LIFE AT IIT AND BEYOND

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LIFE AT IIT AND BEYOND


Aditya Birla Group Scholarships: Batch 2009
Amit Aggarwal Kumar: IIM Calcutta
Committed to excellence

Amit was born and brought up in Delhi. During his stint at IIT, Delhi, in addition to developing strong technical, analytical and communication skills, he explored opportunities to follow his interests. He is deeply passionate about entrepreneurship and manages a web-store of his own. As the marketing coordinator for IITD's annual literature fest, he led the sponsorship initiative. Amit believes that the structured learning in a premier institute like IIMC will provide him the insight into the dynamics of the business world and equip him to build upon his past experiences. On completion of his course, he plans to start his own venture, with particular focus in the field of online retail.




Anindya Dutta: IIM Ahmedabad
Fine with finance

A gold medalist from IIT Kharagpur, Anindya is driven by the desire to excel. In 2007 he was offered a fellowship for doctoral studies by the University of California, Berkeley. An active debater, both at the school and college level, Anindya has also been a keen dramatist. Not just studies, he is also blessed with rich leadership quality. At IIT, he founded Communique — a personality development forum for the students, which became the largest society on campus in a year's time. During the 2008 Indian Premier League, Anindya had devised an online cricket-based trading game called CricXchange, which gained tremendous popularity, attracting over 50,000 users daily. Anindya's decision to join the business studies at IIM Ahmedabad, was triggered by his innate desire to make it big in the financial risk management sector.




Arun Ramakrishnan: IIM Bangalore
Swades...

Born and raised in Bombay, Arun won India's highest accolade in the Bharat Scouts and Guides movement — the President's medal from Dr. S.D. Sharma. He stood second in the bachelor degree examination conducted by the University of Bombay and went to the United States for pursuing Masters in mechanical engineering in the University of Maryland at College Park in 2001. In addition to completing his thesis for England's Defense Evaluation and Research Agency, he also took the initiative of getting his work published in five journals / book chapters, including the IEEE Transactions in Components and Packaging Technologies. Following this, Arun entered the corporate America as a design engineer in LSI Logic, based in Silicon Valley, California. However he realised that he must return to India and “give something back to the country”. He aims to work in a consulting firm in the field of energy before embarking on his independent venture.




Ashok Kumar Bhardwaj: IIM Ahmedabad
Statistically speaking

Born and brought up in Bhiwani, Haryana, according to Ashok his “sense of belongingness to all” is his most important quality. Spreading happiness, he believes, is his ultimate objective. He feels highly motivated by those who devote their lives for the benefits of others. Ashok joined the IIT Bombay to pursue a dual degree in electrical engineering. Post IITB, he joined Capital One to get firsthand professional work-experience. After working for two years, he thought it was the right time for management education and it matched well with the opportunity to join IIM Ahmedabad. His expectations from the PGP course, apart from knowledge of core subjects, are to widen the horizon of his thoughts, interact with learned faculty members and make a new set of friends. He believes that interaction with successful people from diverse backgrounds would be an added advantage. On completion of this course, he plans to work with a consulting organisation for few years, in order to gain exposure to various sectors and enrich his thought process, all of which would help him in his future endeavours. Ashok's long term goal is to contribute to the Indian education sector. He wishes to open a school and then extend it to a series of schools, he would also like to be involved with NGO(s).




Chaithanya Rao Prabhakar: IIM Ahmedabad
Challenging limits

Scoring a perfect 10 out of 10 in his final year at IIT Bombay, Chaithanya has never shuddered from responsibilities and has always been tenacious in tackling challenges. Born and brought up in the suburbs of Mumbai, his family has always motivated him to take on challenges and be self-reliant. At 13, he was a junior black belt. Learning martial arts at an impressionable age, instilled in him values of discipline, tenacity and a never-say-die attitude. At IIT Bombay Chaithanya got a good flavour of academics and research. He interned at Quantumn Phinance, a fiancial services startup incubated in IIT-B. He also interned at the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge University, U.K. These internships helped him in exploring various potential career options. In his final year, he was selected as a joint head of the placement cell at IIT Bombay. Given the market situation, it was a challenging task. However,. the team's efforts paid off and IIT-B's placement was ranked the best in India. After completing studies at IIM A, he wants to work in consulting, to get exposure to a variety of industries, which in turn would lay a sound foundation for running an enterprise of his own.




Khushboo Gupta: IIM Ahmedabad
A mind of her own

The first time, Khushboo took a consequential decision was after completion of her Class XII examination. She had cleared both IIT-JEE and AIPMT examinations. Everyone around her assumed she, being the only child would follow her parents' footsteps and become a doctor. However Khushboo decided to pursue Engineering as she was confident that it was where her interest and intellectual satisfaction lay. After engineering, she went to National University of Singapore, in order to experience a multicultural and cosmopolitan educational environment. She interned at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to gain knowledge of the manufacturing sector, as well as shop floor experience. She also carried out a research project at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to acquaint herself with the R&D work setting. Not just studies, for Khushboo being versatile is important. At IIT Roorkee, she became a part of the founding team of the Entrepreneurship Development Cell and helped it build a reputation in the campus. The aim of the cell was to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship at IIT Roorkee. After graduation, Khushboo joined Deloitte Consulting, and gradually realised the need of a formal education in management. She believes that at IIM Ahmedabad she can hone her skills in decision making, especially with regards to business. Her interest lies in being associated with firms that have social welfare among their focus areas.




Mohit Garg: IIM Ahmedabad
Catalysing social change

Born in New Delhi, Mohit moved to IIT-Bombay in 2000. He befriended technology during his days at the IIT, following which he started a career in the Information-Communication-Technology (ICT) industry. While in college, he and his friend started CURE (Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education) in mid-2001. This is India's foremost non-profit organisation dedicated solely towards the elimination of ragging from Indian universities and colleges. Working for this cause for the last eight years has made him realise that social problems can be solved through sincere and persevered efforts. Mohit has also conceptualised Aayudh-Technologies, an experimental social enterprise providing technology solutions to the non-profit and social sector in India. His vision is to use ICT, through a market-driven approach, to improve efficiency of social sector organisations thereby enabling deeper and wider socio-economic impact. During his work with Aayudh, there were several occasions when he found himself challenged for the right set of tools and formal thinking processes to run a business. This germinated the desire for an MBA. Mohit's endeavour is to spend the next two years at IIM Ahmedabad, in a way that would transform him from a tentative and curious individual to a transformational agent of social change.




Sasha Cyrus Vesuvala: IIM Bangalore
Country roads take me home

Sasha has spent her formative years in Bahrain. She belongs to a family with diverse educational backgrounds, including architecture, law, medicine and business, all of which had inspired her to follow her own interests. This, coupled with her intention to discover her roots, led her pursue undergraduate degree in India. Serving as an Associate Software Engineer in Fidelity Business Services, India from 2007 to 2009, Sasha became the first engineer in her family. She considers her job experience vital to her gaining of the relevant domain knowledge, as well as learning how to seamlessly fit into an existing team, meet tight deadlines, interact with clients and team members spread across the globe. From her stint at IIM, Bangalore, Sasha hopes to gain a wide range of knowledge by involving herself with the diverse academic and extracurricular activities. She aims to join a consulting firm on completion of her program at IIM. However, in the long run, she wants to give back to both the countries, which she considers her home. Sasha also wants contribute in raising awareness on the situation faced by many Indian migrant workers in Bahrain.




Shraddha Vartak: IIM Ahmedabad
Acing all the way

Putting her heart and soul in every activity that she undertakes, Shraddha has always been a topper in school. She has won accolades in numerous competitions related to elocution, essay writing, singing, drawing ans sports. She continued her quest for excellence by acing SSC (Class X) and HSC (Class XII) examinations. Her stint at BITS-Pilani, Goa nurtured her all-round development. She was the first person to be recruited during on-campus placements from the graduating batch of 2009. Shraddha graduated as the topper with a perfect CGPA of 10. She also received fellowship from Stanford University for higher education in Electrical Engineering. As an intern, Shraddha has worked in Wilcom Technologies Pvt. Ltd. under incubation at IIT Bombay. Through her final semester internship at Broadcom, Bangalore, she got the opportunity to look at the bigger picture of the corporate world. Robotics is her favourite avocation, and she has attended and organised workshop on the same. She also did a summer internship at the Department of Remote Handling and Robotics at BARC, Mumbai. Her research paper on the novel implementation of adaptive pure pursuit algorithm for Automated Guided Vehicles has been published in the journal CURIE, India. Shraddha believes that at IIM Ahmedabad, she will have the opportunity to interact and gain from the synergy of the country's best minds. She aspires to enter the ever challenging financial sector and implement novel ideas.




Sriram Makineedi: IIM Lucknow
The wanderlust

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Sriram believes that his experience at IIT Kharagpur has been instrumental in moulding his thoughts and shaping his personality, as it gave him the opportunity to explore the world of books and sports, apart from academics. Sriram always had a passion to travel. While in IIT, he got the chance to travel abroad for the first time. He realised that each place has its own identity and culture, and traveling, he states, taught him the humility to forget who he was and simply blend with the place and its people. At Deloitte, he explored traveling not just as a hobby, but as a way of life. He has visited places which are unknown to the rest of the world, as they are not listed in the travel guides. His travel to the villages in the south of India was fascinating as well. Sriram's journey made him realise that a venture into rural tourism could be enticing. He had even prepared a list of the potential places for tourism in Andhra Pradesh and had also interacted with people to carry forward the idea that he had so dearly perceived. Management education from IIM L will provide him the knowledge base for structuring and implementing his ideas, and eventually set up a travel bureau, specialising in rural tourism pan India.







Shivam Rai: BITS ( Pilani)
Byte by byte

Shivam's rendezvous with computers began when he was assigned the task of model presentation in the school science fest in Class IX. The diversity of the programs the little machine could run amazed him. He found pursuing Computer Science Engineering intellectually challenging. His interest coupled with his innate desire to contribute to the upgrading of aspiring professionals from the less privileged areas, inspired him to join BITS, Pilani. His aim is to develop a strong foundation of knowledge in the core sciences, and also learn to apply the acquired knowledge in real-life problem solving. On completion of the course he wants to gain a first -hand experience in the field of software consultancy and web-designing. Eventually he would open a consultancy-cum-web designing company of his own, which would help fulfil customised software requirements of businesses, and also assist companies in the field of website development and enrich internet utilisation. Shivam believes that a receptive mind, finds one thing or the other from the world around to learn, and this ability is crucial for development of an all-round personality.




Valleri Agarwal: BITS ( Pilani)
Leaving mediocrity far behind

“I do not tolerate mediocrity, especially not in myself. Acceptance of the mediocre is the biggest hindrance to self improvement.” That's Valleri for you. She strongly believes that to be content with not giving her best means acceptance of the fact that she cannot evolve or excel. She competes with herself and always treads the road less travelled. She chose the approach of self-study over 'coaching institutions' to crack the competitive examinations. She was self dependent and refused to be spoon fed, hence her success has been more satisfying. The journey comprised of responsibilities interspersed with rewarding opportunities like meeting Sunita Williams and former President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. The experience taught her invaluable lessons in perseverance, time management and commitment to work. The versatility of computers, limited only by the imagination of the programmer is astounding to Valleri. It fills her mind with fascinating possibilities on the utilities of computer. One such research involves utilising computer based object recognition software to enable the blind become self-sufficient. Valleri's commitment towards innovation in application of computer technology is inspired by her passion for logic. This career path would involve research and/or entrepreneurial activities as evident during the dot com boom of the '90s. To hone her skills iun this direction, she has chosen to pursue Computer Science in BITS, Pilani.







Abhishek Padmanabhan: IIT Bombay
I have promises to keep…

Having secured an All India Rank of 14 in the IIT – JEE 2009, Abhishek joined IIT Bombay. His passion for Mathematics and Physics made him opt for Electrical Engineering. He believes it is a versatile field and wishes to innovate and create products that will have a lasting impact on mankind and especially India. Research and lateral thinking are areas where his interest lies and space science intrigues him. He wants to pursue a career with regards to these areas. He also likes participating in science projects as they foster teamwork and ignite innovation. He had learned immensely from group projects like The National Science Congress. Abhishek hopes to create one of the best telescopes ever fabricated, which could be a step towards exploring new heavenly objects. He represented India in the International Junior Science Olympiad at Brazil in 2006, and recently in the International Chemistry Olympiad held at Cambridge, in the UK. His stay at Trinity College in Cambridge left him inspired.




Gopi Sivakanth: IIT Bombay
Innovation uninterrupted

Gopi has chosen Computer Science in IIT Bombay and wishes to work and learn in collaboration with others. He also wants to be an efficient leader, participate and significantly contribute in various research projects. He wants to work in the field of Quantum Computing where he can apply his knowledge in computing, Physics and Mathematics. He wants to pursue higher education and continue research and become a professor in a reputed university. Gopi wishes to find solutions to problems like poverty and unemployment that India and the world at large is facing, and he is confident in doing the same. Says Gopi, “I always like to think, to create or invent something new”. Now, that just about gives us a peek of what’s in store!




Himanshu Uniyal: IIT Kharagpur
Dedication counts

Himanshu has won the state level bronze medal for numerical ability in 2004, and was the school topper in the board examinations of tenth and twelfth standards in 2006 and 2008 respectively. He was also the school captain and the head of the school editorial board. He is pursuing Mechanical Engineering at IIT and his aim is to obtain an M.S. Degree from MIT, Boston. He is sincerely working towards his goal and is confident of making it big. He also wishes to contribute to the Indian world of research and take it to the next level. Himanshu wants to see smile on every Indian's face and is dedicated to the service of the nation. He is aware of his responsibilities as an engineer and as a citizen of India and in the years ahead he wishes to be intensely involved in the development of technologies.




Kumar Ritikesh: IIT Kanpur
The right attitude

Ritikesh possesses the apt attitude of extreme determination and dedication that motivates him to achieve what he aims for. His choice of getting admission in IIT Kanpur was based on the fact that its academics is world-class and so is the infrastructure it provides for research at the B.Tech level. He chose electrical engineering as this is where his interests lie. He is determined to make it to the internationally acclaimed institutions, such as the MIT or Caltech (California Institute of Technology). After completing his studies he wishes to return to India. His goal is to devise new technologies for the generations ahead and help India become a self-dependent nation. He wants to use his knowledge in strengthening the national defence system. Determination and confidence are salient features of his character. He has always actively participated in sports and cultural activities, like the Patna Tennis Tournament, District Chess Championship, etc. He is also a member of the Robotics Club, the Electronics Club, and an active member of the Drama club in IITK. Ritikesh has received the state level Hindustan Pratibha Samman in 2009.




Nitin Jain: IIT Delhi
Jet set go...

He represented India in the 2nd International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Indonesia and won the gold medal and the Absolute Winner trophy. He also got the gold medal in the International Physics Olympiad held in Mexixo in 2009. He plays table tennis and loves to read novels. He is Nitin and whatever he pursues, he makes it a point not to leave any stone unturned. He is always prepared for any task, which might turn up unexpectedly and is never distracted by temptations around him. He finds computers and programming both fun and challenging. Thus he chose Computer Science and Engineering at IIT. He is very clear in his aim, which is to excel in his studies and perform to the best of his potential. Following this, he wants to learn advanced computing. After completing his course he wishes to pursue higher education in his field and serve the world in the best possible way through substantial contribution.




Piyush Bagaria: IIT Kharagpur
The passion to compete and excel

Hailing from a business-oriented family in Kolkata, Piyush was the first one to break free as he took up science and pursued engineering. IIT opened up a whole new world of opportunities for him. Piyush is extremely dedicated and hardworking. His friendly nature and spirit of positivity has helped him make good friends and also taught him the essence of team work, cooperation and leadership. Piyush has chosen Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering as he has always had an aptitude for integrated chips, fabrication and wireless networking. He wants to gather knowledge and expertise on fabrication and consequently contribute in developing our industries to meet and excel the global standard.




Pradeep Kumar Srinivasan: IIT Madras
Caught young!

When he was in the ninth standard, he was chosen for 'Catch Them Young' by Infosys in 2005, along with 40 other students. It was a ten-day training camp in programming, using C, HTML and SQL. Following which he was among the three selected to work in Infosys on a web designing project for am month. An early exposure to programming languages and thought-provoking problems based on same made Pradeep confident and comfortable with computers. Since then he has been in involved in projects dealing in
C++, coding, algorithm-based programming etc. All these culminated in him choosing Computer Science and Engineering in IIT. Here he wants to strengthen his foundation in all facets of computer hardware and software design, and not just programming. Pradeep plans to carefully study the developments and trends in Computer Science and Engineering and prepare himself in such a way so that he can provide cutting-edge solutions in the field. He believes in experimenting with ideas and has the burning desire to continually improve himself and excel academically, physically, mentally and spiritually.




Vamsi Krishna Devabathini: IIT Madras
Never daunted

Devabathini comes from the village of Addanki, a remote place in Andhra Prdaesh. There was no one in his small town to guide him, however he continued his efforts and secured first position in the entire Mandal zone in the seventh standard. Gradually he became aware of the prestigious IITs and decided to take up the challenge to get admission in the same and prove his merit. In the intermediate level, Devabathini cleared the first level of Physics and Astronomy Olympiads and was placed in the top one per cent at the national level in the Physics Olympiad. He secured around ninety eight per cent in the intermediate examination. He owes his success to his mother as she had been the greatest source of motivation for him. Devabathini took up Computer Science in IIT. He plans to start his own company in the future and also strive to improve India's IT scenario, make the rural people aware of the IT industry and get a computer to every home in every village.




Vikram Rao S: IIT Madras
Technology is the key

Born in a family of bankers, Vikram always found himself in the midst of talk about stocks and interest rates, which naturally led him into the world of analysis. As the Head boy of his school and the Prime Minister of the school cabinet, he got the opportunity to hone his organisational and people-management skills. He was exposed to the world of computers at an early age and by the age of ten he was building websites using HTML. He learned advanced GUI building in Java and made a Kaun Banega Crorepati game in it as well. Java fascinates him and he is an active programmer at home. This intense interest in computers naturally influenced him to opt for Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Madras. He plans to pursue a Ph.D and research in cutting-edge areas like Aritificial Intelligence, which he plans to put to good use by joining a research organisation like ISRO or DRDO for building intelligent robots for deep-space explorations and national defence. Vikram wants to devote his life in making technological advances in his field and bring India to the forefront of the global technological scene.




Yenugula Madhavi: IIT Madras
Braving all odds

Madhavi hails from a remote rural area of Andhra Pradesh. Her father was her inspiration, who was the only one in the family to have attained a post graduation degree in engineering from Osmania University and was a gold medalist. His achievements have always motivated Madhavi to focus on her studies. She secured ninety seven per cent marks in her tenth standard board examination and ninety six per cent in the intermediate level. Braving personal setbacks, Madhavi showed true spirit of courage as she made it to the IIT Madras. She secured an All India Rank of 142 in IIT JEE 2009. She believes in positive thinking and is a go-getter. She wishes to become an IAS officer and serve the rural population of India and work incessantly towards the cause of women in India and their education. She wants to become a civil servant and make meaningful contribution to rural India.