an educational institute is a sum total of an institutes ethos leaders vision faculty members razorsharp intellect staff members commitment students aspirations and alumnis gratitude an alumni network is an extended and expanded identity of any educational institute the feeling of going back to almamater is a nostalgic journey moreover an expression of gratitude the illustrious alumni base adds to the institutional legacy and acts as the wind beneath the wings for many young aspirantsyoung alums picture courtesy k j somaiya institute of managementthe mysurubased national institute of engineering nie has one such wind rather a storm narayan murthy the legendary indian businessman and the founder of infosys who shaped the indian it sector in the early 1990s and has inspired thousands of young minds to become firstgeneration entrepreneurs a once india incs most powerful ceo narayan murthy said nobody is bothered about an institution more than its alumni as a man of his words in 2016 he reached out to his almamater and went on a weeklong tour to the usa to find and reconnect with his fellow global alumni to make nie a healthier institution and add immense value to the universitynarayan murthy founder infosys picture courtesy infosysthere are a series of alumnirelated anecdotes that resonate with each of us in our own way in 2015 in a heartwarming conversation with an alumnus from 199395 batch of k j somaiya institute of management sendhil kumar vividly remembered his then director prof arya who would call up every student on their birthday to wish them even after 25 years he and his batchmates cherish it it is the memories that bring alumni back to their almamater reaffirming the influence of teachers on their former studentsan almamater is the nest that shelters zillions of hearts with dreams and hopes which find their home on the global map over the years an institution expands beyond its physical campus through its alumni network the shared value and bond that incoming current and former students share through the sense of belongingness to their common almamater is enough to break the ice and establish a healthy connection for an alumnus to help build an alumni network is one of the selfless acts in the past ten years mehul ashar k j somaiya institute of management alumnus of the 200204 batch has been instrumental in building a robust hyderabad alumni local circle for his almamater as shared by most hyderabadbased alums we have to join when mehul calls up such is the power of peerinfluencehyderabad alumni meet picture courtesy k j somaiya institute of managementas harvey specter the fictional lead character from the popular series suits says loyalty is a twoway street is true for alumni relations as well an institutes alumni relations initiatives and alumnis active involvement go in clasped hands institutions strive revive and thrive through the meaningful alumni engagement and so do the alumni communities ascertain attain and sustain with the almamaters involved participation alums are the ambassadors who instil