Dear Alumnus/ Alumna,

As someone who has played all four roles—student, alum-at-large, faculty and administrator—I have a reasonably good feel for their inter-relationships. To build a strong, networked community requires that each of us take a step forward every time that the other does. In my current role, I can shoot out messages, but unless they are received & read, I haven’t accomplished anything. Similarly, an alum-at-large may have strong opinions regarding some aspect of the alma mater, but unless he/ she is able to communicate the same, a feeling of discontent prevails. Faculty are ambivalent about alumni—on the one hand, they can provide valuable links to the external world; on the other, they can also intrude. Students regard alumni as role models, but sometimes have unreasonably high expectations regarding the mentoring and other succor they can provide. Alumni regard students with indulgence, but find them sometimes a little too demanding. So, a little give & take is needed from all sides.

Most of us retain our impressions of the campus from the time we leave. It remains frozen forever. But IITM has changed over the years. You can visit and decide for yourself whether the change is for the better, but do make an effort to gather impressions first-hand. Media reports tend to dwell on negatives, since they pander to humans, not saints. Who among us doesn’t enjoy a juicy bit of gossip? But do cut the ol’ girl some slack. We do have an enlightened leadership that gets most things right.

Staying in touch through mobile means is, thus, increasingly important, and IITM is happy to announce that the OFFICIAL IITM APP is now available for ANDROID OS in Google Store as well as at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.official.iitmadras. The IOS version is under development. You may recall the earlier launch of a mobile app to keep our alumni engaged with one another & with the alma mater. That one is also available for download in Google Playstore and App Store on iTunes. Please register yourself here http://www.iitmaa.org/index.php?option=com_newregister . Android link to download the app:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.iitm.alumni;
Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iitm/id633128159?mt=8

Some quick alumni/ faculty tidbits: The U.S. President, Barrack Obama, plans to appoint an IIT Madras alum as a member of the National Science Board of National Science Foundation. The proposed appointment of Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Senior Vice President of the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development at Arizona State University, was announced by the White House Friday with 15 other key administration posts. “Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” Obama said. Dr. Panchanathan, who has held his current position at ASU since 2011, received an M.Tech. degree from IIT Madras in 1986.

Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT-Madras speaks of his revolutionary method of preventing power cuts, in an interview with Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com:http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-meet-the-professor-who-wants-to-end-power-cuts-in-india/20140613.htm#4