posted by Anil Vaidya

It was a very pleasing sight to see Savitha trying to herd the alumni into the poolside venue for the cake cutting ceremony. We were supposed to finish the cake-cutting function in 10 minutes and start the main programme by 11 AM. It was not to be. We did not gather in the audi for another 45 minutes. And the sweet reason was that the alumni were really really connecting back to the old days and greeting their former fellow students. How much ever Savitha tried, it was just not possible to miss the warmth of those old relations; interruptions were just not worth it.
It turned out to be a grand gathering of our alumni who returned to their home, their alma mater, after a long gap. The pleasure, the smiles, the enthusiasm were unmistakable. They relived their old days, even performing on stage as they had done in their student days. Some brought their spouses who heartily participated in the bonhomie. None forgot to go around the hostels recounting the memories of their rooms and the roomies. And of course Kagal Madam’s presence was the icing on cake. Everyone connected to her, chatted, tried to get her attention. Same was the case with Savitha and certainly they had heartful interactions with their own teacher mams and sirs– Bharathi, Pradya, Sharmili. They still missed Sadhana, Rajul, Sen, Suprika, Vasundhara, Ajey and others.
The clouds that cast long shadows on our campus were responsible for absence of some of these beloved teachers. Despite the shadow our present students assured us that they would do all possible to make the alumni meet happen. And they did commendable job, they were always in the background and still omnipresent. This was another unforgettable event organized by our students on campus. While the event was one more outstanding example of SCIT’s resilience and perseverance, I do not forget the students and faculty members who are still recuperating. I wish them a speedy recovery and I want to see them bouncing around the campus soon.       

posted by Anil Vaidya

Graffiti took off in style in the morning of Jan 9 with number of events lined up for two full days. Right from morning I saw the outstation students streaming in with their trademark haversacks. It was only the next morning that I realized how eager they were to make the presentations and compete wherever possible. Having seen few of them, I invited them all for a quick chat. They were budding engineers, boys and girls, from far off colleges in Maharashtra and were visibly happy to have a free exchange with the institute director. I enjoyed it too.
Graffiti offered many such sweet occasions; I prefer to call them candies. The T-shirts, the music, the games, the business quizzes and competitions kept people engrossed. It was a very satisfying event for receiving our corporate guests. The special coffee corner at the poolside helped to have free dialogue. It was wonderful to see the corporate guests being escorted by our students all around the campus. And of course the very last event of ‘Epiphany’ aptly presented the close of two days of gala time.
The whole of SCIT was proud to participate in the fresh and extraordinary atmosphere. My compliments to the entire student body for showcasing a terrific event. I was happy that they did not forget to include a frontal view of social awareness by setting up stalls of Peta and the SCIT SSR.      

posted by Anil Vaidya

Anil Vaidya, January 7, 2010
The institute appear to be transforming each passing day. Yesterday I entered the academic block I saw a board asking “What next”. Right below that another board announced “3 days” to Graffiti. This looks like altogether different group of students. The enthusiasm (enthu – if I follow them) is simply overwhelming. Yesterday evening two of the students invited me for their online game. I was quite hesitant but then was forced to appear before the computer terminal. I did not understand head or tail of the game while the ‘next gen’ was going whole hog. These guys are energetic, brilliant, have desire to do something and now redefining their spheres of operations.
Graffiti has brought our students together, working towards greater objectives. They have been going out, visiting companies, visiting other campuses, discussing strategies, operations, finance and so on. There is a Graffiti war room in full swing with a three boards full of planned activities and progress. As if all this is not enough, this morning there was another pleasing site. I witnessed our SCIT Student Social Responsibility (SSR) group canvassing for environment at the Hinjwadi Chowk.
I like what I see. The ‘Next gen’ will be our leaders. What they do today will be an indication of how they will function tomorrow. The enthusiasm simply can’t be missed nor can one keep away from it. If you happen to be anywhere on campus I am sure you will be drawn be into the vortex and enjoy it fully.