KASHMIR ONCE AGAIN

Visiting Srinagar.......

After 27 Years, in the Valley once again

.............For us,

Srinagar is a place of knowledge and education and has a very special place in our hearts.What we are today because of our institution and the place where we graduated.

During all these passing years (more than two and a half decades) we were always attached to the place so much that whenever a news related to Srinagar kept appearing in print or digital media we get to be very attentive and was painful to visualize what happened.

We too were getting affected with each of the unpleasant incidents which had happened there and was reminding us our time in Srinagar when it was so peaceful and friendly.We can imagine how our friends would have been struggled to survive in the valley during all these years.

Always worried for the where about of our batch mates whose memories were fading away with each passing months,years and even decades.

During the last two and half decades,the time kept us so busy that we never found times to look back and connect to our friends who disappeared after getting degree from the college in 1989.Each one of us were struggling for not less than 5 years after the college then settled slowly & slowly.Few of our batch mates do meet in these passing years but then no one had any clue during the period while the state was going through.

Technology help us a lot in finding our missing link.Earlier ORKUT but not of much help but after 2009 on wards the role of FACEBOOK is very important as we start finding our friends over there and a link was created.

May 24 & 25,2015 was a great day in our lives when we met through the technology(Whatsapp) and hoping to meet soon in person.

I had the privilege to be in the valley and hence i tried to visit the places where we usually keep roaming around the city during our stay in 1984 till 1988 we graduated from the institute.

Just to remind & visit the down town the city of paradise and going down the memory lane;here under few of scenic view of valley are :-

                                         Setting Sun at Dal gate

                                         Shakti Sweets where we used to have sweets.

                                           Pedestrian at LAL CHOWK

Kheer Bhawani Shrine

                                         LAL CHOWK

                                           Pedestrian at DAL GATE

MEERA KADAL near NAAZ CINEMA HALL

                                       
                                           Hanuman Temple at the Bank of River Jhelum

                                          Famous Mosque

                                         KHEER BHAWANI Temple

                                          SHER-E-KASHMIR institute

                                          Inside view of Kheer Bhawani Temple                          

                                         Inside a famous garden
                                     
                                         University of Kashmir

                                          Library at University

                                         Main entry of University of Kashmir

                                          Administrative Block NIT Srinagar

                                          Hazratbal Shrine

                                          Hazratbal Shrine

                                          Inside the DAL Lake

NIT SRINAGAR,KASHMIR-ALUMNI MEET 2015

ALUMNI MEET 2015                                                 NIT SRINAGAR,HAZRATBAL The very 1st meet was organized by college this year on May 24 & 25,2015 at SKICC Hotel Centaur at Dal Gate. Following dignitaries extend their warm greetings and appreciation at this occasion of Alumni meet coinciding with Golden jubilee year of its 1st pass out batch in 1965 by Hon’ble President of India Sh Pranab Mukherjee, Governor J&K Sh NN Vohra, CM J&K Sh MM Sayeed,Power Minister J&K,Education Minister Sh Nayeem Akhatar,Chairman of Board of governors Dr Zarabi and Director NIT Sh Rajat Gupta. The instability in the valley has damage the repute of the college earlier known as REC Srinagar under University of Kashmir( and was the 7th among 17th colleges during 1956 plan of Gov of India) is now under HRD Ministry of Central Government in year 2004 and transformed to NIT Srinagar and a deemed university. The college stood 56th rank in 2013 among rest of other colleges in India. Many faculty had come up between the last 25 years of our graduation in 1988/89 though our 1st batch 1960-65 have faced lot of hardship while studying those days from old campus Naseem Bagh in university under the Chinar. They were visiting frequently to Roorkie college of Engg (now IIT Roorkie) in summer to do the work shop classes in lack of lab facilities those days. We were delighted to meet our 1st batch of Alumni many of whom have excelled in their chosen fields and enhanced the name of not only institute but their home state, nation and the world with significant contributions by their work. The dignitaries in their inaugural speech emphasized the role of alumni and the college students and scholars to focus their knowledge being imparted over in the institute for the development of the state especially to meet the challenge the state faced during the recent calamity of devastating flood and imparting knowledge and skill to the state budding talent. Wow! We are proud of them. Few  of our Alumni of 1965 batch are:- Ab Qudoos,Bashir Ul hasan,Chander Udaey Sharma,D P Luthra,Rajinder Sharma,GK Arora,Ashiq Hussain,Nissar Husain,Ab Khalid Contribution of Sh Deepak Bhasin(1970 batch) of organizing the meet is unforgettable. Director NIT Sh Rajat Gupta JI, whose work is being appreciated by each and every staff of NIT and faculty members.He is highly focused and easily approachable to each students and staffs in the college. He is working day and night to uplift the image of a nation's prestigious institution. The college administration has fixed up May 24-25 as Golden Jubilee day to be celebrated every year. This was all planned by our Director Sh Rajat Gupta JI. Many research works are going on in our college specially in Metallurgy & Material Engg,Fluid mechanics,Mechanical,civil& Chemical engineering.. The meet was well organized and was perfectly timed. We had a high tea at SKICC then we moved to college campus by bus. Our 1st batch who attended most of their classes in University campus under Chinar tree in Naseem bagh became nostalgic with their partners and went down the memory lane in 1965.Discussing every funny incidents of their time then we started to board our bus towards the college campus. This was a moment where each one of us became emotional and when we get down near our main administrative building everyone was running around to visit their area and faculty in a fraction of few moments as if we all wanted to visit the entire campus in a single second. Tears can be seen rolling down on many faces however moist eyes were the common site at that particular moment. Our lunch, can be said as feast, was organized in front of Indus Hostel in a garden. From 16:00 hrs onward our program started at common hall where we used to play Badmintons, Table tennis etc as college does not have auditorium and in the process to build one however struggling of space problems. Each one of us introduced ourselves and Memento was presented by our director in front of huge gathering thereafter cultural program begin. The program was well architect by our juniors and that was the height of enjoyment where the time really stopped in our life for 2 and a half hrs. First day activities were over by 21:30 after dinner and we left for our respective hotels by Bus arranged by the organizer. Special Thanks to the student volunteers Sh Raj Shekhar Pachauri and Mohit N Tandon for designing and laying out the program and its content so nicely. Next morning (May 25,2015)we were in our college by 10 am and had an interactive session with our respective trade HOD about the developments of faculty, the role of Alumni in helping the students and college, research in the area which may contribute in the development of State and Nation as a hole. We(Me & RP Ram)  Inaugural address by Hon'ble Governor of state  Audiences(Alumni)  High tea  After the meet at SKICC  Old campus under Chinar tree  Lunch in front of Indus Hostel  Lunch in front of Indus Hostel  Inside Jhelum hostel Room  In front of a Room in Jhelum Hostel  Discussion held on the subject line "role of Alumni in uplifting the image of Institute"  Watching the cultural program  Photo session after the program  Faculty  Interaction with Mech HOD  Jhelum Hostel Chenab Hostel had a discussion with Amir Ali, Ayub and rest others immediately after lunch on 2nd day who further visited our Hotel also and decided to launch already existing “Whatsapp group” of our batches which had single digit members and one can see that around 90 of bath mates have joined by now. What a great excitement! I propose the following which is done by Alumni of IIT and is a standard practice worldwide in universities. (1) We should contribute a amount ranging from Rs.10000/= onward; can be decided in a meet which will be organized at Delhi and will be donated to NIT on behalf of 84-88 Alumni.(As a starter 65 batch donated college an ambulance and two other Alumni donated college faculty @Rs.5000/=p.m for two years for research work. (2)Secondly we can also plan an one time contribution and create a Benevolent fund out of which we may extend a pre decided corpus to those family when our batch mate departed before retirement(where ever he worked valid for death before the age of 58 or 60) (3)Amir and I also discussed a feasibility plan if possible to work out & arrange a family get together at Srinagar. With best wishes, Pramod Kumar Mechanical Engineering, 54/84