Bhubaneswar: The 62nd Annual Homecoming Ceremony and Alumni Induction Programme for the 2026 graduating batch were jointly organised by the NIT Rourkela Alumni Association (NITRAA) and the Centre for Alumni, Industry & International Relations (AIIR) at the Bhubaneswar Behera Auditorium of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela on May 12.
The event brought together alumni, faculty members, graduating students, institute officials and distinguished guests to celebrate the enduring relationship between the institute and its alumni community.
The programme was presided over by Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao, Director of NIT Rourkela and Patron of NITRAA. State Election Commissioner and distinguished alumnus of the 1984 batch, Madhusudan Padhi, attended as the chief guest.
Among the guests of honour were Susanta Kumar Nath, Biswaranjan Palai and Sanjeev Sharma.
The programme began with a presentation on the activities of NITRAA by Prof. H. K. Naik, General Secretary of the alumni association. During the event, the Student Alumni Relations Cell (SARC) released the first-ever class song for the graduating batch.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. H. B. Sahu, Dean of Alumni, Industry and International Relations, highlighted the role of leadership, commitment and teamwork in elevating the institute’s standing. He urged graduating students to remain connected with the institute and promote its achievements through various forums and digital platforms. He also informed that the AIIR Centre plans to adopt students’ roll numbers as permanent alumni identity numbers.
Sharing his professional journey, chief guest Madhusudan Padhi advised students to remain passionate about their work and enjoy whatever career path they pursue. The guests of honour also reminisced about their student days and encouraged the graduating students to confidently face future challenges while staying connected to their alma mater.
During the programme, Prof. Rao announced 40 scholarships for meritorious students from financially weaker backgrounds. Of these, 20 scholarships will be funded through an endowment created by the NIT Rourkela Overseas Alumni Association (NITROAA), while the remaining 20 will be supported through resources generated by the AIIR Centre.
Expressing gratitude to NITROAA for its support, Prof. Rao said students should not define themselves solely through marks, grades or professional titles. “Marks, grades, and job titles are only milestones, not definitions of who we truly are,” he remarked.
Graduating students thanked the institute, faculty members and staff for shaping them into confident individuals capable of taking on future challenges. They also expressed gratitude to NITRAA and the AIIR Centre for organising the event.
Several endowment awards were also presented during the ceremony in recognition of academic excellence and distinguished achievements.
Alok Mishra received the ‘Shailalata Memorial Award’, while Kinjal Bhattacharya, topper of the 2024–25 batch of the Electrical Engineering Department, was conferred with the ‘Asim Choudhury Memorial Award’.
The ‘Siladitya Patnaik Memorial Award’ was presented to Shrimay Sarangi, a second-year Electrical Engineering student securing the highest marks at the end of the fourth semester, and the ‘Sri Debasis Memorial Award’ was conferred on Aniket Nayak for being adjudged the best all-rounder student of the final-year Chemical Engineering programme.
