The Class of 1990 had its silver jubilee Reunion in December 2015. The batch initiated various projects with the funds collected as part of their Legacy Project over and above the regular projects covered by the Legacy batches. These projects are listed below:
- IIT Bombay Vaccination Drive: In the institute’s effort to secure the campus by vaccinating all campus residents, IIT Bombay had to raise funds for staff that could not afford the vaccines. Class of 90 responded immediately to the call and funded the vaccination of more than 100 of the staff on a very urgent basis.
- IDEAS: The innovation, Development & Entrepreneurship Program with Alumni Support was initiated to provide resources and to foster innovation at IIT Bombay for furthering entrepreneurship.
The IDEAS program has come into full force since August 2018. Students have benefitted in finding their entrepreneurial drive, learned to choose an idea to pursue, and figured out the right steps to create the venture. 19 teams have participated in two cohorts of the Level 1 program, and 10 teams were selected in the first cohort of Level 2. 10 teams out of these are still actively pursuing their ideas. In total, the teams have so far raised more than Rs. 12 Crore in grants, prizes, or equity financing beyond the IDEAS program. We see that there are many noteworthy startups out of IDEAS that decipher a real problem and have become even more germane in the post-COVID world. For example, ‘HelpNow’ which is a med cab/ambulance provider reducing the exigency response time, ‘Apli.AI’ which provides a platform for companies to appoint from nationwide campuses digitally, ‘AiRTH’ which has prospered with a quirky and highly coherent filter to purify the air and many more. The work done by IDEAS is extremely commendable and is like a beacon of light that clears the vision and path of IITB students.
- Clean Green Campus Program: The objectives of the Clean Green Campus Program are – to facilitate the creation of a Model Clean, Green Campus at IIT Bombay that will be the Benchmark of every other academic institution in India and to institutionalize a legacy project that is inspiring and sustainable for every future batch to contribute.
Bio-Gas Plant: As part of the Clean Green Campus Program, a 2-tonne Bio-Gas plant was set up to utilize food waste from a set of hostels and to increase the green energy footprint of the campus.
The plant will reduce energy costs and drive sustainability. As IITB had one precedent of a poorly functioning earlier bio-gas plant, and the Class of 1990 had to work twice as hard with the Dean – IPS to ensure that this plant was in the right place, had affordable setup and running costs and had the appropriate resourcing and systems to ensure that it functioned to capacity. The site is just off H-12/13/14. It is fed food waste from five to six hostels, and the energy generated is piped to the 12/13/14 kitchen; With over two tons of organic waste fed to the plant each day, the plant generates around 144 Cubic Meters of Biogas daily, which is enough to supplement 3 – 4 industrial scale LPG cylinders daily. Apart from repurposing the waste, the project saves more than 15 Lakh Rupees in LPG costs every year, effectively paying for itself over the span of four to five years.
Energy Efficient Bulbs and Fans: Apart from the biogas plant, energy-efficient LED Bulbs and BLDC fans were fitted into Hostels 12, 13 & 14. The bulbs consume 30% less electricity compared to normal bulbs, while the fans save up to 40% more energy compared to normal fans for the same output. This has significantly worked towards reducing the energy consumption of these hostels and reducing their carbon footprint. We hope the other batches and hostels will follow suit, which will be the norm in all buildings across the campus.
With the precedent set up by the class of 1990, such biogas plants and energy-efficient light bulbs will become a part of every new hostel at IITB.
- ARTS@IIT Bombay: As part of the class project, various art projects were installed at some of the most prominent locations on the campus. These will serve as a reminder of the contributions of our alumni to the institute.