Need for joint alumni body of top institutions: Dhankhar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Vice-President of India and Panjab University Chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar has underscored the need for an umbrella alumni body comprising former students of premier institutions of the country.

Addressing the fifth Global Alumni Meet on the PU campus today, Dhankhar urged the alumni of the university to actively contribute to the growth of their alma mater. “There must be a national confederation of alumni associations of IITs, IIMs, varsities like Panjab University and of institutes of eminence. That will be a think tank, unrivalled and unmatched in the world,” said the Vice-President.

Applauding the contributions of the PU alumni to various fields across the globe, Dhankhar said, “The alumni of Panjab University have occupied the positions of President, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the country, Cabinet ministers, Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries and distinct offices in the armed forces. Just imagine the power of the alumni of institutions if they act in a structured manner. If they nurture their alma mater, the results will not be geometrical, but incremental.”

The VP was accompanied on the dais by PU alumni — Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat; former Governor and Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Krishan Kant Paul; former Director General of the National Disaster Response Force Atul Karwal; and Padma Bhushan recipient and Editor-in-Chief of The Print Shekhar Gupta. Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig was also present on the stage along with Dhankhar’s wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar. Congratulating the alumni for excelling in their respective fields, the Governor of Gujarat highlighted how their achievements served as an inspiration to students, who would play a vital role in building a Viksit Bharat.