IIT Bombay holds convocation in virtual reality mode

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, August 24

The 58th convocation of IIT Bombay was held on Monday in virtual reality (VR) mode, keeping in view the safety measures during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The institute thought it best to arrange such a VR-convocation for the graduating students so as not to put their health at risk but at the same time, not deprive them of the sense of achievement and pride of passing out of India’s premier engineering Institute, it said in a press release.

The personalised avatar of each graduate received the degree certificate from the personalised avatar of the Director Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri.

All medal winners received their medals from the personalised avatar of the chief guest.

The entire event was telecast on DD India and DD Sahyadri channels as well as YouTube and Facebook live.

The convocation is normally a chance for students to socialise with their friends and faculty one last time. This year the institute provided an opportunity for students to do so via virtual presence, allowing students to roam around a virtual campus, visit their hostels and departments virtually, and bump into or meet their friends and faculty.

Prof. Duncan Haldane, co-recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, and a Professor of Physics at Princeton University, was the chief guest during the ceremony.

Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, world- renowned investor and philanthropist was the guest of honour.

Presenting the Institute’s Report for the year 2019-2020, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director of IIT Bombay, informed that IIT Bombay continues to be a much sought-after destination for UG and PG studies.

Speaking on the occasion, the director said, “Producing top quality graduates who would be future leaders in industry, research and academia is the primary goal of IIT Bombay. The skill they developed, the work culture they picked up and the peers they made during their studies at IIT Bombay will help them achieve success in their lives. The entire nation will be looking forward to their contributions in taking our country ahead.”

He further said, “Providing a virtual reality experience to all our graduates needed not only highly innovative steps but also a tremendous effort by our professors and staff. They did it for the students. Hopefully this will enthuse our graduates as well as other engineers in the country to think big and think innovatively.”