In loving memory of our friend Sonu Agrawal: “He was my brother” These beautiful yet agonizing words come not only from a batchmate who was very near and dear to Sonu, but reflect the emotions and memories of everyone in the IITK batch of 1993-1997/1998, which has united in this difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic to create a faculty chair in the name of their batchmate Late Sonu Agrawal. Sonu was a dear friend to many while at IITK and continued to make a lasting impact on those around him even after graduating.

After graduating from the Integrated MSc Physics program at IITK, fortified with an MBA from IIM Calcutta, Sonu returned to his Alma Mater. With support from IITK, he founded the company WRMS, an agriculture and dairy risk management company in 2004. With him at the helm and under his stewardship, WRMS grew over the years to serve the needs of about 2 million farmers, and developed many novel insurance initiatives in India. His vision helped WRMS to create innovative solutions and insurance products in smart farming, climate risk management and insurance in collaboration and partnership with governments, international donor agencies and companies. He met a very tragic and untimely passing in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although he leaves behind a sad family and friends, his work leaves behind a strong legacy for everyone to celebrate and be inspired by and our batch would like to honour his memory through this chair. The batchmates of Late Sonu Agrawal have also managed to connect with his parents and his sister, and they have extended their blessings for this initiative.

This Chair is to commemorate Sonu's brilliance, his contributions to society in his professional career and the future impact he could have had on society.’’

Sonu Agrawal Memorial Chair Professor will honour and memorialize one of the finest and most beloved students of IIT Kanpur. The Batch has committed to raise Rs. 1.25 crores over the next few months. The endowment fund is being created in perpetuity with a vision to reward a distinguished professor.

Faculty Chairs honour outstanding, high performing professors who are leaders in their fields and provide them with the support and resources they need to achieve their goals as researchers and educators. IITK is committed to ensure that we retain and reward those faculty who have earned a high degree of global recognition for their accomplishments. The Institute also seek to recruit leading faculty from India and around the world and Faculty Chair allows to fulfil both objectives. Faculty Chair signals the status of the Chair holder and are the highest honour that IITK can bestow upon faculty who have made extraordinary contributions to research and teaching.

The purpose of the chair is to accelerate the scholar’s career, and the impact of their research to a level of international leadership. The chair will support the yearly honorarium of the Chair Occupant @ Rs. 25,000 per month and provide a Research grant for contingency & travel expenses @ Rs. 2 lakhs per year.
Total Endowment target: Rs 1.25 crores