The IITLC annual lunch, which has become something of a tradition among the IIT community in the UK, was held on the 29th of November at the exclusive Private Rooms at Buckingham Gate, part of the Taj Group of Hotels. The lunch was a fun filled event with Bollywood dance, socialising and some inspiring thoughts from our chief guest Ranjit Sondhi, CBE. Despite a wet and rainy day in London the event was attended by nearly 100 IITians and their family members from batches ranging from 1962 to as recent as 2008.

A souvenir was prepared for this event . Please click here to view the souvenir.

Guests arriving at the lunch were greeted with drinks and starters. The first hour provided an excellent opportunity to network and socialise while enjoying a glass of wine or soft drinks. The event started with Mohit Kumar, the master of ceremony for the day, outlining the event details followed by an account of IITLC activities from Shyamal Desai, the chairman of IITLC. As per the tradition of honouring members who work tirelessly to make IITLC a success on a purely voluntary basis, Peter Chan was presented with the award of Alumnus of the year’.

The occasion was graced by Ranjit Sondhi, CBE as our chief guest, who is an Ambassador for Diversity on Public Boards. Mr Sondhi, touched on the question of ‘Indian’ identity’ in the multicultural British society. The thought provoking talk and the Q&A session raised many issues on how our identity changes and adapts to the situation while still maintaining its individuality.

Please click here to see a copy of Ranjit Sondhi’s speech

The talk was followed by a delicious sit down Indian buffet lunch. As IITians enjoyed their food, at almost every table one could hear stories and experiences of the good old college days being shared

Food was followed by Bollywood dance from Nadia which added glamour to the get together. She not only showed some interesting dance moves but also invited the guests on to the dance floor. Soon many IITians and their spouses were dancing to Bollywood music.

Peter Chan and his dance partner provided a demonstration of Jive for the benefit of the younger IIT crowd.

The dance program was followed by raffle prizes, tickets for which had been skilfully sold by Ajay Chaudhary and Dinesh Gupta. Many IITians won exciting prizes ranging from a paid long weekend to Paris to Bonsai Plants and champagne bottles. The event concluded with a vote of thanks from BK Gurtu, the PR person for IITLC

IITLC has over the years become a platform for socialising and networking among IITians in the UK and with its recent charity status aims to become a conduit for IITians wishing to contribute to their Alma Mater. We hope to see many of you at future IIT events and get-togethers and relive the memories of our IIT days