Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar celebrated silver jubilee (Soil to Silver) with more than 75,000 students, faculties and staff participating in the opening programme on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering, founder of KIIT and KISS Dr Achyuta Samanta said the prime objective of the celebration is to extend gratitude to all the stakeholders who are connected with the institute and have helped in every step of the university’s eventful journey to attain excellence.
“We started from scratch, from a rented accommodation to transform into one of the biggest campuses in the country. This by no means is a small achievement. I owe this achievement to every one of you who have toiled hard and sacrificed a greater part of their lives for the cause of KIIT,” he said, adding that KIIT has achieved several education milestones during 25 years.
Set up in 1992 as an ITI, KIIT operated from a rented accommodation. It offered technical and professional courses in the graduate and undergraduate levels in 1997, Dr Samanta said.
KIIT and KISS, he said is a blend of perfect harmony and each one of them with 30,000 students is pursuing education in a congenial atmosphere. About 25 staff of the university who have been associated with the university since its inception, shared their feelings on the occasion along with other dignitaries.
President of KIIT and KISS Saswati Bal, KIIT DU Chancellor Ashok Kumar Parija, Indian Rugby Football Association president Rahul Bose, Olympian and KIIT student Dutee Chand, Pro-Chancellor KIIT DU Prof Subrata Kumar Acharya, KIIT VC Prof Sasmita Samanta, Pro-VC, School of Medicine Prof CBK Mohanty, Pro VC Prof. Saranjit Singh and others spoke. Cultural events complete with elaborate fireworks, laser show, music and traditional dance by students of KIIT and KISS were organised on the occasion.
The silver jubilee celebration will be held over a three-month period, during which 30 events including a vice-chancellor’s conference have been lined up. Each event will capture a particular theme and invite speakers from different walks of life.
