleled performance". Rajan Kamath is Associate Professor of Strategy and International Business at the University of Cincinnati's College of Business Administration where he has received the 1995 Award for Faculty Excellence, the 1996, 1997 and 1999 MBA Association Awards for Teaching Excellence and the 2000 EXCEL Award for outstanding contributions to graduate education. Dr. Kamath earned his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT-Kanpur, his MBA in Finance from IIM-Bangalore, and his Ph.D. in Strategy from University of Michigan-An Arbor where he was trained by Dr C. K. Prahalad.

 

  • Event : Varsha Stuti (Monsoon Dhamaka)
    Time : 4:30 pm on Saturday, August 25
    Venue : Lecture Theatre, IIT Powai
    Theme : Technology and Spirituality: Conflict or Confluence ?

    The annual Varsha Stuti, christened recently, promises to take you to heights metaphysical. Amidst the lush green, the pristine nature now fecund. The strident calls of the koels during the day reflected by the frogs at nights amidst gurgling water. Alumni from all IITs are welcome to revel and soak in the joys of monsoon.
    • Swami Chidanand, Chinmaya