Respected Chairman of today’s meeting,
My dear members of the Alumni Association, honorable members of the Governing Body and Advisory Body, merit awardee students, their respected parents, and family members of our alumni, ladies and gentlemen.
Firstly, I congratulate all the merit student awardees on the distinction showered on them for their brilliant academic performance. I am thankful to all the respective parents who have come all the way here on our invitation to be a part of today’s event and felicitation. This is the 5th time since 2019-24 that I am addressing you all, my friends, in the AGM.
Our respected Shri Gattani Ji, Secretary of our alumni association, has presented the statement of accounts and listed a number of activities performed by your alumni association. We shall feel proud that within a span of 4-5 years, of which more than 2 years were passed due to pandemic conditions prevailing in our state and country, the AGM in 2021 and 2022 were held online. Even during the COVID-19 situations, we were holding our Governing Body meetings regularly with the able assistance of our Governing Body and Advisory Body members online. The list of activities performed is exhaustive and was done in the best interest of the GPK students. Also, I thank the number of donors who have instituted prizes to be given every year to merit students and also helped financially weaker students by giving cash assistance of Rs 5000 each to 12 such students. I thank Shri Madan Ji Joshi for such a noble gesture.
During the last 10-12 months, we have lost a number of our distinguished members. I pay my sincere homage to their memories and pray to God to give courage to their family members to bear this great personal loss. We lost Shri Borkar, Shri Mitkari, Shri Shaha, Shri Prakash Wankhede, Shri Nandkishor Deshmukh, Shri Kashinath Ghughe, Shri Sitre, Mrs. Karnure (wife of teaching faculty), and other friends.
We also pay our respects and regards to our Ex-Principal, Shri Ghosh sir, and Khandekar sir on their death anniversary every year in Oct/Nov.
Slow and steady, we are marching ahead in the service to our society as per the vision and mission of the alumni association.
I had the privilege of meeting Respected Shri Abhay Ji Wagh Saheb, Director of Technical Education Maharashtra state, on 25 Dec 2022 at GPK. He wholeheartedly appreciated the activities of our alumni association for the last 3 years. It’s only Government Polytechnic Alumni Association in the state which is so actively working for students in Maharashtra.
We discussed a number of measures and our future line of action in providing quality guidance to our young, budding, and upcoming students of GPK. Based on that, our Alumni Association has decided to go ahead as follows:
- Making available E-books to our final year students to start with.
- Arrange guest lectures by calling distinguished faculty of all the branches in GPK.
- Calling our own alumni members for sharing their experiences in the field and their attached memories.
- Knowledge about perfect English speaking. Once we go out on the field for working. How to improve our English speaking skills in the day-to-day workplaces. We shall be organizing speakers for giving English speaking coaching to begin with for our final year students.
- Creating a database for our past students, say for the last 5 years or so. Tracking their educational as well as service movements. Institute can help us if any software is available.
- Running of mess for our hostel students and day boarders on a no-loss, no-profit basis. The modalities are being discussed with the Institute, students, and Alumni Association office bearers. We had organized personality development lectures and Vipashyana classes, which we shall continue on a regular basis for our GPK students. There has been a very good response from the students and staff members of GPK.
- Raising funds for doing all the above activities. We need to create a corpus fund to a tune of Rs 25 lakh. I appeal to my Alumni friends to come forward and contribute their might for your Association. This institution has given us name and a base in society. It’s our turn to pay back graciously for the betterment of budding young ones. But no compulsions on anyone. We shall keep marching towards our mission untiringly.
- Restructuring our GB to accommodate members from other faculties other than civil. We have got this restructuring approved from The Charity Commissioner Buldana as per set procedures recently on 29 January 2024. Now our strength of Governing Body stands increased from 11 to 19 so that we can accommodate a minimum of two members from all the five faculties. The elected body shall start its functioning from Nov 2024 itself. Today I am pleased to inform you all that all the 19 members are being elected.
We can have a distinguished Panel of Advisory Body to guide the GB. And not the least, our co-opted members under the able guidance of Respected Principal sir, all the Respected HoDs, and members of the teaching faculty are always providing us necessary guidance and encouraging us in our mission of service towards our young students of GPK. We are indebted to all our Gurujans for their support.
During the last two years, the National Board of Accreditation, Government of India, has visited GPK Electrical Department and Civil Engineering Department and accorded accreditation and lauded the efforts of the Alumni Association Khamgaon. During the last 5 years, PWD officers have done commendable work by providing us this office building duly furnished. I am thankful to Shri Pravin Ji Pundkar, Assistant Engineer, and his brilliant team of engineers, all of whom are our alumni, under the wholehearted support of our Shri Sunil Ji Thotange in according his approvals. I am glad to inform you all that Shri Sunil Ji Thotange, the Executive Engineer PWD Khamgaon, has been conferred with the Best Engineers Award in 2023 by the Government of Maharashtra for his excellent overall performance while discharging his duties. Our Association has the pleasure in felicitating him.
With these words, I conclude my speech. I thank you all for giving a patient hearing. I am thankful to our Respected Principal Shri Prabhune sir, all our Respected HoDs, and all the teaching faculty of GPK in shaping the Alumni right from its birth in Nov 2019.
Thanks.
With warm Regards,
Satish Virmani,
President GPK Alumni Association
Date: 20th March 2024