GAABESU Activity Report - April to June 2024

 Dear members, 

This is the 4th report after the new GAABESU Executive Committee (EC9) took over in late-August 2023.

1.       Executive Committee Meeting of GAABESU;

 120th EC meeting was held on 25th May and 121st EC meeting was held on 25th June at GAABESU Office and online.

2.      Next Alumni Link update

Alumni Link magazine is now being published regularly. One hard copy magazine during Alumni Day, and remaining publications in e-version soft copy. We have already published 3 issues, one in Puja, one in Alumni Day, and the latest one in Bengali Nababarsha (https://www.gaabesu.in/blog/alumni-link-nabobosho-edition-1431/  . 

The next issue of Alumni Link e-magazine is scheduled to be published in August. This particular volume will consist of new sections like Alumni Section, Student section and Institute section. For the student section, student volunteers will contribute & coordinate. For the Institute section, Prof. Netai C Dey will provide all the details.  Manoj Kar, the Editor of the Alumni link will provide the alumni activities for this student newsletter. It was decided to share GAABESU Alumni Link to all students’ groups through the Student Senate GS who can share the magazine link to the all students’ group.

3. GAABESU Project of BEC History-As seen by senior alumni;

The status of ongoing GAABESU Project of BEC History-As seen by senior alumni is quite satisfactory.  Manoj Kar has already picked-up communications with senior alumni. On 25th June he himself along with Syama Prasad Datta and Amitabha Datta met Amar Banerjee, a 1957 graduate, Canada resident, who is visiting Kolkata after trekking Himalayan mountains (at 90yrs of age). They talked with him and recorded his experience for the BEC history programme. Many positive responses have been received.  Total 7 articles have come till date.

4. Status of Finance;

All Income Tax related issues for the current Assessment Year (2024-25) (FY 2023-24) are nearly completed. Draft Audit report submitted to EC has been accepted by the house. We have been granted a refund for the previous year, but the amount is held up by the IT department subject to resolution of pending demand cases. A case is pending before the Appellate Tribunal of Income Tax, for which, a tentative date of appearance is scheduled. The appointed IT lawyer will attend the hearing along with our Auditor. As required, one or two of our Office bearers may also be present. The Auditor has submitted a complete report on all pending issues and both Working President Arabinda Roy and Treasurer are regularly in contact with him regarding all other financial issues.

5. Discussions on Welcome Ceremony of new alumni & Director;

Shreayan Nandy and Parnab Sinha will coordinate the Welcome Programme of the new students.

It was decided that we shall formally give a welcome to the Director, if he agrees. Otherwise, the President will arrange a meeting, where EC members and a few seniors will meet the Director formally to welcome him. Once the new students come in, we shall also arrange for a Students Welcome Program. Since the present student intake is nearly 1,000+, accommodating all students in one place together may not be possible. Secretary informed that the HoD-Civil has already suggested that GAABESU can take part in the Departmental Welcome Program and the same process can be followed for all other departments. N. C. Dey, (also HoD-Mining) welcomed the idea. The EE department has already agreed to this proposal in a joint meeting. It was decided that the Secretary will send formal requests to all HoDs for accepting GAABESU to be a partner in their Departmental Welcome Program.

6. A new proposal to EE department of IIEST;

GAABESU has proposed to start a yearly Invitational Memorial Lecture series at IIEST-Shibpur, Electrical Engineering Department, in the memories of our great teachers like Dr. Sankar Sen, Prof. J. K. Sen, Prof. P. N. Banerjee (pnb), Dr. P. K. Nandi, Prof. Sakti Sekhar Basu (ssb), Prof. Srikumar Mallik (skm). The matter was discussed with a few senior professors of the EE Department and all welcomed the idea.

This matter was then placed to GAABESU EC and HoD, EE Department of IIEST. After due consideration, the proposal was accepted by the Department. Further, the Department also has constituted a committee of faculty members, who would take the matter further forward. After the last meeting held on 4th July it was decided that the first lecture of the “Legends & Legacies” series will be held in the memory of Prof. Sankar Sen and to be held tentatively on 23rd August,2024. A list of esteemed retired professors is proposed for felicitation. The name of Smt. Sumita Nag (GAABESU member), Additional Secretary (CGM) –DVC, Kolkata, an alumnus of EE Department, is proposed by GAABESU as the first Technical Speaker for this lecture series. Department shall search for any other options and confirm selection at the earliest. The process would continue further.

7. Planning for Scholarship/AFE/ Research Award Process Update;

The first Draft Scholarship Process document has been prepared after considering all suggestions received, all comments compiled and categorized and circulated to EC members by 31st May. New process document was shared to all EC members on 21st June. A Google Form was earlier circulated amongst all the students, for their feedback, which was also copied to EC members. Various comments were received from many members regarding upgradation and possible automation of (at least) part of or fully, the process. In addition, as a backup plan (if the new website does not get ready in due time), a google form has been created for student applications, donor application form and award application form for students. The matter will soon be finalized. It is already decided that the scholarship amount shall be increased to make students interested. Also, the students will have to join GAABESU as Student Members with a minimum token fee (which can later be converted to full membership after their pass out), in order to be eligible for any award. All the Donors will be approached for their information and concurrence.

8. New Seminar Proposals;

GAABESU has an agreement with ADI Associates, sponsored by our very senior alumni Sri Arup Bhattacharya of Vermont, USA, to organize seminars on “Sustainability & Reusable Energy”. This fund still has around Rs. 88,000/- balance. Recently Secretary had a telephonic discussion with Sri Arup Bhattacharya, when he requested GAABESU to use the fund at the earliest and if required, he can provide more funds. The President requested Sri S. P. Datta & Sri Arabinda Roy to take up this seminar project and organize a physical seminar in collaboration with IIEST, & organizations like the Institution of Engineers (India), or the Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI), where both, the President (A. Datta) & S P Datta are active members of their East & North East Regional Center. Sri S P Datta has agreed to take up the matter immediately.

9. Upgrade for New Website;

The new website is almost ready and will be activated possibly by August 2024.

10. New membership from May - June 2024;

6 new members joined during the above period. Their names are given below: 

• Amritansu Ray     2017 MATH
• Rishav Choudhuri 2023 EE
• Bhaswati Sen       2024 CE
• Indranil Mandal    2023 CE
• Debasish Halder   2001 CST
• Atanu Dandapat   2007CST
   

11. Next AGM;

Next Annual General Meeting of GAABESU is proposed to be held on 28th September 2024.

12. Obituary: May – June 2024: 

It is sad to mention here that during the period 1st May to 30th June 2024, we lost our following beloved Alumni:

• Somnath Sanyal 1972 ARCH
• Anil Krishna Pal  1967 CE
• Debasish Sinha   1974 CE
• Aniruddha Bhaduri 1974 MIN

GAABESU joins hands with the bereaved families in their prayers to grant the departed souls to rest in peace, and pray to God, the Almighty, to give strength and courage to bear with their irreparable losses.

With regards,

Prosenjit Chakraborty

Secretary, GAABESU