This is a letter of support for Prof. Subrata Nandi, CSE, NIT, Durgapur from the alumni of the CSE department. A recent event concerning Prof Nandi at NIT Durgapur came to our notice. Needless to say, we are concerned and would like to express our support in the strongest terms of a teacher who has been instrumental in shaping all of our careers. At the outset, let us state clearly that we are aware of the processes in place in NIT Durgapur for the appraisal process of faculty members. We do not intend to subvert any such process through this letter. Our association with Prof Nandi, goes back to the very beginning of our undergraduate days. We were privileged to learn the very basics of programming from him. In subsequent semesters, we learnt some of the core subjects of computer science from Prof. Nandi ranging from Object Oriented Programming to Operating Systems and Networking. Being a part of Prof. Nandi’s class was always a joy because of his manner of presenting and explaining computer science concepts. His teaching philosophy seemed to be designed to ignite an interest in the subject matter among students and he always seemed to succeed. Additionally, he had two rare characteristics which are often traits of influential teachers, namely, the willingness to go beyond the subject matter and the availability to students at all times. However, Prof. Nandi’s influence was not just limited to subjects prescribed in the syllabus. Many of us had the good fortune to be guided by Prof. Nandi in the preparation of technical projects. For some of us, this was in the form of individual technical projects while for others, it was in the form of the final year project. For a few lucky ones, it was both. During such interactions, his guidance was always characterized by a mix of technical knowhow and encouragement so as to maximize our learning. During our final year projects, Prof. Nandi made sure we learnt the basics of research. As with the course subjects, Prof. Nandi has ensured that his guidance goes beyond just the prescribed timeline of our undergraduate course. In years since, many of us have proceeded to higher degrees and Prof. Nandi has always been the first to provide a recommendation to each and everyone, allowing us to pursue our higher education in reputed universities around the world. Indeed, the very decisions of embarking for higher studies owes to Prof. Nandi in no small part.

Indeed, the time period since our graduation has also seen Prof. Nandi himself broaden his research and complete his Phd. Those of us associated with his research have indeed followed this with keen interest. This is especially so since, true to his nature, he has taken on not just challenging, but intriguing research areas. He has published in coveted international venues such as SIGCOMM and Phy. Rev. E., worked on impactful research areas such as complex networks and P2P networks and has been part of prestigious international collaborations. Apart from the pleasure this gives us having been his students, it is also a source of hope for us as alumni of this institute. It is hope because the presence of more such researchers in our institute can allow us to take a new leap in research, thereby establishing a commanding position among the technical institutes in India and maybe even the world.

Since our graduation, we have taken varied paths in our careers.However, one common part of all of that is foundation that was laid during our time at NIT, Durgapur. More than just a few bricks of that were laid by Prof. Subrata Nandi. It must already be very evident that we viewed Prof. Nandi as a role model and still do. A positive step forward in his career is not merely a recognition of his abilities. It is also an inspiration for all his students to forge ahead in their lives and careers with the determination and diligence exemplified by Prof. Nandi. As mentioned at the beginning of this letter, we do not aim to subvert existing processes. However, at the same time, we feel any delays in providing the necessary accreditations to such an influential teacher is unbecoming of an institution of the status of NIT, Durgapur. We hope this letter is taken as practical validation of his credentials as a faculty. After all, what can be a better validation of credentials of a teacher than the impact he or she has on the lives of his or her students.

Sincerely,
NIT Durgapur Alumni
Department of Computer Science