Education & Academics

KM Dholakia - BITS Faculty (‘61-84)

Thanks To Sagarika Jaganathan (’93)

Dr.K.M.Dholakia’s nearly 25-year-long love affair with BITS, Pilani, commenced in August 1961.  He began as a lecturer in Civil Engineering, and became Professor in 1976 respectively. In 1973 he took over as head of the Civil Engineering Department and in 1981, was named  Dean of Faculty Division-I. He also served on the Board of Governors of BITS for two years, while still in service, and another three years as Government of India nominee after leaving BITS in December 1984. He helped shape what we know as characteristics of Pilani – normalization, CGPA, BOSM and Oasis. Dr. Dholakia fondly reminisces about his days at BITS, a career steeped in the rich history that is now an integral part of the Bitsian heritage. The institute, he says, has always remained a part of him despite leaving it behind two decades ago. In his own words…

My years at BITS were critical and exciting, and shaped the current institution. During this time, three former colleges were brought together to give birth to Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences...BITS. When three prominent colleges with eminent personalities come together for a common cause there are bound to be problems of differences in work culture, future perception and personalities. Despite the start-up glitches, BITS developed as one great institute with excellent open and forward-looking work culture, and cordial cooperative and socialist human relationships. The transformation has required a lot of patience, foresight, tact, mutual respect and concern and of course, abundant hard work.

I was Warden, Gandhi Bhawan in 1965 and Chief Warden of the BITS hostel system in 1969. Incidentally, I was the first Chief Warden who was given charge of all the hostels of the former colleges..

I’ve had my share of involvement and responsibilities in addressing aspects of this grand transformation, including the start of the normalization process, creation of the CGPA system. In 1965, I was appointed Chairman of the athletic club which oversaw all sports including athletics and the swimming pool. The Bits Open Sports Meet (BOSM) was initiated during my tenure, with the sole purpose of making these activities popular among students and through them, breed harmony, healthy competition and achievement.

On cultural front, I was involved in initiating the practice of inviting eminent classical artists – musicians and dancers – to BITS on the occasions of Founder’s day and the cultural festival, OASIS. We also established the link with SPIC – MACAY. These efforts brought some of the greatest artists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Professor Nihkil Banerjee, Smt. Sonal Man Singh, Kumari Yamini Krishnamurthy, Kumari Uma Sharma, Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi, among other, to the BITS campus. Community celebrations of Holi and Dussehra through Mela-like activities and cultural programs was another area I helped promote.

Leaving BITS in 1984, I took over as Principal of the Birla Vishwakarma Mahavidyalaya (BVM) – a well-known Engineering college at Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat . Established in 1948 as one of the first two engineering colleges of Gujarat under the stewardship of the legendary Professor Junarkar, the college needed definite rejuvenation at the time. We revamped the academic structure, curriculum, examinations.  The infrastructure was upgraded, as well as the skills of the staff, which made tremendous improvements.

I retired from BVM on December 31, 1992 . The overwhelming respect and affection from students, staff and others in Vallabh Vidyanagar was my memorable reward. This stint also gave me the opportunity to work actively on important bodies Sardar Patel University like Syndicate, Senate, Academic Council, Faculty of engineering & Technology, etc.

Since October 1992, I had served as Director of Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) located at Vadodara. After retiring from BVM, I started working as full time Director. In my short term of little over 2 years I worked for the promotion of wind energy in Gujarat and development of regional rural energy development center with the assistance of the planning commission.

Since leaving GEDA, I have been serving as freelance consultant for the establishment and development of self-financed professional institutions like engineering and medical colleges, MCA colleges, etc. in the Gujarat area, pursuing my lifelong passion for perpetuating education among the masses.

BITS afforded an excellent opportunity for my development as a teacher, academician, administrator and organizer. In a more personal way, my tenure at BITS richly rewarded me with lasting relationships with a large number of students, colleagues and the simple, warm-hearted people of Pilani. To this day, my times at BITS are the most memorable in my life. 

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