On the 3rd of August 2019, this was the date that many alumni of SCIT had note down on their calendars and was eagerly waiting for, why you ask? Because it was the day, they were going to be visiting their alma mater once again. This time, however, things were different it was not just an alumni meet; it was also in commemoration of SCIT, making it to the 20-year mark. How fitting, that the alumni day scheduled on the very same day, the foundation of SCIT had placed so many years ago. The alumni came out in droves all eager to meet their faculty once more and many of them here to relive their memories.
The session was split into two halves, a formal function, which was the morning session, and an informal session, which was post-lunch. The formal session was attended by dignitaries, who played a significant role in the development of Symbiosis as an institution. Professor Shaila Kagal, Founding Director, Dr. S.B. Mujumdar, Founder and Chairman of Symbiosis and Arun Melkote, Global Head, Application Engineering and DevOps, Wipro ltd were the guests of honor. Each of them addressed the audience and spoke in length about their vision for the future and about how far, SCIT has come as an institution. A lovely video put together by the students played to take the alumni down memory lane and to reignite dormant nostalgia.
After a scrumptious lunch, we were all set to begin the second half of the day. The keynote speaker of the day, Mr. Simerjeet Singh kick-started the program. He has completed a Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management (SCU, NSW) from the Hotel School Sydney, Australia. In the course of his unconventional journey from the hotel industry to becoming a motivational speaker, he has completed his certification in Personal Performance Coaching from The Coaching Academy London, Certified Practioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Emerging Leader Program, Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has his website: www.simerjeetsingh.com where one can contact him for keynotes, workshops, youth seminars, and education purposes. He talked about his journey and the societal reaction on his decision to leave a well-settled job in The USA to come back to India to pursue his dream of being a motivational speaker. He used real-life anecdotes and stressed the importance of risk-taking in one’s life, “Only when you venture out of
your comfort zone, you will make a difference.”
He cited real-life examples from his life to convey that we should never be a prisoner of the opinions/practices of other people. Coming to the management perspective, he introduced us to an interesting outlook that you can never hire anyone to do your actions no matter the pinnacle of success you have achieved. He concluded on the note that we should always choose the path that works well for us rather than following in someone else’s footsteps. The session ended with Director Ma’am, Dr. Dhanya Pramod giving the vote of thanks to Simerjeet Singh.
After the enthralling session, a series of performances by the students were lined up for the alumni to relive their college memories. First, to come on stage was Symbeats, the college dance troupe. They gave a pumped-up
performance, which had the audience grooving in their seats. Next were Eklavya – Mavericks of Theatre. Their theme was College days, which included references to unique experiences of every SCITian like Ashoka, Bala Café, Committee interactions and the highlight of the 2-year journey: Graffiti. AWAAZ HO!
To end the day on a melodious note, the college band Konnect was saved for the last. It was a medley of songs from different genres catering to choices of every person present there. The incessant clapping and cheering at the end was in itself an achievement for us.
In addition, a group photo of the alumni to end the day of nostalgia and reminiscence.
