DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATION OF B.E. COLLEGE (1966-71) BATCH ON JANUARY 18, 2026 AT THE INSTITUTE HALL OF IIEST, SHIBPUR

DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATION OF B.E. COLLEGE (1966-71) BATCH ON JANUARY 18, 2026 AT THE INSTITUTE HALL OF IIEST, SHIBPUR

• GAABESU
• 28/01/2026
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Diamond Jubilee Celebration of B.E. College (1966-71) Batch 

on January 18, 2026 at The Institute Hall of IIEST, Shibpur

The programme to celebrate the 60th year of the batch joining the College commenced in the morning of January 18 (Sunday) with Registration followed by the observation of two-minute silence in memory of the departed friends and spouses, lighting of the Panch Pradip and cutting of cake. The hall reverberated with the loud chanting of the college trademark Huos sixty times!

It was a day-long programme when septuagenarian batchmates, many accompanied with their spouses, sought to recreate the magic of their younger days. Friends came from all over - Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and even from the US, UK and Australia - to express their love and gratitude to their Alma Mater.

The programme was characterized by continuity and change. While certain standard practices were followed with some innovation, some new features were also introduced. 

Publication in hard copy of a magazine of memoirs was one such unique feature. Besides containing essays contributed by many batchmates from different disciplines like Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Electronics & Communications, the volume also contained messages by the Director of IIEST, Shibpur, Prof. V.M.S.R. Murthy and by illustrious alumni like Prof. Sudhangsu Sekhar Chakraborty (1957 Civil) and Prof. Amitabha Ghosh (1962 Mechanical). A brilliant essay by another equally eminent alumnus, the ever-young Shri Amitabha Ghoshal (1957 Civil), on the Magnificent Bridges over the Hooghly River, and a modified version of an earlier published memoir by Smt. Aloka Basak further enriched the volume substantially. This compilation of articles, some in Bengali and some in English, is designed to be a prized possession and a Collector’s item. The magazine captures, faithfully and systematically, how life used to be in the campus during 1966-71, perhaps the most turbulent phase of Bengal’s history after the decade of the forties. It is a carefully and artistically curated document that would hopefully be read, digested and preserved. A dedicated team of Indrajit Karmakar, Kalyan Kr. Ray, Amitabha Bhattacharya and others worked for this magazine.

In addition, thanks to the efforts of Shyamal Das and Sarasij Majumdar, a Treasure Trove of BEC (66-71) was also printed in hard copy and distributed free to all present. This includes key information of 116 classmates in a standardized format and with photographs (duly indexed), and an exhaustive list of 404 batchmates who had either joined in 1966 or passed out in 1971, as also an updated list of deceased friends. 

Barun Basak had lovingly ensured that photocopied and bound volumes of the SME (Society for Mechanical Engineers) journal of 1970-71 were also distributed. This slim journal reflects what the final year students of those days thought to be challenging engineering issues. Importantly, it contained a message from the great scientist Satyen Bose of Bose-Einstein fame.

The sumptuous lunch catered to the tastes of both “Ghotis” and “Bangals”. The cultural programmes were also highly participatory, innovative and showcased the known and unknown talents of friends and their spouses. The songs, recitations and Srutinatak, performed by Sarmishtha Chatterjee, Sandip Maitra (from the UK), Sougata and Suranjana Chaudhuri, Probir and Sagarika Roy, Supti and Santi Sankar Basu (in Tabla), Bula Ghosh, Shyamal Das, Subhas Ch. Roy, Ardhendu Chatterjee and Pradip Kr. Banerjee enthralled everyone. Indrajit Karmakar, the main person behind the whole programme, compered the day-long function. Active participation by Tapas Som and G.B. Nath, who came from abroad, and by Kalyan Kr. Ray (whose three generations studied at our College) and Shubhabrata Ghoshal further lifted the spirit of bonhomie.

The cover pages of the publications and a few photographs of the memento and the event including group photos are shown here.

Partha Pratim Chatterjee

1971, Mechanical