The School of Artificial Intelligence at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Delhi NCR–Faridabad Campus, welcomed its new B.Tech and M.Tech students and their parents through Swagatham 2026, marking the beginning of their academic journey at Amrita.
Held at the 1,200-seat auditorium of the Delhi NCR–Faridabad Hospital Campus, the programme commenced with the traditional Lamp Lighting Ceremony, followed by a vibrant Rangoli created by students to welcome the incoming batch.
Dr. Sakshi Ahuja welcomed the gathering and Chief Guest, Dr. Pratishtha T. Pandey, Head, R&D Infrastructure Division, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. Dr. Pandey reassured parents and students that they had come to a special institution offering a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment. She highlighted Amrita’s holistic approach to education, combining academic excellence and research with values, compassion, and responsible leadership.
Prof. Kamal Bijlani, Dean, School of Artificial Intelligence, addressed the students and parents on the theme “Three Gifts We Carry – Intelligence, Teamwork, and Passion.” He emphasised that beyond intelligence, success requires teamwork, collaboration across disciplines, and putting one’s heart and passion into one’s work. By rising above individual interests and working together, students can build AI solutions with significant societal impact.
Mr. Praveen Bist, Head HR, introduced Amrita’s Live-in-Labs® programme, through which students engage with rural communities and develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges, and delivered the Vote of Thanks that concluded the formal programme.
Following the ceremony, a guided golf-cart tour of the Amrita Hospital campus gave Dr. Pandey an opportunity to interact with hospital experts and faculty and experience the unique hospital-campus environment. During the interactions, Dr. Pandey spoke about national research infrastructure and opportunities supported by DST, including FIST, STEM initiatives, and the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). She encouraged faculty to develop focused proposals, make effective use of national research resources, and pursue impactful and socially relevant research.
Swagatham 2026 set an inspiring tone for the 2026 batch, bringing together academic excellence, innovation, values, collaboration, and social responsibility.
The School of Artificial Intelligence extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Pratishtha T. Pandey, Amrita Management, faculty, staff, student volunteers, and parents for making the occasion a memorable beginning for the new batch.
