Ashok Kumar (BT/CE/2007) was one of the calmest people one would come across. His infectious smile and gentle talk could soothe every stressful situation. Ashok was born in a very small village, Aktaha (Tehsil Ghosi, District Mau) in UP. He came from a very humble background. He completed his schooling from JNV Mau. With limited resources, he made it to IIT Kanpur through his sheer hard work and perseverance. He was never perturbed in any situation, and always dealt those with a composed smile. Never too excited, never distressed.

After graduation, he was placed as an engineer in the NTPC. Later, he completed his M.Tech from IIT Roorkee. He wanted to go for higher studies, but chose to take a job much closer to his home because of personal and family reasons. He was working in the Department of Irrigation (U.P.) as an Assistant Engineer.

Ashok had a reserved personality. He would talk using as little words as possible, but any conversation with him would be very rewarding. In his early days, he had to work very hard, since he had limited exposure to formal English. But we never heard him complaining. On the contrary, he was always excited to learn new things and felt blessed to have gained technical education from one of the best colleges in the country. He would regularly express his contentment in his own gentle way.

Ashok was suffering from Typhoid and had mild COVID symptoms. He was admitted to Medanta, Gurgaon after facing difficulties in breathing. He was shifted to ICU and treated for several days, but never fully recovered. He breathed his last on 28th October 2020. His sudden demise has definitely left a void in the life of everyone he interacted with. It is really difficult to come to terms with the fact that he left us to the heavenly abode. He will definitely be missed.