August 20th, 2026
Celebrating IIT Kharagpur’s 2026 Hall of Fame Honorees
IITKGP Foundation
At IIT Kharagpur’s Platinum Jubilee and Foundation Day celebrations on August 18th 2026, Vinod Gupta (B.Tech, Agricutlural Engineering, 1967, Patel/RK Hall), Asoke Deysarkar (B.Tech, Chemical Engineering, VS Hall), and Purnendu Chatterjee (B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering, 1971; Azad Hall) were inducted into the IIT Kharagpur Alumni Hall of Fame, recognizing their extraordinary achievements, leadership, and enduring contributions to their alma mater. IIT Kharagpur’s Institute Honors program confirms that the Hall of Fame award is presented on the Institute’s Foundation Day. The three honorees join Arjun Malhotra, who received the inaugural Hall of Fame recognition last year.
Each honoree has a remarkable connection to IIT Kharagpur’s growth and global community.
Vinod Gupta’s legacy at IIT Kharagpur is particularly transformative. In 1993, his endowment helped establish the Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM), the first management school within the IIT system. His pioneering vision was to bring together IIT Kharagpur’s technological strengths with management education, creating a new model for developing technology-savvy business leaders. The Government of India complemented his endowment with matching support. More than a decade later, he was again instrumental in establishing the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL), which became the first law school within the IIT system when it began academic activities in 2006. Together, these initiatives expanded the IIT model beyond engineering and technology, bringing management and law education into the Institute’s academic ecosystem and creating a distinctive multidisciplinary approach. Vinod also established the IITKGP Foundation in USA with the mission to raise funds and connect alumni in North America. He will officially receive this honor during his visit to IITKGP in October.
Asoke Deysarkar, the current President of the IITKGP Foundation (USA), has impacted IIT Kharagpur across education, research, student opportunity, and global engagement. He contributed to the establishment of a trans-disciplinary program in Petroleum Engineering, subsequently known as the Deysarkar Center of Excellence in Petroleum Engineering. He also launched the Asoke Deysarkar International Program (ADSIP), providing full scholarships for students and research scholars from SAARC countries to study and conduct research at IIT Kharagpur. More recently, the Deysarkar family made a transformative gift of the Tagore Center property in Houston to create the IIT Kharagpur Outreach Center, envisioned as a hub for academic collaboration, research, innovation, and leadership development.
Purnendu Chatterjee, a celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist, has been a longstanding champion of research, technology, and innovation at IIT Kharagpur. He was among the alumni whose support helped establish the Institute’s Advanced VLSI Design Laboratory, contributing to IITKGP’s early leadership in semiconductor and microelectronics research. More recently, during his Platinum Jubilee-year visit to campus, Chatterjee proposed a 10-year strategic partnership between IITKGP and TCG CREST, the research and education institution founded by Purnendu, to advance frontier research in areas including intelligent energy storage, AI-enabled health and cancer research, quantum technologies, neuroscience, and sustainable food systems—linking IITKGP’s research strengths with a broader global innovation ecosystem.
Please join us in congratulating Vinod Gupta, Asoke Deysarkar, and Purnendu Chatterjee on this well-deserved honor—and in celebrating the growing legacy of KGPians whose accomplishments and generosity continue to inspire generations. Their journies offer a powerful role model for all KGPians: that excellence, leadership, and a commitment to giving back can leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.