HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024!
The VJTI International Alumni Association wishes you and your families and loved ones a very happy New Year!
We reflect back on 2023 pride as the VJTI International Alumni Association, USA and the VJTI Alumni Association, Mumbai collaborated closely on the multiple important initiatives for VJTI focusing on student scholarships, chair professorship, research and innovation, and strengthening the alumni community.
Student scholarships
Kamlesh Talreja, who graduated from VJTI in 1994 earning a B.E. degree in Electronics Engineering. and Goldman Sachs Gives generously supported the institution of the $100,000 'T J Talreja Goldman Sachs Scholarship Fund' for VJTI undergraduate students.
Drs. Vishal and Vikas Kancherla established the Subhash Kanakaraju Kancherla Scholarship Fund to support merit-cum-need scholarships for VJTI students. Drs. Kancherla instituted this scholarship fund honoring their father, Mr. Subhash Kancherla, who graduated from VJTI in 1965 earning a B.E. degree in Civil Engineering and their grandfather, Mr. Kanakaraju Kancherla, who graduated from VJTI in textile engineering in 1916.
Chair professorship
We established the first VJTI chair professorship fund for Professor Rohin Daruwala, Professor (Adj) & Former Dean (Students Activities) at VJTI, Mumbai. Daruwala Sir, as Professor Daruwala is affectionately known, retired in October 2022 after 36 years of selfless service as Professor of Electronics Engineering at VJTI. Over these 3 decades, Daruwala Sir touched the lives of thousands of students through his teaching, guidance, and mentorship. This Chair Professorship fund will enable Daruwala Sir to contribute to VJTI as an Adjunct Chair Professor for a period of ~5 years.
BE Electronics 1998 Research and Innovation Fund
The VJTI BE Electronics Class of 1998 is celebrating the silver jubilee anniversary of their graduation by establishing a research and innovation fund that supports student authored research publications and patent filings and the development of the Electronics Laboratory at VJTI.
Strength in Numbers
VJTI Alumni came together in a big way all around the world.
Fellow alumni Dinanath Kholkar, Naresh Apte, and Niranjan Dhomse organized a VJTI Alumni Event at the Garje Marathi Global Summit on July 30, 2023. Eminent scientist, Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, graced the occasion and shared precious words of wisdom. It was great connecting with VJTI alumni from batches ranging from 1969 to 2020! This was followed by a dinner get together at 'Vishnu Ji Ki Rasoi', a popular Bay Area restaurant, coordinated by Rajesh Singh. Check out photos from these events.
The momentum from these two events reverberated all over the world. We launched a special program, 'Samarth', that reinforces the commitment of global alumni to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) and its transformation journey under the leadership of Dr. Sachin Kore, Director of VJTI and the guidance of Dr. Anand Deshpande, Chairman of the Board of Governors of VJTI.
Naresh Apte, Sweta Jhunjhunwala, and a group of dedicated volunteers put together the VJTI International Community WhatsApp group with local communities in regions around the world. We now have thriving local communities connected via WhatsApp groups in India, USA, Canada, Middle East, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. These local communities organized numerous 'josh 2023' meetups that included hiking, celebrating festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri, getting together for movies, world cup matches, dinners, and more ...
I look back with a deep sense of gratitude on how far the VJTI International Alumni Association has come in the 4 years since our humble beginnings. Your efforts and contributions have enabled us to make significant progress on the guiding principles of our mission:
Connect alumni based outside India with their past giving them opportunities to shape the VJTI of the future.
Create a network of international alumni and celebrate their success in work and life.
Contribute to various projects and initiatives that benefit VJTI.
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the incredible efforts of the VJTI IAA Board members Rahul Abhyankar, Tony Fernandes, and Niranjan Dhomse, the strong partnership with the VJTI Alumni Association (Mumbai), especially Umesh Doshi and Nayan Parekh, and the support and guidance of Professor Rohin Daruwala, Dinanath Kholkar, and the many volunteers and well-wishers.
Thank you to all fellow VJTI alumni. Here's to an even more impactful 2024 ... Let's keep the VJTI flag flying high!
Rajesh Parekh
President VJTI International Alumni Association, BE Computer Engineering 1991.
email: president@vjtiintlalumni.org
Web: https://www.vjtiintlalumni.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vjti-intl-alumni-association/