| |
Prof. V LakshmiNarayanan (1906 – 1983) – A brief memoir
By Saraswathi & R. Pitchai sent by Prashant Vishwanathan
He made
his mark on the higher technical education scene in India and brought
thought leadership to it for a quarter of a century (1945 to 1970).
With the active support and encouragement of the Birlas, he helped
transform a remote, fledgling technical college in rural Rajasthan into
a premier institution of higher learning in the country,
internationally recognized for its world-class facilities, faculty and
programmes. On this occasion, it is fitting to remember the man and his
mission and how he went about creating a great temple of learning in
the face of various physical, cultural and emotional odds.
Born in a traditional, middle-class Brahmin family of South India on
2nd Sept. 1906, Vaidyanathan Lakshminarayanan had his early education
in Bangalore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli. His educational proficiency
and distinction were such that, in 1924, he secured admission to the
engineering course at the Govt. Engineering College at Guindy, Madras
(now Anna University) – this was at a time when the undivided
country itself had only a few engineering colleges and getting a seat
in the only full-fledged engineering college in the State was just a
distant dream for many. Specialising in Mechanical Engineering, he
graduated with a B.E. Degree in 1928. His interests in sports and
cultural activities were well developed by this time – he was the
general captain for Tennis and his hobbies included acting in plays and
photography.
Prof.Lakshminarayanan started his professional career as a mechanical
supervisor in the then Madras P.W.D. After a three-year stint, his real
professional vocation, teaching and training of engineers and
management of higher technological institutions, beckoned him and he
joined his Alma Mater, the College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras as a
Jr. Asst. Instructor in Mechanical Engineering, at the entry level.
Besides teaching, he took part in a wide range of curricular and
extra-curricular activities such as Editor, College Magazine;
Secretary, Old Boys Association; Founder, Co-operative credit society
for staff; prominent tennis player, and others. These paved the way for
his developing into a many-dimensional personality in later years.
From 1941 began his career with the Govt. of India – Technical
Training Scheme in the Department of Labour in the Directorate General
of Resettlement and Employment. He started as a Superintendent at the
Madras Technical Training Centre in Sept.1941 and gradually rose
through the ranks as Vice-Principal, and Principal. In 1943, he took
over as Principal, Ajmer Mission School – Technical Training
Centre and in 1945, he took charge as Regional Inspector, Central
Circle at Nagpur and Delhi where he served with distinction till 1946.
Prof. Lakshminarayanan’s Life-mission of setting up a premier
Higher Technological Institution at Pilani, the ancestral home of the
Birlas, began in a subdued note. In July 1946, Mr. G. D. Birla offered
him the position of Vice-Principal and Head of the Mechanical
Engineering Department (as also Acting Principal) at the proposed Birla
Engineering College, just then on the anvil as a unit of the Birla
Educational Trust at Pilani. Prof. Lakshminarayanan accepted the
offer and challenge. The engineering college was to be located at a
remote, rural area of Rajasthan not readily accessible by rail or air.
Then existing Vidya Vihar campus was about 3 or 4 km from the Pilani
village. The only infrastructure available to start the engineering
college was a workshop building (which doubled up as the main
administrative office of the college), a gymnasium, a dispensary, a few
houses for the staff, some barracks (the campus was a military base
during World War II!) to be used as class rooms, a guest house and a
couple of basic hostel buildings for the boys. A girl’s school
(Birla Balika Vidyapeeth) was also located in the Campus. With these
beginnings, between 1946 and 1960, Prof. V. Lakshminarayanan, by his
professional stature, tremendous energy and will power, technical
competence, human relations skills, and single-minded devotion to the
cause, with full support and encouragement from the Birlas, the Birla
Educational Trust of which Dr. S. D. Pande was the Secretary, and with
the excellent cooperation from the faculty and students, helped
establish, develop, and raise the Birla Engineering College, to the
status of a National Higher Technological Institute – well known
not only in the country but internationally too. From an initial
strength of about 150 students in 1947, the Institute has grown many
fold now to provide educational opportunity to thousands of budding
engineers and scientists.
When
Prof. Lakshminarayanan initiated activities for the Birla Engg. College
in 1946-47, there was also a Science and Commerce College run by the
Birlas in the Pilani village. During 1947, after Independence and
partition, a large number of refugees were absorbed in the college. The
land-mark new building of the college with the central tower was built
in the early 1950’s and it accommodated in one wing the colleges
of Arts and Science, Commerce and Pharmacy and the other wing, the
entire Engineering College. Several new laboratories, class rooms,
library, hostel facilities for men and women, sports and recreation
facilities were built, well qualified and motivated faculty recruited
from all over India and the infrastructure needed to make the campus
self-sufficient created such that, by late 1950’s, the Birla
Engineering College was a National Institute of repute much sought
after by students from all over India. All these institutions in Pilani
were affiliated to the University of Rajaputana which later on came to
be known as the University of Rajasthan. Prof.Lakshminarayanan
also ensured from the very beginning that merit was the sole criterion
for selection of students and faculty.
In the early 1960’s, Mr.G.D. Birla and Prof. Lakshminarayanan
evaluated the trends foreseen in technology and science education in
the coming decades and decided to forge an advanced higher education
institution integrating technology and sciences, building on the
existing engineering, science, arts, commerce and pharmacy facilities.
Several new engineering colleges in the country had already been setup
under the post-war reconstruction scheme. The I.I.T’s, with
significant financial and technical inputs from countries such as USA,
UK, USSR, and West Germany had already come into being and the higher
technological education scenario in the country was poised for a rapid
growth and transformation. Seizing the opportunity and sensing the
demands likely to be made on first-rate institutions, a collaborating
arrangement was worked out with the world-renowned Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (M.I.T) at Cambridge, Mass, USA. Under this
arrangement, M.I.T. would provide certain needed inputs and help
transform and upgrade the Pilani Institution. Visiting faculty,
assistance in curriculum development, equipment and exchange facilities
had been envisaged in this scheme. The Ford Foundation, U.S.A.,
provided substantial financial assistance to establish the Institute in
its early years. The British Council helped establish a strong school
for teaching the English language. Assistance from USSR for identified
programmes was also available. Prof. Lakshminarayanan led a Govt. of
India Technical Education delegation to USSR in 1961 and visited a
number of institutions. During this phase, Prof. Lakshminarayanan made
several working trips to USA, Europe and other countries for
discussions and hosted technical visits by several experts from these
countries.
In March
1962, Mr.G.D.Birla announced the setting up of a higher Institute of
Technology and Prof. Lakshminarayanan, along with visiting US
Professors and Senior faculty from the college prepared a draft for an
Integrated Institute incorporating all the engineering and science
specialisations. Thus was born the integrated “Birla Institute of
Technology and Science” (BITS), Pilani. It was registered as a
Society under Rajasthan Registration of Societies Act in 1964 and it
was declared a ‘Deemed University’ under the UGC Act by the
Govt. of India by a notification on 18-6-1964. These pioneers, in spite
of some opposition, ensured the faculty pay scale was almost in
par with those of the IIT's, so that the fledgling institution could
attract scholars of distinction. Under the leadership of
Mr.G.D.Birla and Mr.K.K.Birla and with active support from faculty and
students, Prof. Lakshminarayanan guided the Institute’s fortunes
in its formative years as the First Director. Some of the distinguished
visitors to the Institute in the early years included Shri. Jawaharlal
Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Shri. Morarji Desai, Mrs.Indira Gandhi,
Dr.Rajendra Prasad, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, Dr.K.L.Shrimali, Dr.Triguna
Sen, Dr.Humayun Kabir and others.
Several honours and professional recognitions came Prof.
Lakshminarayanan’s way during this period. He was elected the
President of the Rajasthan Academy of Sciences in 1965. He was elected
to membership in the Inter University Board in Dec.1964. He was offered
appointment as a member of the Union Public Service Commission, which
he declined. He was appointed as Hon. Colonal Commandant of the NCC at
Pilani. He was President of a session of the Education Commission
Seminar of the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions
(APTI) of which he was the Hon. Treasurer. He later became President of
the APTI which was the forerunner of the present ISTE (Indian Society
for Technical Education) and perhaps the All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE). He was invited by the MIT in Boston to be
a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Advanced Engineering Studies
and, with the blessings of the Birlas, he took up the assignment and
spent 1969 at Cambridge, Mass, USA. He retired in 1970 after serving
the cause of Technical Education in India with distinction for over
three decades. Even in retirement, his experience and counsel was much
sought after. He was consulted by several technical institutions. He
remained active as the Correspondent of the Gopalapuram Ganapathi Iyer
High Schools at Chennai till his very end.
|
