Manipal campus bursts into celebrations

Campus town Manipal burst into celebrations on Wednesday following the elevation of Satya Nadella as the global CEO of Microsoft late Tuesday.

Students of the Manipal Institute of Technology or MIT, Nadella’s alma mater – he received BE in electronics & communication in 1988 – stayed glued to cafeteria TV and as soon as the news broke, ran out to relay it to everyone. Day-long celebrations ensued in the campus.

Students of electronics and communication courses, who adore Nadella, rode their bikes through the town spreading the news, distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers. Pallavi Reddy, who first interned and then joined Microsoft recently, could not control her joy. “As a student ready to embark on the journey into the corporate world, having an alumnus of MIT as the CEO definitely boosts motivation levels and inspires to target higher levels of success.”

“Yes, it is a great day for Manipal University. Every single student, past and present, will cherish this glorious moment. Satya’s great achievement has done MIT and Manipal University proud,” said chancellor Ramdas M Pai. “Over the last three months, when his name was shortlisted for the job, we have been hoping and praying that Satya would get the job. Today is a red letter day in the history of Manipal University.”

Nadella’s teacher and MIT director Vinod V Thomas said his pupil was sincere, quiet and earned his degree in first class with distinction. His rise now will likely inspire the current and future batches of students, he said.

Hari Hebbar, director of the School of Information Sciences who taught digital electronics to Nadella, said, “As a student, he had a keen eye for detail. He would always want to know the how and why of everything that was being taught in the class. He never would take the next step without fully knowing the step he has already taken. It was a dream come true in my 30 years of teaching career that I could mentor a student who has become a giant.”