President of India graces PEC Centenary Year Celebrations: 16th November 2021

Punjab Engineering College (PEC), completed its glorious 100 years on November 9, 2021, since its establishment in 1921 at Lahore. The Centenary Celebrations started with an inaugural ceremony on Foundation Day followed by a gala celebration on November 16, 2021, which was graced by Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind as the chief guest with the Governor of Punjab, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Haryana, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, Advisor to UT administrator, Shri Dharam Pal as guests of Honor.

The President unveiled the special cover of PEC featuring Mughalpura Engineering College at Lahore in 1921 which is the origin of PEC at one side and PEC auditorium on the other side. The PEC auditorium is historic in itself as it is one of the iconic buildings of Chandigarh that housed the first Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1953. A Coffee Table Book titled "A glorious journey of 100 years and beyond" was also presented to the President and other distinguished guests. In addition to this, Souvenirs as tokens of gratitude were also presented to them.

The President addressed the august gathering and congratulated PEC on completing 100 years. He mentioned that PEC is a prominent symbol of Indian culture and reflected upon PEC's achievements and contributions in various spheres through its graduates. He enlightened all present that the first group of 17 aeronautical engineers in the Indian Airforce was given by PEC, brought into light contributions of some noteworthy Alumni and torchbearers of PEC such as Padma Vibhushan recipient Dr Satish Dhawan, Kalpana Chawla etc among others. He further talked about two of the seven Centres of Excellence of PEC which was Kalpana Chawla Chair of Geospatial Technology (KCCGT) and Siemens Center of Excellence. He articulated the contributions of PEC and its students in the difficult times of the COVID pandemic, including robots made by PEC students.

The President of India inaugurated a newly built Centenary Hall on this milestone. He also inaugurated the newly established state-of-the-art semiconductor research centre (Clean Lab) of the Electronics and Communications Department of PEC. The Governor of Punjab articulated in his speech about PEC graduates being been the mainstay of our economy and glorifying the nation with its significant contributions. He hoped that PEC would be successful and urged the institute to strive to be a world-class leader in research and education. The Director of Punjab Engineering College, Dr Baldev Setia in his address illuminated the illustrious history of PEC and took us through the journey of transition of PEC from Lahore to its present campus in Chandigarh.
A documentary showcasing the 100 years of PEC was released on this auspicious occasion. The documentary also featured stories about a few notable alumni from PEC and gave a glimpse into the student life at Campus. The entire event was live telecasted on various online platforms. The celebrations were further enhanced by vibrant cultural dance and music performances by the students. Strict covid protocols were followed for the event.

PEC stands as a strong reminiscence of the previous notable personalities and paves the way for future accomplishments, whilst holding significant moments of the history of the nation. It was an event that brought the entire PEC Fraternity including its students, Faculty and Staff,  its Alumni and all the stakeholders held hand in hand to make the celebrations truly mesmerizing and magical.