S. Vishnu Sharma
DAA 2021 winners are former students of IIT Madras who received Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) for this year in recognition of their achievements.
There are 11 alumni of IIT Madras who won DAA 2021.
Among the winners of DAA 2021 are Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Executive Vice President of Walmart and Chief Technology Officer for Energy and Mobility at Microsoft RandD India and Azure Global.
The nominations for DAA 2021 were received under categories namely Academic Excellence, Technology Innovation Excellence.
The other categories underwhich DAA 2021 were received were Business Management Excellence, Entrepreneurial Excellence and Excellence in other walks of life.
Selection of candidates for DAA 2021 was done by a committee appointed by Director of IIT Madras.
It is interesting to note that DAA was constituted in 1996 and so far about 192 alumni of IIT Madras received the awards so far.
Some of the alumni to receive DAA earlier were Kris S. Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys, Dr. S. Christopher, secretary, Department of Defence RandD, Satish Pai, managing director of Hindalco Industries.
Dr. Desh Deshpande the cofounder and chairman of Sycamore Networks and Ms. S. Soumya, the well-known carnatic vocalit were also among the DAA winners in the past.
DAA 2021 winners take IIT Madras to great heights
Congratulating DAA 2021 winners, Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, dean (alumni and corporate relations) at IIT Madras said they are delighted that so many of their alumni have made an impact in their chosen walks of life.
‘We are honoured to recognize their achievements, he said congratulating the DAA 2021 winners.
One of DAA 2021 winners, Ajay Kaushal, Co-founder and director, BillDesk said IIT Madras has been a turning point in my life.
It boosted my confidence, prepared me to deal with people and situations, and got me thinking about entrepreneurship, he said.
‘I fondly remember the four years on campus – the tough electrical engineering courses, great professors and life-long friends.’
I am deeply humbled and honoured to be recognised by the very Institution that has played a pivotal part in my journey, said DAA 2021 winner.
Another among the DAA 2021 winners Dr. Yogesh Gupta, CEO, Progress Software, U.S., said hew was delighted to have been chosen for the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2021 by IIT Madras, and humbly accept this great honor.
The lessons I learned at IIT Madras have accompanied me through every stage of my professional career and I am grateful for the opportunities that being an alum of this great institute has enabled.
This honour carries even greater meaning to me given the global challenges we face and I hope to continue living up to the high standards set by my alma mater, said Yogesh who won DAA 2021.
Another winner of DAA 2021 Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CTO at Energy and Mobility, Microsoft R&D India and Azure Global said IIT Madras gave him a rich set of formative memories.
IIT Madras gave him a wonderful network of friends, a love for lifelong learning which has shaped who I am and influenced my contributions. A big thank you to everyone in the institution, and my collaborators over the years, said Kalyanaraman who won DAA 2021.
Also among the DAA 2021 winners is Mr. R. Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
‘It is a great feeling to be recognized by our own Institute and I feel that this is also a recognition of all the teachers and professors who made us what we are,’ said R. Madhavan, DAA 2021 winner.
Prasanna Ramaswamy, a Musician in Virginia (USA) said he was honoured to receiv DAA 2021 from IIT Madras.
As a Guitarist, Composer and Music Educator, I owe so much to IIT Madras – The Institution and its Community for shaping my character and personality, for showing me the blueprint for excellence and for just letting me have the time of my life, said Prasanna.
Mr. Suresh Kumar, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer, Walmart Inc., said generations of our alumni have transformed their chosen fields and tech itself.
Being included in the class of DAA 2021 recipients is a tremendous honour.
I am deeply grateful for the IIT Madras family and the many ways the institute shaped my technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, he said.
Among those who received DAA 2021 is Professor Ravi Subrahmanyan who is Emeritus Professor at Raman Research Institute in Karnataka.
It is a pleasure to be recognised as a Distinguished Alumni of IITM.
The 5 years as a B Tech student there were a huge life changing experience, formative and empowering, in the classroom but much more in life with the exceptional peer group; all of us went out friends with the means and confidence to find our paths in very different roads, said Professor Ravi.
Founder and CEO of Vimaan Robotics Dr. S.K. Ganapathi is no less happy on receiving DAA 2021.
It is a great honour to be recognized by my alma mater, which is one of the world’s finest institutions, and to join so many other luminaries as a recipient of this award, said Mr. Ganapathy.
Also among the IIT Madras alumni to receive DAA 2021 were Professor Jayaraman Chandrasekhar, Professor B.S. Sathyaprakash and Dr. Ram Duvvuru Sriram.
Professor Jayaraman Chandrasekhar, Principal Research Scientist, Gilead Sciences, said it is indeed a great honor to win DAA 2021.
I cherish and wish to thank all my teachers and classmates at IIT Madras who have had such a lasting influence on my career, professionally and personally, he said.
Dr. Ram Duvvuru Sriram, Chief, Software and Systems Division, Information Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA, said he was honored to receive DAA 2021 award from his alma mater.
IIT Madras provided us a solid foundation to pursue and excel in whatever field we ventured into.
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I am fortunate to have been under the tutelage of many excellent faculty at IIT Madras and CMU.
The bonds that we developed with our batch mates at IIT Madras are everlasting.
I am thankful to the excellent support from my friends, family, and colleagues, throughout my career, he said.
Professor B.S. Sathyaprakash, Associate Director, Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Bert Elsbach, said he was truly honored to win DAA 2021.
Our professors in the Physics Department were not only excellent teachers but trained us in critical thinking and problem solving – cognitive skills that proved invaluable in my research career.
In particular, Professors R. Srinivasan (R.S.) and V. Balakrishnan (Balki) were his heroes – they made physics fun, exciting and intuitive.
IIT-M with its splendid campus and the rich art and social festivals was a remarkable life experience, he said.