IIT
Class of 1988 IIT (BHU) Mechanical Engineering
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Dedicated to all my friends @ IIT BHU Woh khwaabon ke din woh kitaabon ke din Sawaalon ki raaten jawaabon ke din Kayin saal humne guzaare yahaan Yahin saath khele hue hum jawaan, hue hum jawaan Tha bachpan bada aashiqaana humaara Salaamat rahe dostaana humaara
वो वाब के िदन वो िकताबो के िदन सवाल क राते जवाब के िदन कई ं साल हमने गज़ारे यहां ु यह साथ खेले हए हम जवान, हए हम जवान था बचपन बड़ा आिशक़ाऩा हमारा सलामत रहे दो ताना हमारा
Vasudevan Subramanian (Vasu) (from the movie DOSTANA)
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr
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In memory of those who are no longer with us!
Manish Singhal
Adel Abdel Ghani Mohammed Abdul Abu Abed The gentle giant
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Vikrant Vij An inquisitve and very simple person
Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr The place, an ancient city, as old as the river itself. A city to which for millennia a sixth of humanity has come to die. Now, some say, the city itself is dying, choking in its own filth and garbage, traffic slowed to a sclerotic snarl in its crowded twisting alleys, its moss encrusted buildings leaning on each other for support. But there is beauty in the city too. On a dark night one watches from mid-river the flickering lights of a hundred funeral pyres where tongues of flame lick clean the bones of the dead. The train to Mughalsarai rumbles across the iron bridge, the noise floating like a faint drumbeat across the still river. At dawn, the ancient temples on the vast sweep of the river are tinted pink in the glow of the rising sun. At the south of the city, once past the crowded city and through ochre gates, an oasis of greenery and calm. Quiet buildings,their architecture hinting at an olderage. And at its heart, from a grove of trees, rises Birla’s monument to a virile god. The city was Banaras.
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr
The time, a quarter of a century ago. Before liberalization, before the internet, before Punjab and Kashmir and BRICs and BPOs and mobiles. Yes, before Aamir and Salman. On the throne of Delhi, an imperious woman was staring down her imperious nose at her unruly subjects A little boy in Mumbai was just learning to play cricket—this fellow will go far they said, he is a genius with the bat. Tigers still roamed the forests of northern Lanka. In far California, a little-known company was just releasing code for a device they said few will need, and fewer will buy. It was 1984. At this time, and to this city, we came, fifty three of us. We came from all parts of the country, the dusty cities of the plains, and the palm-lined towns by the sea, from the throbbing metros and little villages. We were teenagers on the threshold of manhood, bundles of energy and optimism and ambition, tempered with self-doubt, moody introspection and angst. We were proud at having qualified through the toughest exam in the land, but a little disappointed to have missed that extra ‘I’.
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr Together, for four years, we grew up. We made friends, talked, laughed, ate and drank, argued and fought, smoked and inhaled, played, strummed, cooked, sang, wrote, and yes, even studied. We stayed awake till dawn and slept through the day, went on mid-night excursions for food, played pranks on each other. Together, we suffered through disappointments and setbacks, helped each other illness and injury, and together we mourned the death of one of us – a large-hearted stranger who from overseas to become our friend. That summer we lost another soul. We lost our innocence but discovered ourselves. Now, twenty five years later, we come back to the place we call our alma mater. We lost one more gentle soul to a road accident. We are no longer the diffident, immature young men we once were. We are at the peaks of our careers, much learned and accomplished over the last decades, but with still more achievements ahead of us. We come from all over the world. Krishna Prasad Jayakar
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr Jaane Kahaan Gaye Woh Din ...
tkusa dgka x;s oks fnu --Reunions are great for two things. One, they make you realize how far you have come, how much your hair colour has greyed and your waist size increased and two - to let loose and get drunk with friends you shared your best days with. Yet, to be honest, my initial reaction was WHAT? 25 years already?? I checked my hair colour, weight and sense of style and laughed to myself. It's been 25 years since those Saturday dinners at Lanka, late night Mochu chai sessions, BHU anthem (Main antu…..), lobby cricket , “once more” screams in G11, Pehalwan’s lawang-lata and malaidoodh….. BHU has been an unforgettable life experience for all of us. I personally feel that the real learning happened not in our lecture halls and the labs, but in the rooms of Limbdi, the lobbies of Rajputana, the canteen at Vishweshraiya, and most importantly at Mochu. It was the simpler moments with my batchmates that provided immense room for learning and growth. Adesh Pande
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr
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Yaadon ki baraat ;knksa dh ckjkr “Now is blessed – The rest remembered” - Jim Morrison 25 years have gone by . I still vividly remember: Munnaki mess …Mandirki chai …Lanka, Gadoulia, Diamond Hotel, Ghats , Parantha feasts, early morning cricket games from Australia,3 people on a bike, bunking classes, last minute craziness before exams, the crazy train rides on KashiVishwanath The list can go on and on. Even though we haven’t been in touch a lot over the past quarter century - I miss all you guys !!!! And the 4 years at BHU will definitely be one of the best periods of my life. Cheers and wish all of you the very best !!!! Sharad Kumar
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Abhijeet Bhattacharya Nickname : Bhatta Abhijeet Bhattacharyya was the one who taught us the virtue of being silent even under extreme provocation. I remember the numerous instances when Vikram and Abhijit had to carry the burden of the projects / lab assignments for the entire group while Tinks, Pandit and I (we were all “roll-mates�) were left with all the blue collar work. (Pande)
Working in the steel industry at Kolkata
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Adesh Pande I still vividly remember Pande ki handsome looks …. Sharad Pande’s rendition of Sholay – if only RGV had consulted him before remaking Sholay !!! Cheerful, confident, highly organised, cleanest room in the hostel, excellent dress sense, friend forever…… When I got your wedding invite I had to decide between attending your wedding and taking CAT. That, till date, remains the quickest decision I have ever made…….. Vasu
After 23 years in service (Unilever-12, Pepsi-3, Airtel -3, Reliance -5) Pande is on his own. Joined brother in law’s business two years back. They are the number one player in safety shoe in India!
Wife:Niti, Daughters:Nitisha/Sanjana
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Alok Kumar Nickname : Sahukeen 2 A pillar of the Shoukeen gang Alok was focussed on GRE and Masters in the USA till the Industrial Tour reached Goa ‌‌.. Sagar
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Aniruddha Ulabhaje
Currently working with Tata Motors, Pune
Vinita (Wife), Apurva (Daughter), Tejas (Son)
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Arun Kumar Tiwari Nickname : AKT Tiwari’s laid back personality and unhurried drawl concealed a very competitive personality, never willing to settle for second place
Works with Income Tax Department.
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Nights in white satin There is an Urdu couplet that this Madrasi can never recollect correctly or fully, but its general import is that no life is complete unless it has experienced a “sham-e-Awadh,” a “raat Malawi,” and a “subah Banarasi.” Having experienced many “subah Banarasi,” I can testify to the sheer effulgent grandeur of the sun rising up over Vyasa Kashi, turning the Ganga to molten gold and covering the dun facades of the temples lining the river with a bridal blush. But I have always been partial to nights in BHU. Indeed, during our four years in BHU, I think more happened at night than during the day. Like most teenagers and young men, we woke up late, groggy with sleep and spent half the day in a dull stupor. The day began only around noon, and really got going only by nightfall. By midnight, it was in full swing, and the lights burned brightest in the wee hours of the morning. I was introduced to this culture very early in my BHU career. Like many students from down-south, I got to BHU by the beloved Ganga Kaveri express, which reaches the Banaras railway station late in the evening. The first time we made the trip, there was a reception party awaiting us at the station. Never has a more anxious, dry-mouthed, fearful crop of murgas met a more hulking, ravening, fiery-eyed group of seniors. No sooner had we arrived on campus than we were hijacked to Vivekanand for some unknown terrifying ordeal. Though it was maybe 11 or 12 at night – in our panic we had lost all sense of time – every light in the corridor was blazing, and more hulking, terrifying seniors came pouring out of every room. To our fear-crazed imaginations there seemed to be a lynch-mob of around 50 or 60 of them, though realistically it was probably less than a dozen. One in particular looked specially threatening: he was about 8 feet tall and built like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. Another was his evil twin, a Danny de Vito character who had an impish smile and a sharp, intelligent glint in his eyes. Little did we realize that these seniors were fourth- and fifth-years: the grandfathers who were supposed to be the protectors of us murgas from the depredations of the truly fierce raggers, the second years. Arnold turned out to be the kind and gentle Rajen Sinha, and Danny was of course Chandrasekhar Vallath, who became a beloved friend for life. Other than some relatively benign cross-examinations about the proportions of certain bodyparts, we came away from there unscathed and untraumatized.
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Our session that night lasted till maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. Coming away from Vivekanand into the cool night air, the party still on in full swing behind us, we were confronted with another remarkable sight. Four men, in impeccable whites, are riding away on their bicycles in the dark. A quick and affectionately vulgar hail from one of the seniors with us, an equally vulgar reply from one of the riders, and we knew what this quartet is up to: at 2 in the morning, they are off to the flood-lit tennis courts for a quick game while the day is still young. IT played as well as partied at night. That became the norm for me and for many others during our BHU days. The nights were when things happened. Many times, I have ridden back to the hostels late at night and seen the buildings lit up like Chinese lanterns with more than half the rooms brightly lit. Pink Floyd blared into the night from some rooms, while Kishore Kumar crooned in another and Vikku Vinayagam tattooed the night from elsewhere. Our nightly wanderings took us to Mochu’s for late night coffee, to the so called “I-joint,” another little hole-in-the-wall tea stall outside the BHU gates with its pair of silent chess players (the “intellectuals,” and hence the “I-joint”), to the ghats to chat or simply to sit quietly and stare out across the waters. We mostly studied at night. Exam seasons and the nights before major assignments were times for “night outs,” when we would settle down to study after dinner, and kept at it until dawn lightened the sky outside. My friend Deepak Gupta and I worked out a unique arrangement for finals weeks one semester. Deepak, being the smart and earnest student that he is, had notes and texts. I, being more interested in Moliere than in Mechanics, had neither. So Deepak would slide his notes under my door when he went to bed around 9 pm, so that he could get a good night’s sleep before the finals. I would start studying then, often looking at some topics for the very first time. I will study till early morning, then slipping the notes back under Deepak’s door before he woke up at 6 am. Then we will both go take the tests and come back, Deepak to his studies, and I to sleep till dinner, and the cycle repeated itself for the next exam. I say that I got through my coursework that semester because of Deepak – and the night. to his studies, and I to sleep till dinner, and the cycle repeated itself for the next exam. I say that I got through my coursework that semester because of Deepak – and the night.
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We mostly also partied at night. Western music nights were always of course at night. Our home grown bands, including the inimitable Rajesh Narayan, entertained us with raucous covers of the Eagles and Santana late at night into the wee hours of the morning. In our final year, in defiance of every noise ordinance on campus and every code of conduct, the Western music night was in Vishveshwaraya, rocking away till the neighbors called the cops on us. Movie nights, organized by the Film Club, were poor fare, mostly old black & white movies. But we made the best of our paltry entertainment, on one occasion making the poor projectionist screen “Mera naam Chin Chin Chu” from Howrah Bridge a record eight times in a row. That night we tap danced home dreaming of Madhubala. We organized and practiced mostly at night. King’s Pavilion, also called the KP, resounded with band practice late into the night. We practiced for the “Night of January Sixteenth” at night, held strategy sessions for Kashi Yatra at night, painted posters, practiced skits, argued and fought over every detail, yes, at night. Nights were also the time for interminable political arguments, for practicing the guitar or reading, for midnight runs to procure a bite, or a sip or a smoke. In some hostels, on some nights, common rooms would be lit with the blue light of the TV through the night, until morning light dimmed the screen. The fledgling entrepreneurs who arranged these nights for five bucks a pop now manage multinational companies, which is in fitting some ways. Reflecting back on those years, one can understand the charm the night had for us. Compared to the regimented and structured day when we had to answer to others for how we spent our time, the nights were unstructured and free, ours to spend as we liked. If day represented responsibility and the pressures to succeed, the night was liberation and self-expression, when we could be ourselves without being boxed in by pressures of education and career. No wonder it was during the night that IT came alive.
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We also studied‌.
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Arvind Sagar Nickname : Lambu I like to call Arvind the Google of the 80s. You could always trust him to have the answers on everything from kitchen dilemmas to the road to enlightenment. While all of us had come to ITBHU to get something out of it, Arvind had come to BHU to give something to BHU and to lesser mortals around him. No one can match the amount of unsolicited gyan that he shared with us. His insight on cricket was amazing… the swinging ball, the dampness in the pitch, the reason why he got out while facing Vasu’s fearsome pace bowling in Rajputana lobby. From him, I learnt the importance of expanding your knowledge base, to stay curious and to be inherently giving - values which I have passed on to whoever wants to hear my unsolicited gyan. Pande If ever I get to participate in KBC , the only name I will have on my “ Phone a friend “ is Arvind Sagar. He had the answers to everything – long before “ Ask Jeeves “ we experienced “ Ask Sagar “. No wonder, he is into Consulting today !! Vasu Currently working with ZS Associates as Associate Principal in Gurgaon Area of work – Management Consulting
With wife Alpana and daughters Nitya ® 17 and Divya (L) 14
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Chetan Likhi Nickname : Likhi
Currently working with ONGC
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Chetan Rastogi The Mech Roll No. 1 was a local whose house was in the campus and his father and brother were at the BHU Hospital‌ was very useful to the health and diet of his classmates. Sagar
CEO at Empowement International Inc
Married to Vinita Rastogi; Son Aneesh
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Deepak Gupta Nickname : DG
Currently working with CSC
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Hostel
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IT-BHU
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Dinesh Gera Nickname : Gera He was a special person in many ways…his dress code, language…everything defied convention! A good man at heart! Rahul Gera – my friend from Andheri ; my bowling partner in ‘ Delhi vs Bombay’ Lobby cricket. Very intelligent , very honest and very direct. Vasu
CFD Manager at Rolls-Royce North America
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Hirdesh Sehgal Nickname : Tinks The little man with the big heart and the bigger smile.
Vice President (Operations) for TRL Krosaki , a Tata Steel and Krosaki Harima, a Japanese company JV. This  company is  into ceramics manufacturing. Harshal (14),wife Susmita and Saachi(19)
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Jayam Sreedhar
Works as DGM at Bokaro Steel
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Kameshwar Das
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Kameshwar Rao Nickname : Kami The original “Walkman,” who thought a walk to Godhowlia before breakfast was …what, no big deal, man.
Currently working with PWC
Wife Manasa and son, Salil
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Kingshuk Bhattacharjee
Works at SAIL, Durgapur as DGM,SMS (Mechanical).
Wife- Sreeparna-Housewife Elder Daughter-Arshia-Class XII Younger Daughter-Averi-Class-III
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As the world turns We in IT lived in a cocoon for four years. Little that happened in the outer world affected us. We had our own social life, our own games and diversions, our own little slice of paradise out of which we ventured only occasionally. And even when we did, we hardly interacted with the locals or built social connections: our knowledge of Banaras was confined to food establishments, a few stores selling academic supplies and the booking counters of the Banaras railway station. But a few events in the outer world did intrude into our cosseted world. We got our first taste of BHU politics – that was to play a major role in our lives during all four years – in the very first semester. The students’ union elections in BHU were always major affairs, many winners having gone on to careers in politics at the state and even national level. The elections of 1984 were considered to be especially close and every vote was expected to count, even those from normally apolitical and apathetic IT. Both sides recruited “campaign managers” from IT and they in turn “volunteered” the services of the murgas to stick posters, pass out handbills and march in processions. I too was recruited by one candidate’s campaign manager. It was the first occasion (and the only one to date) when I marched in a torch-lit procession, a juloos. It was all great fun, though I cannot remember the name of the candidate, let alone his platform or even the slogans we shouted. Later that semester occured another event that shocked us. In October 1984, Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated and for a few days afterwards chaos and barbarity ran amok in the land. After the initial announcement, there was a virtual news blackout on TV and radio, and news arrived at IT only in dribs and drabs. We were prohibited from venturing out, there were reports of attacks on innocent Sikhs, of beatings and murders and torture, some even in Banaras. More terrifying, news came that armed outsiders were going from hostel to hostel looking for their victims. It was a frightening time for young men living away from home for the first time, though we would be the last to admit it to each other, or even to ourselves. Sanity returned only after days. BHU’s vicious politics again intervened twice, to force sine dies in our second and third years. The details were never clear to us, it might have had to do with clashes between rival student groups or a political tussle between the administration and the students union. But the end result was that one day, out of the blue, the news arrived that
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As the world turns students were to pack up their belongings, vacate their rooms and return home until further notice. For most of us, this was cause for jubilation, an unasked for and unplanned vacation. On one of these occasions, I stayed back in Banaras not fancying a long trip back home and hoping that the university will reopen soon. For a month I stayed in an ashram in the city, and then for a week or so, was a guest with Adel Abdel Ghani, the gentle giant of our class. (Foreigners were not required to vacate their rooms during sine dies.) Then with both funds and patience running thin, I stayed for a few days at a rat-infested hotel room in Lanka whose only saving grace was a beautiful view west across the ramshackle rooftops of the city.
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As the world turns It was also in Banaras that we experienced riots for the first time. Banaras has always been a Hindu-Muslim tinderbox, and clashes could escalate any moment into full-fledged riots. This time, we had gone for a movie in the city, and we were wheeling our bikes back through a narrow lane that led to the main road to campus. Suddenly, ahead of us, there were shouts and a commotion, and a mob of people surged into the narrow lane pushing a theela, a wheeled cart, ahead of them. On the theela was the limp body of a man, profusely bleeding from his head and neck, his white kurta soaked in blood. We watched nonplussed, not realizing the import of what we had just seen, but all around us, almost in unison, shops were closing, shutters were coming down and the lane was emptying. Now able to ride, we mounted our bikes and made our unhurried way to the main road only to see a most uncharacteristic sight – a vast empty thoroughfare, where normally there is a cacophonous crush of traffic and pedestrians. Still not realizing what was going on – oh, how naïve and ignorant we were – we rode back nonchalantly to campus, glad to have the streets to ourselves. At no point did it occur to us to ask why there was no one else on the roads. It was only the next day that we saw in the newspapers that there
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As the world turns had been a major riot in the city, which had claimed several lives, and shoot-at-sight orders had been issued in many parts. Perhaps the man we had seen on the theela was one of the early victims, and perhaps we were the luckiest students in the world to have passed unscathed through a riot, not even realizing that we were in the middle of one. All around us during those four years, momentous events were happening in the wider world. Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministership, initially greeted with high hopes, eventually unraveled into disillusionment and frustration. Indian soldiers landed in the Maldives and in Sri Lanka, to battle a wily and truculent enemy. But we in IT were hardly moved by these events—they only provided fodder for inflammatory late night arguments, and nothing more. But quietly unbeknownst to us, major trends were being unleashed that would profoundly affect our lives and careers too. India’s profligacy during our BHU years was leading up to an economic crisis, which catalyzed the liberalization program that unleashed great opportunities for our generation. The BPO revolution was gaining steam, personal computing was arriving on the scene, the pieces of the global Internet were falling into place. Few among us can claim that their lives were not affected by these epochal trends. Those years we spent at BHU have a magnetic emotional attraction for us, but their impact on our lives and careers is far more profound and momentous than we realize. The world turned as we were engaged in the frivolities of youth, and with it changed the courses of our lives.
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KP Jayakar Nickname : KP Was more likely to be found in the printing press working on the latest issue of Impulse than in the lab.
KP is nowadays in a profession he had sworn to avoid while at BHU – he is a professor of mass communications at Penn State University, USA – but he found that he loves being in academics.
Wife Ritu and children Gopal 15, and Anjani 10.
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Maninder Singh Nickname : Mandy Who can ever forget Maninder's whistle during Prof.Pande's maths lecture which gave us an opportunity to learn the choicest of hindigaalis from Prof Pande? Maninder taught me something that helped me immensely in my corporate career - Question status quo and make your own rules! Mandy’s batting style typified his approach to life – take challenges Head On !! Very practical and down to earth. Remember Gera and I challenging you to survive one over of our bowling ( in Vish lobby )? We were bowling fast and furious till I slipped and broke my wrist . Thank you for tossing the ball to me in our cricket finals – you made my day. Vasu Currently working with FLUOR Indonesia as Operations Manager Area of work – Operations Management Wife Sumit and daughter Shabadleen (3)
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Manoj Sharma
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Manoj Singh
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Mohan Nilakantan Thank you for everything you did on the day I landed in Singapore in 1996 . If I had not met you that day, I would have returned to Chennai the same evening and my life would not have been what it is today ( I had taken up a job with HP in Singapore and landed there on a weekend. I felt so lonely and desolate that I decided to return home by the evening flight. Before leaving for the airport, I went to eat in a restaurant – there I heard a very familiar voice behind me – Mohan. I lived in Singapore for 12 years and returned in 2008 ) Vasu
Currently Self Employed with "Randstad USA" as Senior SAP Consultant
Wife Vidhya and Children Anshul (11) and Aniruddh (7). Anshul is in Grade 5 and Aniruddh is in Grade 1
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S. Narayan Nickname : Nara The other half of Vishynara, Nara could do engineering as well as render a tune … the only the … the vettax. Nara – one of the few guys who did Mechanical Engg with a purpose ; My favourite singer ( after Kishore Kumar ). I watched Wimbledon regularly for a few years after we graduated – looks like you had to give up that dream to follow your passion in AI Vasu
Currently working with HRL as Senior Scientist
Wife Bharati; Daughters Nisha and Niki
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Naresh Kumar Nickname : Nari Never at a loss for words or a phatta, Nari was the management guru, the executive. It felt as if he was born wearing a suit and clutching a laser pointer. Naresh – the smartest guy in our class. I was always very sure that you would do extremely well in the corporate world . Thank you for writing a letter to my parents – on my behalf – when I broke my right hand. Vasu
Works as a managing director in Citi and is the global business head of a large transformation program for consumer banking based in New York.
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Pankaj Gupta Nickname : MOTA Mote (Pankaj) ka White Pajama Kurta... Sharad Excellent sense of humour - cool and relaxed , the most approachable guy in our class. Our passion for Computers landed you a job in SW and me a job in HW. I still wonder how we survived !! Vasu
Currently working with HSBC, Pune
Wife Shipra and Children Kavya and Pranay
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Trips to falls
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Piyush Mehrotra Nickname : Haiga! Pijush I always thought that he and Rahul Gupta were inseparable! Rahul Akhaury
Currently working in Defense Industry
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Pradip Kumar Jain Nickname : PK
Currently working in Middle East
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Pranjal
Currently working with Fluor
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N. Prasad Nickname : NPd,Mama Most at home sitting cross-legged on the stage working his magic with the flute. He was everybody’s Mama, cautioning us against our youthful excesses.
Currently working with BrandGym Hema: Home maker and social worker. Loves to laugh, watch movies and be with people. Recently turned yoga buff Dharini (16): wants to be a psychiatrist, but has to get through her MBBS entrance first. Great with words, outstanding public speaker and overall a lot of fun Shivani (8): The jester of the house. Always trying to do funny stuff. Current ambition yoyoes between being an actor (she’s talented!!) and a housewife (when she feels like chilling out).
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Praveen Kumar
Currently working with BEL.
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Rahul Akhaury Nickname : Taks Cricket reminds me of Taks, the Dhoni of our batch, with his cool demeanour and composed manner. He was the only person in the class of 88 who had confidence and spring in his stride as we walked to face Prof PCU's SOM test. Other than his receding hairline, nothing fazed him, He believed that stress, tension and worries retard our thought process and therefore he never carried any burden or baggage. From him I learnt to face problems head on, without losing my cool. My family and business associates can testify to that one! By the way Rahul, you are doing a truly outstanding job in making this REUNION happen. Hats off to you Sir!! Pande The coolest guy with loads of Warmth. Literally !! I survived the winters in Varanasi with your sweaters and shawls. Thank you for allowing me to TOPO all the Engineering Drawing assignments and not feeling bad when I got better grades than you. I had promised I would name my son Rahul – I failed in my promise Vasu
Does online education through Ed2Net Learning, Inc. and runs Vidya & Child, NGO for education of underprivileged children and Vernajyoti Educare, another not-for-profit in Skill Development for rural youth.
Wife Supriya and daughters Anavi (11), budding artist, and Nandini (8), a dog lover
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Lobby Masti
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Rahul Gupta The only with a mobike in our times!
Currently working with Tech Mahindra
Wife Monika and Children Shikher and Shivangi
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Rajeev Jain The coolest dude with Engineering Drawing, his plots were precise and beautiful. And on top, he was generous enough to let us borrow his drawings for our experiments in glass technology.
Region Head India at HP Global Business Services
Wife Sonia and Children Naman (21) and Ansh (16).
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Rajesh Kumar I got to know him after BHU. We shared a house for a brief period during our days at MECON, Ranchi. A simple fellow Bihari with aspirations to join the Government! Rahul Akhaury
Currently working with Government of India
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Rajesh Narayan Nickname : CAIT Rajesh was the stand out student of our batch; the one that we think we'll talk about at reunions. His versatile all rounded skills like singing, guitar, dramatics, debates, cricket, football, tennis, ladkipataoing and last but not the least Strength of Materials and Thermodynamics, made us aware of our own (lack of) abilities on a daily basis. Solid competitor, even greater friend, he made each one of us want to be better at what we do, and that is true even as of today. In many ways, my daughter Sanjana is much like Rajesh. Who could ask for a bigger homage than a mini Rajesh in the family! Rajesh – please do bring your Guitar to Varanasi. Adesh Pande Rajesh was style personified! In everything!! I still remember the mutton pickles he used to get!! I always wondered how could a person feel so cold during winters‌monkey cap, sweater, jacket, thick blankets, heater and still shivering! Thanks to his hospitalization just before the Project viva we escaped with good marks!! Rahul Akhaury
Currently working with India Rizing Fund
Wife Malvika, and children Atiriya (12), Advitiya (4)
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Sanjay Bhat
Currently working with BEL
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Sanjay Sharma Nickname : Pandit
Currently working with Escorts & Amway
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Sanjeev Kumar Bhola Nickname : Bhola
Currently working as Director with Ministry of Defense
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Final Year
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Graduation Parties
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Graduation Parties
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Sanket Kamat Timble
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Satender Pal Singh Nickname : SP, Shaukeen 1 Broke BHU 1968 record in 400m hurdles in both heats and finals. When broke the record in heats, thought it was a clicking clock mistake, so ran even faster in finals to avoid the embarrassment not realizing that I was breaking the record second time  Awarded IT blue during convocation for all round performance in academics, sports and extra curricular activities
Principal UnikVision Inc., Information Technology and Services Consultant and Contractor
Wife Tanu and Children Abhinav and Arushi
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Sharad Gupta One of the few of us who loved and excelled at engineering. He never hesitated to get down and dirty in the workshop, but at leisure his kurta was impeccably white and his hair had not one strand out of place.
Currently working with SAIL
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Sharad Kumar Tall, dark, handsome, intelligent and hardworking!
Currently taking a break. Previously employed with EMC, Business Edge Area of work – IT Strategy and Transformation Consulting Wife Rupali and Daughter Mahi
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Shrikanth Swaminathan Nickname : Cheeka The ultimate connoisseur of the practical joke, the riddle, the puzzle, and the conundrum, Cheeka’s eyes always had a mischievious twinkle
Currently working in CAD software
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So here I go on a trip... The first days, with the Hitler vs Anti-hitler supporter question and the subsequent shaving of the moustache. My first movie at G2 during ragging (don’t remember the movie, but some were right at the back, their back to the screen, and one fresher facing the screen describing the scean with a threat that we would have a test, and only guys who passed would escape mass… The IT anthem, the salute to the chimney… the freshers night, where the girls walked out... The parade of phantoms, (jogs over trousers), and knocking at the De hostel wardens house and then shooting, and dispersing… Phani telling us about Indra Gandhi, vasu recognizing our clean shaven friend (gulati was it?!! I forget the first name) after the first day back from the delhi roits. The first student election, and then the sinedie. Phanis cartoons in the bathroom, PondiCHERRY, the Munna mess, the very clever “Chotu” from our mess, with retorts like “Plate Khayange” (after waiting for the plate for a long time), “Chotu rotu lao”, (who said that). The train travels, by Kashi vishwanath, the ghats, the farms and orchids behind our hostels, missing the train by a full 24 hours (time was 00.05… in the morning). Glass topo, and someone getting caught because it was SOO neat, and without the pinholes (circle centers) on the drawing paper.
Classes : Here it is really a blur : I remember PCU with the X, Y and Zee axis and the disastrous Fracture mech Open book test, someone giving half a mark quiz on what we slept through in class, a professor taking the attendance again when he noted that the class had only a handful of people, when the sheet he had passed out had around 40 names…(if I remember right the guys who actually attended did not get attendance). But I remember the comprehensive viva very well… Boy was I nervous, Actually it was among the defining moments in my life at BHU, First, when having cleared JEE was quickly grounded in the first week of ragging when I realized here I was among my betters. And after 4 years, many with I20’s, aid, scholarships, jobs, calls from institutes, great GRE/AGRE scores and so on, again flying high… quickly grounded during the comprehensive : where I understood how little I really know about anything let alone engineering (as if the DGPA did not make it eminently clear). But somewhere along the line, among all the mid/end sems, and the tests, I did learn an approach to problem solving for which I will be ever indebted to BHU. Banaras did not change me, but shaped me.
Shrikanth Swaminathan
Movies at G2, with “Once more” about 12 times for Saira Bhanu in Padosin… The 1,2,3 and the side push to push down the quys sitting on the ends of the beanches. The bechans chai, the Moochus buns, a night out, and subsequent BLANKING out during the exam.
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Those 4 rollercoaster years of my life, ... Those 4 rollercoaster years of my life, made so wonderfully special in the company of my fellow travellers, I will cherish forever. For that I am eternally grateful to BHU, the JOURNEY, the place, the environment and a few exceptional teachers. I can unabashingly acknowledge that those years at BHU have moulded me into what I am, and hope that our next generation is as lucky. That said, it would be arrogant on my part if I don’t acknowledge the debt to my many friends, across departments, each offering something to learn from and improve in their own different ways. Even with my near impermeable membrane, some osmosis did take place, and with age I have perhaps begun to recognize and acknowledge things better.
My small impressions on some of them from the Mech Dept…AVK The quiet wise owl, who tried to explain to me investments, equities, probably a decade too soon. Chinni, S Srinivas Ever ready, ever forgiving and so extraordinarily patient. Chuchi, suresh sundaram So well read, I could never comprehend the books he had digested, science, or philosophy, (finished AynRand in school) with an extraordinary command over language. Fatty Jack the beanstalk, who was ever relaxed, showed his immense confidence with his ability to laugh at himself. KPJ The most balanced guy, when in doubt, consult KPJ. Mandy The practical man, fundas, fundas and more fundas… Nari The confident fox, I will never forget his reaction or rather lack of it, after we realized that his bags had been stolen at the DakBanglow in londa. NPD Trustable, dependable so much so that he was often the default Local guardian. Taks The man of so many surprises, thank you for the reunion. Vasu Ever at ease, unperturbed, cool and so exceedingly neat. Vishy, Nara Great work ethics, and an excellent balance between work and play. in anticipation of a lot of fun, shrikanth.s
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S.Srinivas Nickname : Chini
Currently working with Mercer as a Business Group Manager
Wife Rajeshwari and daughter Isha
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Suraj Prakash Kalra Nickname : Kalra A Punjabi with a soft heart! My shoulders were testimony to his emotional outbursts. He still amazes with his never ending stories!!! Rahul Akhaury Kalra – many of our classmates called us brothers. That was the beauty of IT BHU – bringing together very diverse people – one a South Indian from Bombay and the other a Shudh Desi Punjabi !! Thank you for getting me hooked to Tea @ any time of the day ; Thank you for making carbon copies of notes for me when I broke my hand. From you I learnt the art of reading FINE PRINT and reading between lines !! ( Kalra had the entire semester notes written on one sheet of paper) Vasu Currently working with Standard Chartered at Singapore.
Wife Anita and Children Sukriti and Surabhi
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Industrial tour
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Bechu’s Chai
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Pehalwan’s " Pehalwan’s -- where the laung latas are good, because a thousand flies can't be wrong."
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Recollections of Banaras restaurant scene It is a universal truth that young men are perpetually hungry. Juxtapose that against the bland, oily, unappetizing food served at the aptly named “messes” at BHU, and you have students venturing out to town in search of cheap and filling dining experiences. It is amazing how many of our most memorable BHU experiences, birthdays, treats, outings and celebrations revolved around food, and its necessary concomitant, drink. The cheapest and closest option was Bechu’s tea stall. A perpetually boiling saucepan of tea, a few chipped glasses, and a pan of mud-brown water in which to wash the dirty dishes constituted all of Bechu’s stock in trade. But he compensated for the paucity of the infrastructure with an ever-expanding cadre of little servers, all bearing the unmistakable genetic impression of the proprietor. In order to enjoy the cheap – and we must confess, tasty – tea, one learned to ignore the fingernail with its crescent of dirt dipping into the beverage as it was transported by Bechu’s little helpers to our waiting hands. Next came Mochu’s. This august gentleman, whose military pedigree was advertised by a thick handlebar moustache and a swarthy thick-built body, presided over a smoky establishment with a few benches out front that were never free of customers. Almost always stripped to the waist even in the depths of winter, and with rivulets of sweat cascading down his body, Mochu looked less like a vendor of tea, and more the dweller of a much hotter and infernal sphere. From his perch behind the fire, his body aglow with light, Mochu served up a steady stream of salty invective along with cups of steamy tea and coffee, and the malai toast that was his specialty. Tots of army-issue rum rounded out the menu – this last ladled out as contraband only to his favorite customers. Then there were the eateries of Lanka, a brisk bike-ride away. Our mouths water with memories of the egg-roll vendor, with his trolley doing a brisk business on Saturday nights when the messes were out. An eager circle of customers watched him work his wizardry – breaking two eggs into a bowl, then quick, deft fingers throwing in sprinklings of cut onions and green chilies, an expert whisk and then on into the sizzling pan. Half a minute later, out comes the omelet, onto a waiting chapatti, quickly wrapped into a roll, and handed to the one next in line. We who have since eaten at fancier restaurants, in fancier parts of the world, can never forget the simple, earthy taste of this humble food from the sidewalks of Banaras.
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Recollections of Banaras restaurant scene Also in Lanka, at the end of the busy street was the doodhwala’s stall. Milk begins to boil in the large vat at the store early in the morning, to be ladled out into earthen khullads and served to customers all day long, and replenished at regular intervals as the level went down. We soon learnt that the best milk was to be had late at night, when the fire was burning low and the milk was boiled down to a sweet, thick mass that one almost had to spoon out of the khullad. Round this out with a gooey laung lata, piping hot and dripping with syrup and we were in gastronomic heaven. At Lanka too was the Chinese place, La Be La, with pretensions of grandeur belied by the rickety flight of stairs that led up to it and the threadbare carpet on the floor. The owners valiantly tried to give it atmosphere with a few Chinese lanterns and some pictures of the Yangtze Gorges on the walls, but what drew the clientele in was the passable food and the not too expensive prices. La Be La was always the ‘treat,’ to celebrate the birthday, the paid internship, the perfect GRE score, the job at the campus interview, and the ultimate, the ‘schol’ from the coveted American university. More delights awaited farther afield. I discovered the Bengali Sweets in Godhowlia, with its delectable fish, late in my BHU career, but became an instant fan. The mami near the Sankara Matham used to serve up piping hot idlis and dosas in a down-home setting to anyone who could muster up a smattering of Tamil. Koney Mey, was a new restaurant that came up while we were in BHU, aptly named because it was in an odd corner of a street where it took a sharp turn. True to its name, the restaurant had few right angles inside – its layout a warren of nooks and crannies at odd angles to each other. The food was surprisingly good, and surprisingly affordable for a concept restaurant. It also had little flourishes that declared that Koney Mey was a classy place. Such as a little bowl of warm water with a slice of lemon floating in it served at the end of the meal, that someone -- I am not going to name names, but you know who you are – once mistook for an after-dinner drink. And how can one forget the Mishrambu stall further up the road from Godhowlia towards Dashashwamedh Ghat. A favorite with the locals, we too soon learned the pleasures of crushed almonds in milk, with a generous helping of sugar, a touch of saffron and a little roll of green paste discreetly thrown in. The effects were slow to manifest, but they inevitably did, and put the devotee in closer communion with Shiva, after whom the mixture was naturally named. And street food! Oh, the street food!! We relished chaat served on knit-leaf plates, sliced boiled eggs, hot samosas, spicy pakodas and “dahi-badas” with fancy patterns made on them with red pepper powder and tamarind-paste. In the hot summer months, we had sugar cane juice, trying to ignore the swarms of flies hovering over everything, and hoping that none would get caught in the press as the vendor assiduously pushed the canes through them. Indeed, the street food experience in Banaras required blinkered vision and a steely resolve to ignore everything but the plate of undoubtedly taste food in front of you. Over time, we learned to overlook the mangy dog skulking under your table hoping for scraps, the open drain only feet away, the dust kicked up by the traffic and the flies, the flies that busily swarmed over everything. And finally, there are the ubiquitous stalls – large and small, plain and fancy – selling a delectable and colorful mix of exotically named Banaras sweets: barfis, imartis, kalakands, jamuns, pedhas, pethas, jalebis, laddus, and the king of them all, the rajbhog. Banaras was famous for them, and justly so, because the taste of the sweets made in Banaras, from local milk, is inimitable. We ate them, no devoured them, on every occasion, whole bagfuls, boxfuls of them. When we return after twenty five years, will we dare try all the foods that were the delight of our youthful days? Once we could consume anything with never an effect on the waistline, never even a hint of a gastric impasse. All hail the cast-iron bellies of nineteen year-olds. Now in our forties, with spreading waistlines and thinning hair, with the warnings of our doctors ringing in our ears about exercising and eating right, and with lowered resistance to bugs and other beasties, will we dare eat and drink like we used to? I bet we will – what do you say?
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Kulfi
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Suresh Sundaram Nickname : Chuchi A man of few words! I always retain an image of Chuchi standing next to the giant speakers and with one hand in his pocket tapping his feet to the music at KP!!! Rahul Akhaury
Working with HCL for 25 years!
Wife name: Srividya, Teacher Son: Rishabb, Class XII student
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Vasudevan Subramanian From my dear friend Vasu I learnt something simple, yet timeless - to have a big heart. At the time of parting from ITBHU when we were exchanging addresses Vasu wrote on my address book – “Pata koi pooche to kehte hain hum…Ek dooje ke dil mein rehete hain hum”. Wah – kyabaat hai! Adesh Pande Classy, stylish, cool, great handwriting, lethal fast medium pace, composed batting, BN Dwivedi's favorite, class note book that will look and feel like a text book, great attitude to go with a pleasing smile, tall and dark.... the one and only Vasudevan Subramanian Fatty Vasu’s mantra of success in exam,…guess the questions for tomorrow’s exam and practice them one time and sleep early,…. it worked with 100% success except once…??? Maninder Vasu, you inspired me with your simplicity and balance in life. I gave up smoking on your insistence and 25 years down the line still continue to try to be a good person!! Rahul Akhaury Currently working with AXA Technologies Shared Services in Bangalore as Head of Procurement – Asia Pacific & Head of Transformation - India Area of work – Sourcing, Change Management, Lean Management. Passion – Training and Coaching
Wife Priya and Children Rohit (18) and Rohan (13). Rohit is in I year Engg (Comp Sc. ) and Rohan is in VIII standard
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Venkatraman Krishnan Nickname : Fatty He was the baby of the class and literally grew up in front of us..from a 5’2” to 6’!! A gentle loving person at heart!!! Rahul Akhaury
Currently working with Cognizant as Vice President
Wife Usha and Children Veena and Vishwanath
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Vikram Agarwal A complete contrast to Taks was Vikram, who I had come to consider as a creature from a different planet. His serious and mature approach towards life in general and towards gearbox design in particular taught us a lot. He was our moral backbone in many ways, and our trusted elder brother who gave us much needed advice in our days of insanity. Thanks to Vikram, today we are all proud fathers with a sound judgement. The only time he would shed his reserved robe was after two drinks. Then he would descend to mother earth and start his shayari session. Vikram - Please brush up your shayari for 27th evening! Adesh Pande I have never seen a more sincere and hardworking person!!! Rahul Akhaury
Working with Unilever for 25 years!
Wife Ruchika, children Ashna, Vitika, Arnav
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Vinay Bajpai Nickname : Shaukeen 3
He truly has “Shaukeen� in his DNA!
MD , Head of investment solutions for private wealth management division of Deutsche Bank in India Wife sushma son sameer and daughter malika
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Vishwanath Seetharaman Nickname : Vishy In the final year, Vishy's elder brother, Shankar, has come to Varanasi. Both siblings go for boating in Ganges only to return back late night. Terrified I remind Vishy of Fracture Mechanics test next day. He feels dejected and decides to turn off the lights to face inevitable next day. Next day, I felt sad when Vishy leaves the exam hall in 15 mins while others are struggling to solve the problem. After an hour, every one is screaming for extra time...and Prof. Upadhyaya comments,…why more time, who knew the solution has already turned in answer sheet. In the end, we found the problem required smart use of sin2θ + cos2θ = 1. It was sheer brilliance,... Mandy Vishy is like football always in a state of neutral equilibrium. A perfect harmony of grit, stamina, hard work and enthusiasm!! Rahul Akhaury
Director Strategy and Growth at Sensata Technologies
Wife Malini and daughters Ananya & Roshani
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We also studied‌.
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Shaukeen Gang
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The Lovable “Makku” Gang Coming from Bihar, infamous for almost everything except history, my interaction with the Makku gang during the four years is the most cherised. The softness and gentleness was a direct contrast to my preceding two years in Delhi. This is a small gratitude for being a part of my life and motivating me to be a better person. Vasu, who inspired me to give up smoking, was the epitome of a balanced person. Fatty, is truly a gentleman and surprises me even today with his diverse talents in music and sports. Tennis, singing, loving, and robotics! Wow!! I still wonder how a simpleton like Nara could do so much and more with ease. Nari…is an amalgamation of street smartness of Delhi and kind heartedness of a Tamilian. NPd’s prayers and flutes are truly folklore. How can anyone talk so softly all the time?! Vishy was more of a Delhite but was still a Tamilian at heart…sporty and caring. Mohan depicted the passion of cricket which was a privilege of Mumbai those days Srini, Chikha, Chuchi, Kami…the quieter ones
Thank you guys! Rahul
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Hostel Terrace
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Success Ladder!
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Bees Saal Baad
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Bees Saal Baad
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IIT
Class of 1988 IIT (BHU) Mechanical Engineering