Archive · 9 Aug 2026
NITK 1981 batch gifts electric buggies on Foundation Day
A big university in India called NITK had a birthday celebration called Foundation Day.
People who graduated from the school in 1981 came back to visit, and more than one hundred of them arrived with their families.
They brought a special gift: two little electric cars called buggies.
The buggies get their power from sunshine, thanks to a new solar-powered charging station.
People who find it hard to walk, as well as visitors and new students, can ride in them to move around the campus.
The buggies work together with a GPS system that helps people find their way around.
The whole gift cost about 17 lakh rupees.
The alumni started this giving project back in 2018.
Their goal is to help the university use clean energy for a healthier planet.
It was a happy day of celebration and giving.
Over 100 alumni from NITK Surathkal's 1981 batch attended the institute's 67th Foundation Day with their families.
The 1981 batch officially handed over two electric buggies through the CAMPUS 81 initiative.
CAMPUS 81, started in 2018, is a Collaborative Alumni Mobility Partnership for University Sustainability under the CAMP banner.
The Rs. 17 lakh project includes two electric buggies, a solar-powered charging facility, and a GPS-enabled campus tour and information system.
The buggies provide campus mobility for senior citizens, visitors, alumni, students, and people needing mobility assistance, supporting NITK's net-zero campus goal.
- Who
- Alumni of NITK Surathkal's 1981 batch, with design and fabrication led by Associate Professor and Project Coordinator Dr. Pruthviraj U.
- What
- Presentation of two solar-powered electric buggies, a solar charging facility, and a GPS-enabled campus tour system through the CAMPUS 81 initiative.
- When
- At the institute's 67th Foundation Day (no specific date mentioned in the article).
- Where
- National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, in Mangaluru.
- Why
- To provide reliable campus mobility for senior citizens, visitors, alumni, students, and persons needing mobility assistance, supporting NITK's sustainable net-zero campus objective.
- Institution
- National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal
- Occasion
- 67th Foundation Day
- Donors
- 1981 alumni batch (100+ members)
- Initiative
- CAMPUS 81 (Collaborative Alumni Mobility Partnership for University Sustainability), started 2018
- Project cost
- Rs. 17 lakh
- Deliverables
- 2 electric buggies, solar-powered charging facility, GPS-enabled campus tour and information system
- Project coordinator
- Dr. Pruthviraj U, Associate Professor
- Partner units
- Centre for System Design and SEARCH (System for Emergency Assistance, Response and Communication Hub)