Rahul Kumar, 22, the son of a migrant worker from Sosandi, a village in Bihar's Nalanda district, has graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, one of the premier educational institutes in the country.  Kumar has won a scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Utah, United States and to teach there as an assistant professor.

Kumar's 52-year-old father Sunil Singh works on a power loom in Surat on a daily-wage basis. He was compelled to shift to Gujarat since the small piece of land that the family owns in Bihar wasn't sufficient for him and his four siblings to earn a living.

During the annual convocation of the institute held via digital mode, Rahul, who completed his B. Tech in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, was awarded the President's Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal for his social initiatives.

Apart from being academically brilliant, Rahul has always been inclined towards the welfare of society and his zeal led him to become the General Secretary of National Service Scheme (NSS), IIT Roorkee.

"With his great leadership and managerial skills, he led a team of around 1,000 students and liaised with several college administrations, government officers, and NGOs in carrying out various events. His various initiatives in the field of Youth Leadership has been widely acknowledged through awards and honors across platforms," Professor Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, told IANS.

"This year's convocation is special because of many reasons. The first and foremost reason is that our alumnus Ashok Soota is the Chief Guest. His presence is a matter of great pride for us. The second special reason is that this year's convocation is being presided over by BVR Mohan Reddy chairman of our board of Governors. He is a doyen of Indian industry who has agreed to spare some of his time for guiding the higher education sector in the country," added Chaturvedi.

(IANS)