Former students of Andhra University who studied here during the 1950s came together at an alumni meet organised by the Alumni Association of Andhra University (AAA) at Dr. Y.V.S. Murty Auditorium on Friday.
It was an emotional reunion for many as they reminisced about the days of their youth, and remembered their teachers. Formalities and protocol were set aside as old friends embraced and addressed one another with their nicknames.
Former vice-chancellor of JNTU-Kakinada Allam Appa Rao, former vice-chancellors of Andhra University G.S.N. Raju and Beela Satyanarayana and former Director-General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao were among the early birds who arrived ahead of the scheduled time.
The alumni hailed their teachers for the role that they played in shaping their lives.
“Our alma mater is responsible for making us into what we are today,” said Mr. Sambasiva Rao, who lived in the college hostel as a student and graduated from AUCE in 1979. “After doing my Masters from IIT-Kanpur, I wanted to go to the U.S. but had to drop the idea as there was no financial support for higher studies abroad in those days,” he said.
Advice for students
Expressing concern at IIT students ending their lives, Mr. Sambasiva Rao advised students not to get disappointed by temporary setbacks in life. “You can always reach the top with hard work. Those who are in top positions now must have also faced obstacles but overcame them through hard work,” he said.
C.P. Gurnani, Managing Director and CEO of Tech Mahindra, who participated as chief guest, recalled his student days when he used to watch movies in a hall, which used to screen movies using a reel projector. “I am humbled that the present generation has access to latest developments like robotics. However, robotics may be alien to the next generation,” he said.
“Though the world is changing rapidly, certain things do not change. They are the values taught by our parents and teachers. We should pass on the values from generation to generation,” he said, advising the students to work hard and remain positive in their lives.
Prof. Appa Rao underlined the need for continuity in education policies for sustenance. The advantage for the present students was that they have a lot of job opportunities in the private sector, post-liberalisation, he said.
AUCE Principal P. Srinivasa Rao, who is also an alumnus of AU, spoke about the growth of AUCE.
“Andhra University continues to be at the top in research and patents even today. The fee is affordable for common students but I feel that there is a shortage of faculty,” said Prof. G.S.N. Raju, who did his B.Tech in 1976 and M.Tech in 1978 from AUCE.
