The Aditya Birla Scholarships Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Unforgettable: A milestone event

Ishan Sinha (Class of 2018) and Prashant Sarin (Class of 1999) have to be applauded for organising the superb pre-event sessions. Ishan’s feedback has been truly overwhelming (appended):

Dear Dr. Ram, I hope you are well! It has been a week since we celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the Aditya Birla Scholarships, but it still feels unreal; this was truly a weekend to cherish for a very long time. In hindsight, it seems natural that it would turn out that way – given that this was a gathering of very like-minded, kind-hearted alumni, who all feel a very strong sense of gratitude, indebtedness and deference towards this programme, this institution and the Group. My apologies for the long note below, but given how magical the two days were, I could not get myself to cut this down.

Under your aegis, Prashant and I set out to achieve a few key things with this important milestone reunion — that the alumni base should find an opportunity to express their gratitude, re-connect, pay-it-forward, learn from each other, make space for serendipity, and return to our daily lives with a renewed sense of purpose and impact. I am humbled to share with you that all of these objectives were met, thanks entirely to the mammoth support – of every imaginable kind – that Mrs. Birla, Mr. Birla, you, and the leadership at the Group have showered us with. I take the liberty to speak on behalf of the alumni base when I say this — our hearts are full of gratefulness, warmth, and the will to be a force for good; just like the very day in each of our lives when we had the honour of being named an Aditya Birla Scholar.

Over 230 alumni gathered in Mumbai for the silver jubilee celebrations – including many who flew in from all over the world! 70 of them were accompanied by their spouse or parent, and were overjoyed to have been able to share this landmark moment with their loved ones. The alumni assembled were a diverse mix, not only across streams (engineering, management and law were equally represented) but also across batches (from the very first batch to the latest).

The alumni who travelled to Mumbai checked into their respective hotels very smoothly, and on time, on Saturday. This was followed by a networking dinner at ITC Grand Central, while the scholarship ceremony of the 2024-25 batch was underway simultaneously. Batchmates, friends, and graduates of shared alma maters struck up conversations and jogged old memories – and it seemed like not a day has passed since many of us last met.

On Sunday, 10th, we started early and had planned a packed morning of speaker sessions across two halls at ITC Grand Central. These speaker sessions were a mix of keynotes, panel discussions and fireside chats — all the speakers were our alumni. It is a testament to the strength of this scholarship programme that so many of our alumni are at the very vanguard of their professions – and what a diverse range of professions it is! Each session was carefully planned and crafted (including the speakers, the topics, the talking points, the presented content and the opportunities for audience engagement) keeping in mind the attendees and ensuring that each attendee took away something interesting from each session. The sessions were focused on areas that addressed the most pressing matters of interest to us – some were specific in nature (Technology, AI, climate change, venture capital, starting up, academia, frontier research) while some probed the broader zeitgeist of today (India’s evolving role in the world, CEO agendas of 2025, career choices). In line with the ethos of the scholarships, we had a special session on the pathways available to all of us, in our own ways, to drive impact and partake in philanthropy – to live in cognition of responsible privilege, how every role has a social impact, and to be generous with our time and expertise. Each session was heavily attended, and the audience was very acutely engaged throughout. Alumni had the chance to catch-up on the sidelines of the event; exchange notes, share their latest work, continue on talking points discussed in a keynote, share anecdotes, and strike a chord with those who share mutual interests. And yet, in spite of so much interesting going on outside on the sidelines, attendees kept switching into sessions on time, each time. To refer back to the key fundamental objectives we set out to achieve — networking, inspiration, light-hearted fun, and serendipity all found themselves in favour on a very jovial Sunday morning!

We ended the morning programme at around 2 PM, and moved to Jio Convention Center for the most awaited Silver Jubilee programme. While I will try, I may not be able to do justice in capturing the feeling of sheer awe and delight that all of us found ourselves expressing the moment we walked into the grand hall. From the testimonials at the red carpet entrance, to the picture perfect backdrops, to the outstanding production quality – everything was just top-notch! The montage of scholar names and the opening act gave us goosebumps — and set the tone for everything to follow. We all hung onto every word of Mr. Birla’s address — it was an absolute honour to hear from him, and soak-in the inspiration, pride, and good fortune of being associated with the Aditya Birla Group. I am fairly certain that in that moment, each of us hearkened back to the day we were awarded the scholarship, observed in the mind’s eye the course of our lives since then, and in unison felt certain – once again – that the prestigious scholarship was a life-changing moment for every single one of us. 300+ of us who were gathered in the room, and 400 more who could not attend, have each gone on to try and live our lives by the ethos of the scholarships – not because it was a rulebook to follow, but because that is who we are. And through that commonality, we find in each other a feeling of fraternity and fellowship. Mr. Birla and the Aditya Birla Group are central to who we are today, and the connection is priceless.

Dr. Jaishankar’s presence, wit, charm and address were a key highlight of the programme, and we can all be proud of having had the good fortune of seeing him in-person; thanks again to all of you. In hindsight, the Hon’ MEA’s presence as a guest of honour was perfect for the occasion – we all love and respect him for exactly the same vision that the scholarship programme set out to instil — integrity, commitment, passion, seamlessness and speed! It was an inspiring hour with him, not least his Q&A with the distinguished scholars on stage. The Q&A will be a moment treasured lifelong for the 10 scholars who had the chance to share their perspectives in conversation with Dr. Jaishankar. What the 10 of them may not realize, however, is that it is also a moment the other 290 of us will remember lifelong with pride! To hear their raw, honest stories that fit the occasion immaculately well was a delight we had not anticipated. Our seniors in the scholar community are absolutely amazing benchmarks to look up to and strive towards.

Finally, Prof. Sandel’s keynote — all of us thank you infinitely for arranging and enabling this. Prof. Sandel mesmerised the audience and had our minds and hearts engaged — on a philosophical debate! The audience, the occasion, and the speaker seems now to have been a supernatural match. On the 25th year of the scholarships, we bring back to the top of our minds that while we achieve great feats, and wear our passion on our sleeves, we would also do well to remember to never crowd out the “intrinsic goodness” in the pursuit of material things. In the marriage of success with impact, goodwill and philanthropy, the scholar base of the last 25 years has done the community proud; here’s to hoping that we do even more, and that the next 25 years will follow the same path. And, there could have been nothing better to cement a moment of reflection and affirmation than the instrumental performance that capped the wondrous day.

Throughout this entire day, like I mentioned earlier, alumni got the chance to engage with each other in a myriad number of ways. The interactions were far beyond the boundaries of alma maters and professions, and this diversity is exactly where the value of the community is. We all walk away recognizing the extraordinary talent density of this group, and each of us has endeavoured to do everything we can to help each other out in the journeys of our professional and personal lives. We have already embarked on new initiatives for the alumni to be better connected. We have started with Whatsapp communities – which has chapters by location, and groups by interest areas. We are also in the process of socialising each of our coordinates with the others. Over the next few months, we will keep this going and ensure that we all stay connected, and keep the group active, in a self-sustaining manner.

Not an ounce of this would have been possible without you, Dr. Ram. You are an inspiration to all of us. The butterfly effect of the institution that you have created over the last 25 years reaches so far and wide that it is hard to even fathom. It is not just 700 lives changed, but through these 700 high-agency individuals — who’re all out in the world, seeking to make the world a better place — your impact is incalculable. And thanks fall short here; no synonym will do either. Alum after alum walked up inquiringly and with a glimmer of affection in their eyes to express their gratitude to you. Many who could not come asked me to convey their utmost regards to you. We may have taken away many learnings from the day, but there is one which tops it all – that enabling and nurturing others in the rightful pursuit of their passions is the most far-reaching way to leave an indelible mark. Alumni across generations thank you for your trajectory-changing support, encouragement, care, thoughtfulness, and for this golden legacy. And I personally thank you additionally for all the hard work, guidance, leadership, will, energy, and foresight that went into pulling off the event! We all look up to you with unbounded respect, and thank you again for your role in our lives.

Finally, I’m most keen to express mine, and all of ours, resounding and unequivocal thanks to your team – Madhuri, Amruta, Deodith, and each and everyone involved in making the event a grand success.

Madhuri – you were invaluable in holding everything together and kept things ticking like clockwork, as the glue between us from the alumni-side on one end and all of the event logistics on the other. Thank you for your calm control over a thousand parallel threads! I am taking away many lessons in management.

Amruta, Deodith – it has been a pleasure to interact and work with you, thank you for your seamless help throughout!

Please also convey my special thanks to Himanshu — he was incredibly helpful in ensuring Prof. Sandel’s arrival, stay, lecture, and see-off went perfect to a tee. There was nothing for me to do, because every minute detail was taken care of – and double-checked! It was a pleasure getting to know him in the process.

I look forward to many more interactions with all of you. I know that these are but a few names; there are many more in your team to whom we are indebted (Sachin, Allwyn, and some others whom I had the pleasure of briefly interacting with at your office). Dr. Ram, on behalf of all the alumni, please convey our thanks and gratitude to all who helped bring to fruition this very memorable weekend that we will cherish forever.

At the cusp of 25 years, this is a monumental moment for us. We look forward to the next 25 in eager anticipation!

Heartfelt thanks to you all, once again.

Warm regards,
 Ishan Sinha (Investments, Athera Venture Partners)