After the two-pandemic-ridden years of virtual reality-based convocation, IIT Bombay recently concluded its 60th convocation with the physical presence of students, faculties, and other guests. One of the major attractions of the event was the speech by Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of Aditya Birla Group. He shared a hilarious joke that he heard from his IIT-Bombay alumni friends. He goes, "Late at night, a seemingly lost auto driver on the campus here asks a Ph.D. student, `Bahar jane ka raasta? [Which is the way out of the campus?].' The student replies, `Chaar saal se main bhi yahi dhundh raha hu [For the past four years, I am also looking for it]'." Even

though he jokes about the competitive nature of education at the highest academic levels, we all know that difficult paths often lead us to beautiful destinations.

Established in 1958 with financial assistance from the then Soviet Union through UNESCO, IIT Bombay today is one of the iconic academic institutions in the country. Adding another golden feather to its cap, the institute awarded more than 400 doctorate degrees last week the most it has ever given out in a single year. The number of students pursuing doctoral degrees at the institute almost doubled over the past ten years with a significant portion of these students coming from engineering backgrounds and it has been the predominant reason behind this marvelous achievement. In addition, the institute's relentless efforts to stick on to its research backbone have paid off. While the institute initiated 242 R&D projects with a sanctioned outlay of Rs.220 crore in 2021-22, IIT Bombay has received external funding amounting to Rs.329.08 crore for research purposes this year. No wonder it is the breading ground of the leaders of the tech ade. This special issue is dedicated to the alumni of IIT Bombay, who make the institute proud every day.
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