Y-Point Spring 1999

Editorial

Nurturing a Growth Spurt

by Ram V. Kelkar (B. Tech. (EE) 80 / H2)

It has been over three years since a group of IIT Bombayites began working toward establishing an alumni organization, with the goals of increasing alumni interaction and networking, and raising funds and other resources to help our common alma mater. Anil Kshirsagar and his merry band on the West Coast, and a few of us strewn elsewhere in Connecticut, Chicago and Boston linked up with the magic of the web, and a real organization began to take root.

As I sat here this morning reading e-mails ... from the Bay Area organizers, from the Chicago Chapter, from Boston, from Bombay, from Washington ... it was obvious to me that we are now moving from the initial phase of laying down the roots of the organization into a growth spurt.

The Bay Area effort is now well established, with two Speaker Series events already completed, and more to come. The Chicago Chapter, the Southern California Chapter and the Boston Chapter are now quite well established, and other areas gearing up include New York, Washington and Seattle. The Database team is actively working on an ambitious project to verify and grow the Alumni Directory by year-end. Others are focused on broadening the fundraising efforts to all alumni, in addition to a continued focus on our prominent alumni who are now CEOs and founders of their own companies.

All of you reading this should reach out to this growing effort, and ensure that we maintain the excitement in establishing an alumni organization that transcends all geographical barriers. Let us not keep the Heritage Fund localized to a few major cities and areas, but instead continue to build links between alumni all over the US and even the world.

We are in the process of finalizing a roadshow for Director Sukhatme and Prof. S.L.N. Murthy in September-October 1999 ... click here for a preliminary schedule, and I invite alumni to write to us, to either president[!]iitbombay.org or events[!]iitbombay.org with your ideas on what you believe should be the objectives for IIT Bombay and its alumni in the new millenium. We will share your ideas with them so that when you meet them, you can hear their plans for 1999 and beyond.

I will end by appealing as usual to all of you to stop and think about how you can help the institution that has given so much to you ... even $100 from each of us per year could easily raise over $200-250,000 if we also ensure that our employers match the contributions. Please take a moment to send in your tax deductible contributions to the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund. All it takes is a check and a first-class stamp ... the address is Treasurer, IIT Bombay Heritage Fund, 10489 Rampart Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014.

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