Facilitating trade&cementing friendships at India ITME Society’s 40th Year Celebration

　　Three Day programme from 19th， 20th & 21st December 2019， commencing with B2B meetings for exclusive delegation of women entrepreneurs from 4 African Nations looking at sourcing from India， kick started the Celebrations for India ITME Society. This B2B event was attended by 52 Indian Companies with 462 meetings during the day including interaction with Indian Institutes & Associations resulting in business & MOUs for student faculty exchange programme and also a promise for out bound delegation from India to Uganda. International Trade Centre （ITC）， organized this 1st time initiative of bringing an all women delegation to India in Partnership with India ITME Society. For the Society， completing its 40th year of service， this activity was a step towards supporting women empowerment by encouraging entrepreneurship in Textile Sector.

　　Apart from Business， this 1st time overseas delegation were also treated to a special Heritage walk of GPO organized & initiated by Ms. Swati Pandey， Postmaster General， Govt. of India.

　　Among the activities offered to the betterment of the industry & for enhancing the quality of Education in Textile Engineering， a special Technical session was organized by India ITME Society. The technical presentation on “Digitization and sustainability - Two drivers for the textile industry” by Dr.-Ing. Yves-Simon Gloy， Adjunct professor in Clemson University & RWTH Aachen Institute of Textile Technology， Germany was well received by the academic community， attended by 180+ faculty & students from various Institutes like， VJTI， ICT， DKTE， SNDT， NIFT， Kushal Institute， Bangladesh Textile Institute etc. Dr. Prof. Josphat Igadwa Mwasigi， MOI University， Kenya， alumni of PSG College of Engineering， Coimbatore also made presentation & discussed collaboration with Institutes paving way for new partnership in sharing knowledge between India & Kenya. This also shall create avenue for students to explore placement opportunities with multinational companies functioning in Africa.

　　India ITME Society is not only about Textile & Textile Engineering， but functions as a culturally conscious organization promoting all aspect of India as a traditionally rich nation. To showcase rich textile heritage encaptured in our Postal stamps， India ITME Society organized philately exhibition for the invited guests from pan India & across the globe. Ms. Swati Pandey， Postmaster General， （Mumbai Region）， Govt. of India， made a scintillating presentation on “History of Indian Postal Service”， educating audience about the services rendered by the Indian Postal Department even in the toughest of the tough conditions& how India Post plays a part not only in our heritage but also in our day to day lives even in todays digital times.

　　Every invited guest， whether from India or overseas had a take away from India ITME Societys 40th year programme. The various Textile & Textile Engineering Associations renewed their collaboration with India ITME Society through MOUs & also shared their experiences， suggestions & way forward to improve trade relations with their respective countries & organizations in a highly interactive Global Connect session in the afternoon session. The panel of speakers consisted of Industry leaders from India & across the globe.

　　India ITME Society extended the mood of celebration for both young & old， across the social & business segments. Certificate of merit & a cash prize of 1，500 USD （1 Lakh INR） were awarded to the winners of the contests organized by India ITME Society in various categories.

　　The evening brought together people from different walks of life， countries and culture， in knowledge， in business， in comradeship concluding the celebrations with live musical performance “Pristine Harmonies.”

　　The road ahead shall be as challenging， as unpredictable， but India ITME Society shall continue to pursue and strengthen its capabilities to lead the Textile Industry & Textile Engineering to further heights through its ambitious and unique initiatives. Humility of Action， Integrity of Purpose and transparency of Conduct will be the key traits driving India ITME Societys growth and journey forward.