Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma Attends IIT Guwahati's Foundation Day Celebrations, Announces 100 Scholarships
IIT Guwahati marked its 33rd Foundation Day with day-long celebrations on 1 September 2026. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest at the main function held at the Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium.
Published 2 Sept 2026 | Category Institute Events | Office Dean of Administration
On 1 September 2026, IIT Guwahati's Foundation Day celebrations opened with early morning wellness activities, a plantation drive, and a flag hoisting ceremony, alongside a day-long Open House that invited school and college students from the region onto campus. The day closed with a formal evening ceremony at which the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, was the Chief Guest.
The 33rd edition of the celebrations brought together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and distinguished guests, including four former Directors of the Institute, in a day that combined reflection on the Institute's history with recognition of its present community.
The evening ceremony saw the screening of a documentary on the Institute's journey, the conferral of chair professorships, student scholarships and fellowships, and alumni awards, and recognition for non-teaching staff whose work sustains the campus through the year — with the Chief Minister's own announcement on scholarships providing the high point of the evening.
An Early Start: Sport and Sustainability
Celebrations began at 5:30 am with a duothlon at the Old Sports Activity Centre, inaugurated by Director Prof. Devendra Jalihal in the presence of Prof. Perumal Alagarsamy, Dean of Student Affairs.
This was followed at 8:00 am by a plantation drive, with Prof. R.C. Malhotra, Prof. D.N. Buragohain, Prof. Gautam Biswas, Prof. Devendra Jalihal, and Prof. Sukumar Nandi joining in. It was a fitting start to a day centred on reflection, community, and sustainability.
A Gathering of the Institute's Builders
This year's Foundation Day carried special significance, with three former Directors returning to campus. In addition, the celebrations saw the presence of Prof. R.C. Malhotra, who prepared the original Project Report for the establishment of IIT Guwahati in 1987. In recognition of his lasting legacy as a pioneer of the Institute, Prof. Malhotra was invited back as an honoured founding leader and took part in a commemorative ceremonial tree plantation.
Joining Prof Malhotra were founding Director Prof. Dhirendra Nath Buragohain, former Director Prof. Gautam Biswas — together representing decades of institutional leadership. Their presence was a reminder that the campus community stands on the shoulders of those who built it, and they were felicitated and invited to address the gathering during the evening ceremony.
An Evening of Reflection and Recognition
The formal evening programme opened at 3:00 pm with the lighting of the lamp, followed by Institute, State, and National anthems.
The Institute's documentary, charting its journey since founding, was screened for the first time before an audience that included the Chief Minister, former Directors, and distinguished guests. Director Prof. Devendra Jalihal then delivered the welcome address, after which the Chief Guest and former Directors were felicitated and invited to share their reflections with the gathering.
Earlier in the day, the National and Institute flags were unfurled at the Administration Building, and 1 September 2026 was declared an Open House, inviting school and college students from across the region to explore IIT Guwahati's academic, research, and infrastructural facilities.
Chief Minister Announces 100 Scholarships
Addressing the gathering at the Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma announced 100 scholarships for students of IIT Guwahati, a gesture that drew warm appreciation from the Institute community. IIT Guwahati reaffirmed it commitment to the people of Assam and pledged to be a partner in the growth story of the state.
Alumni Awards
The event also saw two distinguished alumni being honoured for their achievements:
Mr Jaspreet Singh (CSE, Class of 2004) received the Distinguished Alumni Award 2025. Since he was unable to be present, he provided a video message. And his parents received the award on his behalf.
Mr Singh, Co-Founder & CEO of Druva, built the company from scratch during the 2008 global financial crisis with limited funding, and grew it into a $2 billion-plus unicorn. Druva created the world's first cloud-native data protection platform, which is now trusted by organisations such as NASA.
Mr Himanshu Upreti (Mathematics, Class of 2015) received the Young Achiever Alumni Award 2025. As Co-founder & CTO of Ai Palette, he built the world's first AI platform for end-to-end product innovation in the CPG industry, scaling it across 27 markets on six continents and serving global brands such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and L'Oréal — all before turning 30. He has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.
New Chair Professorships
The evening's celebrations also included the announcement of two new NPTEL Chair Professorships, named to honour the first two directors of the Institute:
Prof. Dilwar Hussain (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences), as the D. N. Buragohain NPTEL Chair Professor
Prof. Ajay Kalamdhad (Department of Civil Engineering), as the Gautam Barua NPTEL Chair Professor.
Student Scholarships and Fellowships
New scholarships and fellowships were also announced:
The Prof. Anup Kumar Gogoi Scholarship, announced by Ziroh Labs for one meritorious student from EEE, CS, or AI, honours the memory of Prof. Anup Kumar Gogoi, a founding member of the EEE Department, in recognition of his role as a dedicated teacher and mentor who shaped the journey of Ziroh Labs.
The Dr Manmohan Singh Fellowship, instituted in memory of India's former Prime Minister, was announced by his daughter, Ms Daman Singh.
The Priyakrishna and Monisha Bhattacharya Fellowships, awarded to two MTech students each in the Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering and the School of Agro & Rural Technology, were announced via video message and instituted by Dr Amit Kanta Mitra in memory of his wife's parents.
Honouring Non-Teaching Staff
Foundation Day also recognised the contributions of the Institute's non-teaching staff.
Over 100 employees who had completed 25 years of regular service were felicitated for their long standing commitment to the Institute.
Achievement Awards for non-teaching employees were conferred for exceptional and remarkable service:
Dr Tamal Kumar Guha — Librarian, Lakshminath Bezbaroa Central Library
Mr Dilip Chetri — Technical Superintendent, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Ms Nishashree Patgiri — Section Officer, Legal Cell
The 33rd Foundation Day once again brought together the many strands of the IIT Guwahati community — past and present — in a celebration of achievement, service, and shared purpose.
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