Son of IIT-KGP alumni makes contributions to the institute

Kolkata: IIT Kharagpur has signed a MoU with Shion Deysarkar, son of the institute's alumni and US-based entrepreneurs Asoke Deysarkar and Ruma Acharya Deysarkar, to create an endowment at the centre of excellence of the institute, named after them. 

The MoU for the endowment, amounting to USD 300,000 (Rs 2 crore), was inked early this week, an IIT KGP statement said today. The funds will be utilised towards setting-up of three chairs in the domains of geology & geophysics, chemical engineering and chemistry/mining engineering, the statement said. "Shion and I discussed about encouraging the children of our alumni to think about IIT Kharagpur.

 This is very unique for us and maintaining our legacy of being the first in several initiatives such as management, law, quality, happiness, superspecialty hospital and micro-specialisation," IIT KGP Director Professor Partha Pratim Chakrabarti said in the statement.

 Shion Deysarkar, a data scientist from Carnegie Mellon University, and the CEO & Founder of Datafiniti, said, "I am American by birth...I see this opportunity as a small way to help my parents continue their work at IIT KGP and carry on their legacy." Professor Anindya Sarkar is heading the centre. 

At the centre, with all-round support from the Deysarkar family, Sarkar is working on projects which would facilitate the industrial needs in India, it said. The Dean of Alumni Affairs Subrata Chattopadhyay, said, "This is a historic event." "I wanted to see my son get involved in the activities related to the Centre...I would encourage fresh thinking," Asoke Deysarkar, Shion's father said.