The KnowDis Award for Excellence presented to Professor M. Balakrishnan

VMPL
New Delhi [India], November 18: KnowDis AI, an AI company founded by CS&E BTech alumnus Saurabh Singal, presented the KnowDis Award for Excellence to Professor M. Balakrishnan, an Honorary Professor at the CS&E Department of IIT Delhi and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Plaksha University, on 25th October 2024. The award was conferred during a decorous ceremony at IIT Delhi, attended by esteemed faculty members from the CS&E Department, alumni, and industry professionals, all gathered to celebrate Professor Balakrishnan's remarkable contributions to the field of computer science and engineering.
The KnowDis Award for Excellence has long acknowledged remarkable contributions in academia and industry. Past recipients include Prof. P.C.P. Bhatt (2019), Prof. S.N. Maheshwari (2020), SPIC MACAY and Dr. Kiran Seth (2021), and Prof. Vijay Vazirani (2022). KnowDis is honoured to include Professor Balakrishnan in this distinguished list of awardees to acknowledge his pursuit of excellence in research, teaching, and engineering innovation.
Professor M. Balakrishnan is widely respected for his significant impact on the department, inspiring countless students and faculty with his dedication and vision. After over three decades in the CS&E Department at IIT Delhi, he recently joined Plaksha University as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. During his tenure at IIT Delhi, he held various leadership positions, including Dean of Post Graduate Studies & Research and Deputy Director of Strategy & Planning. As a pioneer in assistive technology research in India, Professor Balakrishnan co-founded the ASSISTECH Lab at IIT Delhi, which focuses on developing affordable solutions for the mobility and education of visually impaired individuals. His outstanding contributions to education and technology have earned him three National Awards, the ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award and IIT Delhi's Lifetime Achievement Award. He has supervised over 21 PhD scholars and more than 200 undergraduate and postgraduate projects, impacting the academic community.
The award ceremony was beautifully initiated with Ishaan Singal's heartfelt rendition of Ganesh Vandana. The young singer created a reverent and uplifting atmosphere that set the tone for the event.
Following the opening, Saurabh Singal introduced the event by expressing his deep gratitude towards Professor Balakrishnan, recalling how profoundly the professor influenced his journey during his undergraduate studies at IIT Delhi. He highlighted the pivotal role Professor Balakrishnan played in shaping his career and emphasised the immense respect he holds for him. Singal then invited Professor Naveen Garg, the Head of the CS&E Department, to share a few words.
In his address, Professor Garg expressed his admiration for Professor Balakrishnan's exceptional problem-solving abilities and unwavering commitment to students and colleagues. He fondly reminisced about their early morning walks, which provided fresh insights into tackling challenges and fostered a deeper appreciation for the IIT Delhi campus and its rich intellectual environment. Professor Garg's remarks highlighted the profound impact that Professor Balakrishnan has had on his life and career.
Next, Singal invited Professor Yogesh Andlay to speak. Although Professor Andlay had never formally studied under Professor Balakrishnan, he shared how reconnecting with him during his entrepreneurial journey was transformative. He reminisced about the early entrepreneurial endeavours initiated at IIT Delhi, noting that Professor Balakrishnan played a crucial role in fostering a spirit of innovation and collaboration that energised aspiring entrepreneurs.
Professor Sanjiva Prasad shared his reflections on Professor Balakrishnan, describing him as an eternal optimist who believes in people's intrinsic goodness. He noted how Professor Balakrishnan consistently prioritised the institute's broader interests over narrow departmental allegiances. Professor Prasad fondly recalled how the professor approached challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset and encouraged the exploration of new possibilities, thus inspiring those around him.
Additionally, several of Professor Balakrishnan's former students and colleagues, including Subodh Kumar, Alok Mittal, Tejinder Singh Miglani, Vikas Upadhyay, Dipinder Sekhon, Professor S.R.N. Reddy, and many more offered heartfelt tributes that underscored the deep influence he had on their professional lives. Alok Mittal highlighted how Professor Balakrishnan instilled a value system emphasising the importance of social impact through technology and education. He remarked on the professor's ability to inspire students to focus on making a meaningful difference rather than merely pursuing financial gain.
Tejinder Singh Miglani fondly remembered Professor Balakrishnan's unwavering support during his BTech project. He praised the professor's constant enthusiasm and eagerness to explore new ideas, recalling how this encouragement made a significant difference in his academic journey. Professor S.R.N. Reddy further emphasised the professor's contributions to mentoring and implementing best practices of IIT Delhi in IGDTUW, which have led to the successful commercialisation of various projects and fostered fruitful collaborations between academia and industry.
The event concluded with a delightful lunch at Gulmohar, the guesthouse at IIT Delhi, where members of the CSE Department and the KnowDis team engaged in enriching discussions. The event served as a testament to Professor Balakrishnan's enduring legacy and the collective commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in computer science and engineering.
Through heartfelt speeches and shared memories, the gathering not only celebrated Professor Balakrishnan's extensive contributions but also reinforced the values of mentorship, collaboration, and innovation that he has instilled in countless individuals throughout his career.

Attendees at the award ceremony, including Alok Mittal, Dr Vikas Upadhyay, Manshul Belani, Tejinder Miglani, Anoop G Prabhu, Ashwani Gautam, Prof Chetan Arora, Dipinder Sekhon, Prof S.R.N Reddy, Prof Rohan Paul, Prof Ragesh Jaiswal, Prof Rohit Vaish, Prof Rajendra Kumar, Prof Parag Singla, Prof M. Balakrishnan, Prof Priyanka Golia, Prof Naveen Garg, Prof Sayan Ranu, Prof Sanjeev Arora, Prof Kaustubh Beedkar, Prof Vaishnavi Sundararajan, Prof Sanjiva Prasad, Dr P.V.M Rao, Prof Srikanta Bedathur, Prof Subodh Kumar, Prof Maya Ramanath, Prof Ashish Chiplunkar, Prof Nikhil Balaji, Dr Piyush Chanana, Prof Kumar Madhukar, Saurabh Singal, Neeta Singal, Ishaan Singal, Dr Keshav Kolluru, Dr Kunal Dahiya, Sanchit Verma.
About knowDis AI:
KnowDis is an innovative AI startup founded by Saurabh Singal, a former hedge fund manager and an alumnus of IIT Delhi and Carnegie Mellon University. KnowDis is well known for its world-beating NLP products, including recommendation systems and machine translation software. KnowDis AI models power IndiaMART's B2B platform. KnowDis is also involved in drug discovery using Artificial Intelligence. Find out more at: https://www.knowdis.ai/
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