A Report on 3rd International Alumni Meet (IBAM)-2007
The 3rd International BHU Alumni Meet drew to a successful close on January 07, 2007 after more than a year of hectic preparations. In fact from January 05 itself it appeared as if every path in the city led to Swatantrata Bhawan, the epicenter of all activities.
The response from our Alumni was overwhelming with more than 2000 participants registering themselves for this Mega Meet. In fact every available seat in the auditorium was taken up well before the start of the Inaugural Function. It was fortuitous that arrangements for viewing the function via close circuit TV had been made in all the conference halls on the first floor of Swatantrata Bhawan as well. No wonder this sea of humanity prompted our local newspapers to dub this event as a “Mahakumbh”.
The Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Prof. Panjab Singh inaugurated the two day Meet and International Seminar on “Education in the 21st Century and Mahamana’s Vision,” while Justice Giridhar Malaviya presided over the function. In his Inaugural Address Prof. Panjab Singh outlined his vision for the development and growth of the University. In his passionate appeal to the Alumni he requested their full cooperation in the development of the Malaviya Heritage Complex, the establishment of an Alumni Fund, the institution of a Malaviya Chair and other related activities.
The presence of Justice Giridhar Malaviya, National President of the “Mahamana Malaviya Mission” added to the emotional and historic significance of the event; many of our delegates were heard to remark that they sought the reflection of his illustrious grandfather, the Mahamana in him. Justice Giridhar Malaviya emphasized that the students of BHU have a responsibility not only towards themselves but also towards the country. Their priority as students of this unique institution should not be, only to seek employment, but to contribute in the onerous task of nation building. While emphasizing the importance of serious research on Mahamana’s ideology, he outlined the role which Mahamana Smriti Bhavan at New Delhi will play in providing requisite facilities and access to resource material. The chairperson of the 3rd IBAM, Prof. D.P. Singh described in detail the activities of the Mahamana Malaviya Mission which also include social initiatives for the deprived sections.
The Alumni of Banaras Hindu University have always been a powerful presence at the national and international level. At the same time their sense of duty and commitment towards their Alma Mater has been commendable. The Inaugural Function of the 3rd IBAM was thus the appropriate platform to express our appreciation towards these dedicated Alumni. Our former students honoured with this year’s “Distinguished Alumnus Award” include Prof. Namwar Singh (Eminent Literary Critic & Chancellor, MG Hindi University, Wardha) & Prof. R.B. Singh (Member, National Commission on Farmers, G.O.I.). The award was given in absentia to Prof. C.N.R Rao, Prof. Jayant Narlikar, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan and Shri P.L. Jaiswal (Working President, Mahamana Malaviya Mission). Also honoured on this auspicious occassion was the stalwart socialist leader, Shri Prabhu Narayan Singh, who is also our oldest living Alumnus.
The Inaugural Function witnessed the release of various publications connected with the journey of the Banaras Hindu University- notably the “Souvenir”, the “Report on the Development of BHU” and “A History of BHU”:. The message from Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, on this historic occassion was also read out before the assembled gathering. The Inaugural Function ended with a heartfelt vote of thanks by Prof. C.K. Padia, the Organizing Secretary of the 3rd IBAM.
An important part of the Meet was the International seminar on “Education in the 21st Century and Mahamana’s Vision.” Spread over two days, it was visualized as a glimpse into the vast body of multifaceted ideas which characterize the speeches and writings of Mahamana.
This two day International Seminar evoked tremendous response from participants all over the world. The first session devoted to “Engineering and Technical Education” was chaired by Prof. B.M. Shukla (Former Vice-Chancellor, Gorakhpur University)and Co chaired by an academician of the stature of Prof. R.H. Tupkari (Senior Vice President, Mahamana Malaviya Mission). This session which dealt with the role and growth of Engineering Education in the 21st Century as well as the relevance of Mahamana’s Vision for the Industrial growth of India reached new heights with the participation of Prof. D.P. Singh (Emeritus Professor, BHU), Dr. V.K. Mathur (University of New Hampshire), Prof. Satish Tripathi (Provost and Executive Vice President, University at Buffalo), Prof. R.B. Singh (Member, National Commission on Farmers) & Shri Amit Chatterjee (Advisor to Managing Director, Tata Steel).
Mahamana was always very particular that a person should be first and foremost a responsible citizen and good human being. Thus it was only appropriate that the second session should be dedicated to “Ethics and Human Values.” We were fortunate that this session had an outstanding keynote speaker in Shri Dharmapal Maini (Editor, Manav Moolya Vishwakosh & Director, Institute of National Human Value, Gurgaon). The session was chaired by none other than Dr. Mangla Rai, Director General, ICAR. The invited speakers in this session included Prof. A.N. Tripathi (Former Coordinator, Malaviya Centre for Value Studies, BHU), Shri Ashok Mehta (Former Chief Standing Counsel, State of UP) and (Prof. Jagadish Shukla , George Mason University, USA)
January 07, the second day of the International seminar opened with a session on “Malaviya Ji : Builder of Modern India.” The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Rewa Prasad Dwivedi, (Ex Dean, Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan Sankay, BHU). The eminent littérateur Prof. Namwar Singh (Chancellor, MG Hindi University, Wardha) was in the chair whereas Prof. Chandramauli was the co chair. The erudite invited lectures were delivered by Shri Anand Shankar Pandya (leading Diamond Merchant), Prof. V.C. Srivastava (former Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla), Prof. S.K. Srivastava (Ex Dean, Faculty of Social Science, BHU) and Prof. Sushila Pant (Ex Professor, Department of AIHC & Arch, BHU) amongst others.
The House reassembled after a short tea break for the fourth session entitled “Medical Education at BHU.” The keynote speaker was Prof. R.H. Singh (Visiting Professor, Wonkwang Digital University, Iksan City, The Republic of Korea). This session chaired by Prof. Gajendra Singh (Director, IMS, BHU) was truly international with inputs by Dr. Jongsoon Seo (Professor, Wonkwang Digital University, The Republic of Korea), Dr. Bhanushankar Mehta and one of the senior most Physicians in Varanasi, Prof. I.M. Gupta (Ex, Professor, IMS, BHU).
The last and fifth session was focussed on “Women Education and Empowerment”. The keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Chandrakala Padia (Professor, Dept. of Political Science & Coordinator CWSD, BHU). The session chaired by Prof. Hemlata Swaroop (Former Vice Chancellor, Kanpur University) was actively participated in by not only Social Scientists but also Faculty members from other disciplines.
Many of our prominent Alumni like Prof. Raghunath Singh (Nottingham University), Prof. V.S. Satyanarayana (University of New South Wales), Prof. S.V. Tatwawadi (Leicester, UK), & Shri Rajendra Bhambri (Coal India Limited) as well as distinguished guests like the Hon’ble Ambassador from Netherlands Mr. Erik Niche, graced this occasion by their whole hearted presence and participation.
The poster sessions on “Environment Education and School Education” and “Globalization and IPR” were successful in initiating debate and discussions among the participants, which included not only senior academicians like Dr. Bhushan L. Jalali (Ex Director of Research, Haryana Agricultural University) but also many young faculty members from BHU & surrounding colleges.
The Valedictory Function on January 07, 2007 which began with an emotional welcome by Prof. D.P. Singh, was a fitting finale to this Mega Event. In this sentimental moment of parting, our Alumni reiterated their commitment—financial and otherwise towards the growth of their University. It would be no exaggeration to say that every single Alumnus present there was moved to the depths of his heart by the appeal of the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Panjab Singh to work as a family towards the progress of the University. The services and contribution of our Alumni towards the growth of the University were personally acknowledged in this function with appreciation and admiration. Those honoured on this occasion included Shri S. Somaskandan “(Author of A History of BHU)”; Shri Sudarshan K. Maini (Chairman, Maini Group and who was also presiding over the session) Shri A.S. Pandya (leading Diamond Merchant in the World); Prof. B.M. Shukla (Former Vice-Chancellor, Gorakhpur University); Prof. Satish Tripathi (Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, University at Buffalo, USA); Shri G.S. Agarwal (leading entrepreneur); Dr. R.P. Singh (former Vice-Chancellor, MPUAT, Udaipur); Prof. Chitaranjan Jyotishi (Former Dean, Faculty of Performing Arts, BHU) & Dr. B.R. Singh (Director, Ispat Group) — each one of them a towering personality in his own right.
The interactive feed back session with our Alumni enriched and added to our experience with inputs from Dr. Kalpalata Pandey (Professor in Education, MG Kashi Vidyapith), Shri Harishankar Singh (General Secretary, Mahamana Malviya Mission) and Dr. Shyam Narayan Pandey (one of our seniormost Alumni).
Perhaps the highlight of the whole event was the sentiment expressed by Justice Giridhar Malaviya that henceforth the International BHU Alumni Meet should be hosted every three years at the BHU Campus.
We felt our efforts have been well & truly rewarded !!
Vignettes
- The delegates were heard saying that the Registration Kit was becoming HEAVY with all the gifts- Mahamana Sandesh, Mantra Pushpanjali, Mahamana Ke Vichar : Ek Chayan, Inaugural Address of the Vice Chancellor Report on the development of the University, C.D. of the Kulgeet, Calendar, etc.
- The stalls set up by the various Faculties of BHU attracted immense attention. The Alumni were seen going up to the stalls of their parent department and interacting with the present students
- The exquisite cultural programme presented by the teachers and students of the Faculty of Performing Arts held the audience spellbound on the evenings of January 06 & 07.
- The commercial stalls did brisk business with the Alumni and particularly their families displaying keen interest in the wares displayed there.
- In the evenings the Swatantrata Bhawan looked like a fairy land with the well lit food courts, exhibition stalls, temporary lounges etc.
- A mini cyber café was setup in the foyer to enable our Alumni to stay connected.
- Much enthusiasm was generated about the upcoming Rajiv Gandhi South Campus of BHU at Barkacha on 2760 acres of land, with many Alumni choosing to take a day trip there.
- Dr. D.P. Maini donated the “Manav Moolya Vishwakosh” in five volumes to the University, whereas Prof. Namwar Singh promised to gift his personal library to his Alma Mater.
- A hoarding displaying the Mahamana Smriti Bhawan at New Delhi was an added attraction. The Alumni reacted positively to the appeal for the funds to complete the complex.
Prof. D.P. Singh,
Chairman,
3rd IBAM-2007
Professor D. P. Singh
Professor Emeritus
Department of Mining Engineering
Institute of Technology
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005
Formerly, Vice-Chancellor
APS University of Rewa, Lucknow University,
UP Open University, Allahabad
Phone +91 542 2315871, 91 9335386770