Convergence 2011

CONVERGENCE 2011, TAPMI’s special alumni meet, was held on 15th October in Bangalore. Close to 90 TAPMIans, who had graduated from the institute at different times in the last 25 years, and currently working in the industry, converged at Hotel Capitol. Joining with students, faculty, and staff, they spent several hours together in a charged atmosphere. All had so many things to share and reminisce, as also several thoughts and ideas as to how these gatherings can be led to the next logical step, leading to great outcomes.

The chief guest of the event was Mr Bhaskar Bhat, MD of TITAN. Mr Bhat is also TAPMI’s Governing Council member. Gracing the occasion by his presence, he shared his time and thoughts with those assembled. A new alumni newsletter, ABHIJNA, was released by him. A new alumni website too was launched by Professor Gururaj Kidiyoor, PGP Chairman and alumnus of the 1990 batch.  A 15-minute presentation showcasing the dynamic growth and current ongoing developments at TAPMI was made by Dean (P & D), Prof Chowdari Prasad. This was received with rapt attention and visible pride by the audience.

Following the Chief Guest’s address was the felicitation ceremony. Alumnus of the Month awards were distributed, alongside a copy of ABHIJNA. Then the AoMs spoke, expressing their happiness at how TAPMI has been going places over the last few years. Many expressed their desire to participate and partner in the various initiatives and activities being undertaken and executed by their alma mater.

The highly successful meet concluded formally, with a vote of thanks by Dr Manjunath, member-Alumni Committee. Prior to this, formal photographs of AoMs with the chief guest were taken. Thereafter informal meetings continued in the hall, along with dinner, during which the discussions and conversations went on with lots of enthusiasm and much purposiveness.

The Alumni Affairs Committee is grateful to all those who graced this occasion and made it a grand success.

-Alumni Affairs Committee

Summer Hues 2011

TAPMI organized its annual alumni meet, Summer Hues 2011, on the 22nd of May 2011, across 4 cities – Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. It was another occasion for the alumni to share their memories from the past and also the changes that have happened in TAPMI over the years.

An assortment of pictures from all 4 locations of the meet follows:

The Chennai leg of the event was held at Hotel Benz in T. Nagar and was chaired by Prof. Chowdari Prasad. The event was also attended by Prof. Srivatsa from TAPMI and Prof. T.N.Badri, an ex-professor from TAPMI. It started with Prof Chowdari Prasad welcoming the gathering. He gave everyone the latest news about TAPMI, regarding the new campus, which was inaugurated by the Honourable President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil. He also talked about the Blue Ocean Research center started by TAPMI in Bengaluru and about ICAF and about last year’s highlights. This was followed by an informal introduction session where the alumni and the students introduced themselves. Two senior alumni from the 96 and 97 batch also shared some of their experiences during their time in the college. The group then discussed about various ways by which TAPMI’s alumni connections can be improved. The group came with quite a number of good suggestions like bi-yearly meets and to and fro communication between alumni and the college. The discussion progressed through dinner.

The Hyderabad meet was held at Aditya Park Hotel in Ameerpet, and chaired by Prof. R C Natarajan. The variation in the batches of the alumni was vast.  Alumni from batches as early as 1988 till as recent as 2010 turned up for the event. Prachi Gupta, organizer and member of AAC, welcomed the gathering on behalf of TAPMI. Prof R C Natarajan then set the ball rolling by recollecting some memories involving those who had come.  Others chipped in and soon everyone was sharing their experiences of TAPMI. The topics covered all aspects of life @ TAPMI, from assignments, quizzes and exams, to hostel perm timings and canteen food. The discussions also involved infrastructure, sport and facilities and other aspects, but mainly focused on the current status of the faculty. Many expressed genuine interest in learning more about the teachers who taught them. Finally they also gave valuable advice regarding career choices to the present students.

The Kolkata meet took place at Saurav’s- The Food Pavilion, and was chaired by Prof. Jaba Gupta. The alumni reached the venue by noon, and everyone got busy talking about their experiences. A round of introductions took place, and soon the conversation drifted to old TAPMI days, comparison of the old campus with the new campus, and memories of the outbound learning program. Announcements about the Bangalore meet and other initiatives taken by AAC were made. Intense discussions about strengthening of alumni network took place, with a lot of suggestions poured in from different alumni.  Everyone had a great afternoon, reminiscing old days and promising to stay connected in a mutually beneficial relationship with TAPMI.

The Mumbai leg of the meet was held at Hotel Saffron Spice. The event was a grand success with alumni from varied batches right from 1993 to 2011. The largest number of alumni came from the 2009 batch. The event began with an informal interaction between the alumni from different batches. Dinakaran, President of the current Students Council at TAPMI, gave a brief talk about the developments at TAPMI in the last year. The alumni were proud to know that TAPMI will very soon become the first institute in the country to get the prestigious AACSB accreditation. This was followed by an introduction session, where the alumni spoke about the current roles in their organizations, as well as the highlights of their life at TAPMI, along with memories of their batch-mates and professors. After the introduction, everyone proceeded for a lavish spread organized for dinner. The Alumni Affairs Committee (AAC) received constructive feedback and suggestions from various alumni, which will be implemented to further strengthen the bond between the alumni and the institute.

In essence, the meet was able to fulfil its intended purpose of strengthening the bond between the institute and its beloved alumni. The Alumni Affairs Committee will undoubtedly work on the various suggestions provided by alumni and strive to make these meets even more fruitful in the coming years.

-Media & Industry Relations Committee

TAPMI Alumni Meet – London

TAPMI Alumni Meet - London - May 2010

It was a usual – dull, dark and wet day in London. But in a small cafe near the historic London Bridge, a group of 20 TAPMI-ans were having an exciting get-together. It was a special occasion as TAPMI-ans from different batches from 1998 to 2007 were gathered together to reminisce about the 2 years spent at TAPMI. There were some old faces and many new faces at the reunion but there were no strangers here. The minute a new face appeared and said the magic words – ” Hi, I am from TAPMI” – he was immediately pulled into the group and the conversation. Topics ranged from various diverse memories of TAPMI and Manipal – Brandscan, Men’s hostel, Gadbad ice cream, Dollop’s, Turtle Bay, Raja, Nutty, Boston tea-party and chill maadi !!! For a few hours, our imagination took us back to TAPMI and Manipal again. Of course it was not all about the past as many of the alumni were there with their spouses and tiny-tots . It was also an occasion to find out what different paths each one of us had taken since leaving the shores of Manipal/ Udupi. It was truly a wonderful experience to meet so many of the TAPMI alumni, so far away from home. Alas! all good things must come to an end but as we left we all hoped to meet again soon and relive two very special years of our lives.

Also see some comments that I received from those who were at the event.

“Had a special time this evening..catching up with Tapmian’s is always a pleasure. Thanks for making this happen and rest of you for making it there. Till we meet again. Cheers !” -Ganesh Mahale

“Thanks for organising the event. It was great to meet all of you.” -Anusha Anandraj

“THANK YOU very much for organizing the same and for uploading the photo’s within a few hours!!!… It was a great turn out and a wonderful Saturday afternoon!!!! “ -Ranjit Shenoy

– Ashwinder Singh Bakshi (Batch 2002-04)