07/08/2026
Dhirubhai Ambani University Concludes Silver Jubilee Celebrations, Unveils Vision for the Future
On August 5, 2026, Dhirubhai Ambani University (DAU), formerly DA-IICT, held the closing ceremony of its Silver Jubilee celebrations at its campus in Gandhinagar. The event brought together alumni, founding and former faculty and staff members, and DAU's current faculty, staff, students, and officials.
The ceremony opened with an inaugural address by Prof. Tathagata Bandyopadhyay, Director General, DAU, who expressed gratitude to everyone for their contributions over the university's 25-year journey. He noted that the day marked the culmination of a year-long celebration and announced the launch of two special books, one on the biodiversity of the campus and the other documented the entrepreneurial journey of alumni.
Welcoming everyone, Dr G. Venkatesh, Director, School of Technology, DAU, shared that the university has over 2,700 students on campus this year, and for the first time, over 1,000 students have joined in a single year.
Envisioning 4,000 students on campus by 2029, he added that the university is building new infrastructure on campus and plans to establish a School of Finance and a School of Healthcare, both integrating technology into their respective domains.
One of the key highlights of the event was the announcement of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Shri Pavitar Singh (B.Tech. ICT, Batch of 2004).
A tribute was paid to members who were once part of the DAU family but are no longer with us today, followed by a felicitation of the founding and long-serving faculty and staff members. The honoured faculty and staff then shared their memories and reflections from their years at the university.
The Digital Archive was launched during the ceremony, with Prof. Madhumita Mazumdar, convenor of the Digital Archive Project, giving an overview of the initiative before Prof. Tathagata Bandyopadhyay formally inaugurated it. A special exhibition of some of the digitised material was also put up on display.
The occasion also marked the official establishment of the DAU Press, with the publication of two books. The first, “Campus Wings”: A Field Guide to the Birds of Dhirubhai Ambani University, originated as the final thesis project of Marmika Gameti, a student of the MDes (Communication Design) programme.
The second, “Where Ideas Take Off”, is a compilation of success stories of 21 start-ups founded by DAU alumni. The book was a collaborative project in which 15 B. Tech and M. Tech students interviewed the alumni and converted their stories into narratives under the guidance of the team of faculty and staff, which were compiled into the publication.
The event also had a panel discussion on “Learning to Leadership: Alumni on Campus Life, Careers and Change”, which brought together alumni to pause, reflect and share their experiences. The ceremony concluded with closing remarks by Prof. Sanjay Srivastava, where he thanked everyone for their contributions in making the event a success.
