NEW YORK: The Alumni Association of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur hosted a function on June 24, at the Consulate General of India, New York, to honor two of its distinguished alumnus, Ambuj Goel, General Manager (Software), IBM and Ravi Akhoury, Chairman and CEO, MacKay Shields, LLC.

More than 100 alumni from IIT Kanpur and spouses were present on the occasion. Dr. S.G. Dhande, Director, IIT, Kanpur and Consul General Neelam Deo addressed the gathering on the occasion. In her opening remarks, Consul General Deo appreciated the concept of "Gurudakshina" which IIT-K Alumni were executing to give back to their alma mater, and suggested that the scope and range of the projects under "Gurudakshina" be enhanced to reach a level commensurate with the resource base of the alumni, many of whom have done remarkably well in their careers.She also noted that the number of women students seemed somewhat lower in the IITs.

She also highlighted the achievements of the IIT alumni and their contribution towards the development of Indo-US ties in various fields. The Distinguished IIT Kanpur Alumnus Awards to Goel and Akhoury were given away by Deo and Dr. Dhande.In his remarks, Dr. Dhande spoke of the strides the Indian economy had made in recent years and the future challenges facing the country in sustaining the growth rate of 8 to 10% in the coming years.

He outlined the contributions of IIT Kanpur in the development of higher education in India and the various initiatives with foreign Universities for joint collaboration on research and academics. Dr. Dhande appreciated the contributions made by IIT Kanpur Alumni and expressed the hope for more such gestures of support in the future.