Coming soon: Hostel-5, starring IIT-Bombay alumni

Alumni of Hostel-5 outside the hostel along with Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, director, IIT-B (centre)

Many who lived in a hostel as students talk fondly of those days. But how many of them know the state of their hostel now? The alumni of Hostel-5 at the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay (IIT-B) have raised over Rs 5 crore to make their beloved hostel more convenient for current students.

The IIT-B alumni are known to have strong connections, with there being instances of alumni joining hands to help in the past too. This latest effort though does not come from a single batch or class but from the former residents of Hostel-5, popularly known as H-5. The eldest donor alumnus is from the class of 1964 and the youngest from the class of 2019. Over the next few months, H-5 alumni will make enhancements to improve the hostel as part of a joint initiative between the institute and the IIT Bombay Alumni Association.

How it began

It all started in March 2019 when a few H-5 alumni visited the Powai campus for the Foundation Day function and observed several changes, the most important being double the number of students.

Alumni from civil engineering and infrastructure decided to help and an MoU was signed with IIT-B. "Eventually, even current student residents were made part of the discussions to understand their issues.

The pandemic put everything on hold until October 2020 when the students approached us to know about the plans and the initiative regained pace," said Dhananjay Saheba, a 1977 alumnus from IIT-B's Electrical Engineering Department. He is leading the project and is also a board member at the IIT Bombay Alumni Association (IITBAA).

Meaningful effort

"Hostel life played a critical role in our education and development. It's where we formed some of the deepest and most meaningful friendships of our lives. We have come together from around the world and across batches to do something meaningful for the future generations of our hostel mates," he added.

Alumni from H-5 were identified and mails were sent to over 2,000. Saheba, a Juhu resident, said, "Mails were sent in December. By February-end, we received over R5 crore from H-5 alumni across the world."

The project will include items such as building more toilets, creating state-of-the-art modern study areas among others. Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, director, IIT-B, said, "It is my privilege and great pleasure to have launched a truly pioneering project. Current H-5 students have expressed a keen interest in these enhancements as they will significantly improve the quality of hostel life."

2000
2,000: Approx. no. of students who were contacted for the initiative