On the 2nd of August 2019, BITSians’ Day celebrations kicked off around the globe. From a tree-planting drive held at Jaipur to gatherings in the United States and Canada, BITSians greeted the occasion with enthusiasm and festivity. According to Professor Arya Kumar, Dean of Alumni Relations Division, BITSians’ Day has been celebrated on the first Friday of August every year since its inception in 2013, with the goal of increasing alumni engagement. ‘There is so much potential in the alumni network. Even if every member contributes a small amount, the cumulative figure is enough to fund multiple scholarships, research facilities and infrastructure enhancements. The increased interaction between ex-students and current ones often leads to better opportunities and a stimulating exchange of ideas.’

Closer home, the Alumni Relations Cell and FitBITS Pilani organised a 3-kilometre run on campus to spread awareness on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The 250-strong BITSian crowd consisting of students, faculty, and staff members started their run from the Clock Tower and finished at the Med-C Ground. A special guest, Mr Sujit Arugundram—a computer engineer from Chicago, USA and a Batch of 1995 alumnus—commended the enthusiasm and level of participation in the social cause. The Director of the Pilani campus, Professor Ashoke Sarkar, was in attendance as chief guest and appreciated the initiative shown by the students. A prize distribution ceremony and a photo session at Med-C Grounds concluded the event. In the male category, Vishal Dixit was the winner and Anshul Khatkar the runner up. Sindhu and Riya Aggarwal were the winner and runner up respectively in the female category. All winners received cash prizes.

BITSian social media presence was strong on the day too—images of gatherings of BITS alumni from Bangalore, Auckland, Boston, Singapore in corporations such as GE, Google, and LinkedIn flooded social media feeds. Speaking about the enthusiasm, Professor Arya Kumar cheerfully recollected how BITSians from Vadodara braved their way through waterlogged streets just to celebrate the day and attempt to recreate college memories. The day saw participation from over 30,000 BITSians in total.

On a concluding note, Dean, Alumni Relations Prof Arya Kumar said, ‘We are strengthening each day a vibrant community of BITSians across the globe that shares, cares, gives to each other, and contributes back to see their alma mater rising to greater and greater echelons.’