core sector communique

Convocation Address at the

Charotar University of Science and technology

CHARUSAT Campus, Changa, Gujarat

18^th January  2012

Great research results lead to great university

Imagination leads to creativity

Creativity blossoms thinking

Thinking provides knowledge

Knowledge makes you great.

I am delighted to participate in the First convocation ceremony of Charotar University of Science and Technology and address the distinguished gathering present here at the Changa in Gujarat.  I am happy to know that this university has a goal set for the missions of social upliftment with components of knowledge acquisition and imparting education. Universities are known and acknowledged through their research and research potential. I am sure, the Charotar University will be endowed with great faculties and students who love research. The research only will take the university to top slot among universities.  I congratulate the graduating students for their academic excellence, and the faculty members for shaping the young minds let me share few thoughts on this occasion on the topic “Great research results lead to great university”.

System design, system integration and system management

Since I am in the midst of students being prepared for techno-managerial expertise, I would like to give my experience with a teacher who taught me system design, system integration and system management in an integrated learning environment.

While I was studying Aeronautical Engineering in Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai, (1954-57), during the third year of my course, I was assigned a project with five other colleagues, to design a low-level attack aircraft.  I was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, I was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five members of my team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft.  My design teacher Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, was our guide. He reviewed the project and declared my work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didn’t lend an ear to my difficulties in bringing together data-base from multiple designers. I asked for a month’s time to complete the task, since I had to get the inputs from five of my other colleagues without which I cannot complete the system design. Prof. Srinivasan told me "Look, young man, today is Friday afternoon. I give you three days time, by Monday morning if I don’t get the configuration design, your scholarship will be stopped." I had a jolt in my life, as scholarship was my lifeline, without which I cannot continue with my studies. There was no other way out, but to finish the task. My team felt the need for working together round the clock. We didn’t sleep that night, working on the drawing board skipping our dinner. On Saturday, I took just an hour’s break. On Sunday morning, when I was near completion, I felt someone’s presence in my laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying my progress. After looking at my work, he patted and hugged me affectionately. He had words of appreciation: "I knew I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You have done a great job in system design”. 

Through this review mechanism of Prof Srinivasan, I was injected the necessity of understanding the value of time by each team member and brought out the best from the system design team. I realized that if something is at stake, the human minds get ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. That’s what exactly happened. The message is: whatever be their specialization, the students should be trained to systems approach and projects, which will prepare them for new products, innovation and undertaking higher organizational responsibilities.  A great teacher inspires the young students like Prof. Srinivasan.  I am confident that the success of Charotar University of S&T and management led the barriers of multi-disciplines and students will have a culture of during the research and design projects using multi disciplines subjects.

Distinctive Profile of India by 2020

Friends, when you will graduate from the Chitkara University campus, what type of India you will see, what type of India will live in the world, and what type of opportunity you will have? For the past several years, I have been discussing with the young and experienced on the vision of the nation and how each one, whatever be his or her professional orientation, can contribute to the pillars of development. As I envisage, the pillars of Indian development profile 2020 are as follows:

1.          A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.

2.          A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.

3.          A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony.

4.          A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.

5.          A Nation, which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors.

6.          A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.

7.          A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.

8.          A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated.

9.          A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.

10.      A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.

Integrated Action for developed India

To achieve the distinctive profile of India, we have the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food processing (2) Education and Healthcare (3) Information and Communication Technology (4) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport and Infrastructure for all parts of the country.  (5) Self-reliance in critical technologies. These five areas are closely inter-related and by progressing in a coordinated way, leading to food, economic and national security.

Friends, please study carefully at each of the pillars. You will find some interesting challenges. All of them require convergence of disciplines and technologies.

Let me discuss convergence of technologies.

Convergence of Technologies        : bio-info-nano-eco ecology

The information technology and communication technology have already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Information Technology combined with bio-technology has led to bio-informatics. Similarly, Photonics is grown out from the labs to converge with classical Electronics and Microelectronics to bring in new high speed options in consumer products. Flexible and unbreakable displays using thin layer of film on transparent polymers have emerged as new symbols of entertainment and media tools. Now, Nano-technology has come in. It is the field of the future that will replace microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science. I am sure about the use of nano-robot for drug delivery. When Nano technology and ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics, photonics are born and it can be said that material convergence will happen. With material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent Bioscience will be born which would lead to a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities. Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to the development of nano robots. Nano robots when they are injected into a patient, my expert friends say, it will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then the nano-robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product.  I saw the product sample in one of the labs in South Korea where best of minds with multiple technology work with a target of finding out-of-the-box solution.

My experience in Harvard University: Convergence of science is reciprocating. Let me give an example. Recently, I was in the Harvard University where I visited laboratories of many eminent professors from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I recall, how Professor Hongkun Park, showed me his invention of nano needles, which can pierce and deliver content into individual targeted cells. That’s how nano particle sciences is shaping the bio sciences. Then I met Professor Vinod Manoharan, who showed on the other hand bio sciences is in turn shaping nano material science as well. He is using DNA material to design self assembling particles. When particular type of DNA is applied on a particle at the atomic level, he is able to generate a prefixed behavior and automatic assembly from them. This could be our answer to self assembly of devices and colonies in deep space without human intervention as envisioned by Dr K Erik Drexler. Thus, within a single research building, I saw how two different sciences are shaping each other without any iron curtain between the technologists. This reciprocating contribution of sciences to one another is going to shape our future and industry needs to be ready for it.  The curriculum designers of Charotar University, may like to take this aspect into account while formulating new courses.

 Now, a new trend is emerging. The aspect being introduced is that of Ecology. Globally, the demand is shifting towards development of sustainable systems which are technologically superior. This is the new dimension of the 21^st century knowledge society, where science and environment will go together. Thus the new age model would be a four dimensional bio-nano-info-eco based.

21^st century University Vision

        Friends, I have in the last ten years met more than 10 Million youth and faculty from more than 150 universities in India and 37 universities in abroad. Based on these interactions, I wish to formulate a 21^st university vision for your consideration.

·        The universities have to prepare citizens of the future with a global outlook and be capable of serving his/her nation or nation of his/her choice.

·        Science and technology and public policy are interrelated for mutual benefit and ushering in human kind’s development. This link has to be solidly built in the university education

·        Good teachers can be in any part of the world. The university has to bring in this resource through innovative content generation in virtual class rooms.

·        Technological connectivities among universities have to be pursued on a war footing using cost effective virtual class rooms.

·        Cost effective continuing education possibilities are essential for citizens to be in tune with time.

·        Can university education lead to sustainable development of the nation? 

·        With the world population increasing and resources dwindling, a mindset has to be developed for conserving and sharing the resources and look for new research for abundant resources. This calls for a “noble spirit” as well as a “research spirit”

In summary, the 21^st century university education is about developing enlightened citizenship for a knowledge society for peace and prosperity of nations and the world. 21^st century University has to be the incubator of world knowledge powerhouse. Based on my interaction with Indian and foreign universities, I have detected certain dynamics. 

Conclusion

         Finally, I would like to ask you, what would you like to be remembered for? You have to evolve yourself and shape your life. You should write it on a page. That page may be a very important page in the book of human history. And you will be remembered for creating that one page in the history of the nation – whether that page is the page of invention, the page of innovation or the page of discovery or the page of creating societal change or a page of removing the poverty or the page of fighting injustice or a page of finding innovative cost-effective healthcare system both preventive and curative. I am sure, you would like to do something different – out of box missions, what are they?

1            Will you be remembered for a visionary action for the nation, like Prof. Vikaram Sarabhai or Homi Bhabha, or Jamshed ji Tata?

2            Will you be remembered for creating a company which finds a place in the top 100 of the Fortune 500 companies from India?

3            Will you be remembered for facilitating the creation of 100 PURAs (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) in your region?

4            Will you be remembered for becoming the pioneer in developing a smart water way in the states and Interlinking of Rivers in the nation?

5            Will you be remembered for revitalizing or revolutionizing the integrated Primary Healthcare Centre in a Public-private-participation model?

6            Will you be remembered for working and creating a validated system for the production of 340 million tonnes of food grains and value addition through food processing by the year 2020?

7            Will you be remembered for modernization of 10 million SME’s and addition of another Million by providing Private equity funding ventures?

8            Will you be remembered as a venture capital banker by introducing the unique private equity funding for the ideas that will bring new dimension to the society.

9            Will you be remembered for bringing energy independence for the nation?

10        Will you be remembered for the action oriented – “Clean home, clean environment, clean state and clean nation”

11        Will you be remembered for developing one million enlightened youth in your region who will participate in the accelerated societal transformation of the nation?

        My best wishes to all of you for success in all the missions of Charotar University of Science and Technology, in igniting the energy and ability of youth to achieve transformational changes that will benefit the nation.

        May God Bless you.  

Oath for Graduating Students

1.          Engineering, Technology, healthcare and Management is a life time mission. I will work, work and work and succeed.

2.          Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is what process or product I can innovate, invent or discover.

3.          I will always remember that “Let not my winged days, be spent in vain”.

4.          I realize I have to set a great technological  goal that will lead me to think high, work and persevere to realize the goal. 

5.          My greatest friends will be great scientific/technological  minds, good  teachers and good books.

6.          I firmly believe that no problem can defeat me; I will become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.

7.          I will work and work for removing the problems faced by planet earth in the areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management and environment through the application of science and technology.   

8.      My National Flag flies in my heart and I will bring glory to my nation.