Hyderabad: The two-day global alumni meet of Osmania University ended on a teary note, with university alumni from across the globe, from across streams, and professors recollecting old stories and regaling in their past experiences.
On the business front, four MoUs were signed with industrialists and discussions were held on key topics, such as industry, academia linkage and challenges in higher education.
OU Vice Chancellor Prof. D. Ravinder Yadav, said, “The event went off very well. We could realise our expectations. People from across the world gathered and it is a great occasion and a nostalgic feeling for everyone. We have requested prominent alumni in the industry to contribute to the university and they have volunteered to mentor our students, thus bridging the gap between the industry and the academia.”
Many alumni, who had studied at the university in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, also brought along their children and grandchildren. They spoke of the transformation of the campus over the years.
Venugopal Rao, a mechanical engineer of the 1978 batch, who is a retired Nabard officer, brought along his four-year-old granddaughter to the event. “I have always been connected to the university. Today, it brings me a lot of joy to show my granddaughter the place that made me who I am,” he said.
Advocate B. Ram Mohan Reddy, who is currently a practising lawyer in the Telangana High Court, was a mechanical engineering student of the 1973 batch.
“This Tagore Auditorium was constructed when I was a student and I remember the inaugural function, which was attended by C.V. Raman. Many changes have happened since and I feel sad that we don’t see a similar environment in the university now,” Reddy said.
M. Manasa, who got her PhD from the university in 2004, is now the principal of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Law College for Women. “Coming from Telugu medium, I received immense support from the professors and I went on to pursue my PhD in law from OU. Now is an opportunity to give back to my alma mater,” she said.
There are some like K. Stevenson, head of department, Mass Communication and Journalism, who graduated from the same department in 1986, could not stay away from the university. “The journey has been very eventful as I studied here and now, I am working with the university. The connection is very strong with this place and I have seen the journey of this institution evolving and feel a sense of gratification that about 50-60 per cent of journalists in the city are from this university.”
Others who studied at the university and are working there as professors include Bhagyarayan, Tirupati Rao, S. Mallesham and Kishan Rao.
