Prof. P. Ramachandra Rao is a world renowned metallurgist. He has unique distinction of the only Vice-Chancellor (2002-05) of
For Chronicle, Yogesh K. Upadhyaya discusses with Prof. P. Ramachandra Rao about his multi-faceted career.
For his bio-data, please here
Q-1: Sir, Please introduce yourself.
I was born in 1942 at Kavutavaram in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. My father, Late Sri Narayanaswamy, was a government servant and retired as Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies. My mother, late Smt. Laxmi Bai was also educated and studied up to matriculation when very few women were going to school. All my uncles, on both paternal and maternal side, were graduates. One of them did his B. Sc (Engg) from BENCO, BHU. I had a very short formal school education. I directly appeared for 7th class entrance and left school at the age of 13 years to study Intermediate at the newly established Andhra Loyola College at Vijayawada. Then I moved over to Osmania University, Hyderabad for higher education.
My professional career to date has spanned almost 44 years. During the last 15 years of this, I had the privilege of heading three old and prestigious institutions viz., the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, Banaras Hindu University and the Institute of Armament Technology, Pune. The last of these was converted to a Deemed University and I became its first Vice Chancellor. After attaining the age of 65 years, I have gratefully accepted the offer of Raja Ramanna Fellowship of DAE which is tenable at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials. I still actively pursue research and am currently writing a couple of books.
Q-2: Please tell us your student’s days at IT-BHU.
I studied B. Sc and M. Sc in Physics with electronics as a specialization at Osmania University. Those were the early days of formation of Andhra Pradesh and it was a great experience to be exposed to a culture that was so different from that of coastal Andhra. I was thrilled to see the emphasis placed by Nizam of Hyderabad on higher education. He supported me throughout my studies at Osmania.
At the time I finished my M. Sc., I was only 19 years of age and had a whole life in front of me. IITs were not so well known then and were just coming up. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was very well known and many top rankers from other universities from all over India were admitted to B.E after B.Sc. When I got admission for the course in metallurgy, it was an opportunity that could not be declined. My mother was the most insistent that I go ahead in spite of financial problems. The atmosphere in the Institute was exciting, challenging and demanding as well. We had to learn every thing from workshop practice and engineering drawing to metallurgy in the space of just two years. As every student had an outstanding academic record, the competition was severe. We worked hard, about 16 to 17 hours a day, and competed vigorously. I was supported by the Dorabji Tata Trust during my second year. I learnt a great deal about India and its diverse cultures and languages during those two years. The experience is unforgettable.
As far as metallurgy was concerned, the oldest Department was that of Banaras Hindu University. Students of BHU were heading most of the metallurgical industries. As a matter of fact, some of them had founded them. Eight of my class (of less than 30) migrated from IISc to BHU for post graduation due to Professor T. R. Anantharaman, who moved from IISC to BHU and took charge of that Department. His charismatic personality, erudition and elocution were such that it was impossible to resist the move. Many of us, including me, had given up jobs in Hindustan Steel (present SAIL) to join M. Sc. (Met. Engg.) at BHU. I have never regretted the decision. Life on the campus was exciting. There was so much emphasis on games and sports. Participation in these was one way of learning to assume responsible roles and play by the rules. Sadly, that culture of BHU has faded away. I was in the Gurtu Hostel, in Room No.104 for a fair bit of time. We were taught by Professor Anantharaman, Professor G. R. Piercy from Canada, Professor Rama Rao, Professor Bhan and many others. Our mess in Gurtu was one of the finest. We were host to many a leading metallurgist of the country and enjoyed having candle light and other exotic dinners with these stalwarts. I remember that there was once a strike by our mess maharaj (cook) and his team. We cooked and ran the mess ourselves until they saw our determination and returned to work.
I joined the Metallurgy Faculty at BHU almost six months before I completed my post graduation. Justice Bhagawati, the then Vice Chancellor, noticed during the interview, that I am yet to complete my course and asked me as to what I will do after receiving the degree. I told him that I will proceed to Imperial College, London for my PhD. He insisted on my answering the question as to what is the use of BHU giving me a job, if I have other plans. I told him that there will be no use. In spite of it, I was inducted and thus began my thirty one year long association with BHU. I was first with the College of Mining and Metallurgy as Lecturer. Professor Netarwala was the Principal. He was a fine gentleman and was respected by all of us. Soon IT (Institute of Technology) was formed and all the three colleges (BENCO, TECHNO and MINMET) merged. I still recall the party given by Professor Gopal Tripathi, the first Director of IT.
Q-3: You worked as faculty member in metallurgy dept. for almost 3 decades.
Even before IT was formed, Professor Anantharaman began to attract teachers from around the world. We had Professors Ranganathan (Cambridge), Somnath Misra (MIT), Suraj Bhan (Germany), Ramachandra H. Tupakary (Australia), V. B. Tare (Germany), S. L. Malhotra (Imperial) joining us as faculty. All were young, energetic and wished to build strong research groups. Professor Anantharaman guided many of us to our doctoral degrees. Professors Rama Rao, Shrikant Lele, P. M. Prasad, Rajeshwar Wahi, V. Kutumba Rao and myself are amongst those he guided. Many of us were then given an opportunity to work abroad for a couple of years. We in turn built our own research groups. Several of the current professors obtained their PhD in the same fashion working as teachers and simultaneously registering for PhD.
For most part of my stay with the department, Professor Anantharaman was the Head. It will not be exaggeration to say that those years were the golden years of the Department of Metallurgy. When it celebrated the Golden Jubilee in 1973 a galaxy of metallurgists from almost all leading countries and a host of alumni gathered to appreciate the progress and contributions made during the fifty years of its existence. If one goes through the history of the Department, one will note that Professor Daya Swarup built the foundations and reputation of the undergraduate programme while Professor Anantharaman laid the foundations for the post-graduate and doctoral programmes.
After being lecturer and Reader in Metallurgy, I took charge as the first regular Professor of Materials Science and left the Department to establish the School of Materials Science and Technology. During my tenure, with the cooperation of many stalwarts from Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy and other branches of engineering, the School of Materials Science was given a shape and acquired its own premises. Post graduate course and doctoral programme were initiated. I left BHU after being Coordinator of the School for almost a decade.
Q-4: What were your accomplishments while working as Vice-Chancellor of our university?
My appointment to the prestigious position of VC of our alma mater in 2002 came as a total surprise to me. I was never consulted by those who nominated me. If they had done so, I am certain that I would not have even agreed to the nomination. After the appointment was announced, I was not given any time what so ever and had to take up the position almost within three to four days. Even my wife was not aware that I left NML and Jamshedpur to rejoin BHU. She was then on a long distance train.
The only request that I made to Professor Murali Manohar Joshiji, who was then the minister for HRD, was to give me support in the form of an outstanding Executive Council (EC). He obliged and we had what I rate as the very best EC in many years. It had outstanding scholars, scientists and administrators like Professors Amrik Singh, Jayant Narlikar, Rama Rao, Tupkary, Pritam Singh, Rajasekharan Pillai (Vice Chairman, UGC) and Sri Chaturvedi (former Secretary, Health, GOI) and our present Vice President His Excellency Mr. M. Hamid Ansari. I could not have dreamt of a better group of people who knew their job having themselves been Vice Chancellors, Directors and top administrators. Their advice and support helped me to move forward with speed and confidence.
Having accepted the responsibility, I went about analyzing the issues that needed attention. There were many of them. Starting with the daily wage workers to the teachers, there was dissatisfaction. Many teachers (I forget the actual number now but it may have been about 300) were assessed for promotion but the results were not declared. The duplicity of some of those involved in vitiating the process was such that me and my staff, then headed by Mr. Mahapatra, (DR and PS), had to work through out the night till early morning to quash the frivolous objections on the files and convince the new EC that all is not lost. This and amicably settling the strike by medical students were the two immediate issues that I tackled.
Many other efforts at conducting long overdue interviews for promotions of personnel at various levels of teaching and non-teaching staff, streamlining the process of recruitment and promotions with the help of Sri Niraj Tripathi and his dedicated band of workers, setting up a separate unit for it in the renovated Holkar House, enhancing the wages of temporary workers to legal levels, regularizing canteen staff, renovating the central office and the Guest House, building new hostels, restructuring the sports and games system as well as the gardening and sanitary systems, getting alumni to contribute to growth by providing funds for the New Science Block and Cyber café in the Women’s college, IT guest House, another floor in the Commerce building, starting a company run petrol station and a cooking facility in the hospital premises, provision of a new system for power distribution on the campus, rebuilding vast stretches of the compound wall and many such activities of this nature were undertaken and either fully or mostly completed. I must place on record my grateful thanks to many of our alumni for helping me in this effort. I do not wish to name them for the fear of missing out some.
With the financial help (of Rs. 6 crores) from Mrs. Usha Mittal (alumnus of our university), wife of noted industrialist and steel baron Laxmi Mittal, a New Science Block of Women's college was established. It is probably the single largest donation received from an alumnus in recent memory.
On the academic front, semester system was introduced in the Science Faculty and a new Department of Genetics was formed. A vast optical fiber network covering the entire campus was established and many journals were made available on line. Many leaders, from diverse fields of human endeavor received honorary degrees, gave convocation addresses and urged the young recipients of degrees to think positively and contribute to the national effort. We also made attempts to see that IT, BHU is given the status of an IIT and IMS that of AIIMS. I had discussions with the concerned Union Ministers and was very hopeful that these will materialize. We started having a few internal discussions as to how IT will be reshaped on its up gradation to IIT. In all this effort, I was ably supported by the Directors, Deans, Heads of Departments, Central Registry staff, Controller of Examinations, Chief Proctor and their staff. Many worked selflessly. I would like to particularly place on record the yeomen service done by our then Finance Officer, Smt. Smita Chaudhri. She introduced many changes in the accounting procedures, invested funds wisely and computerized a good many activities.
I had the most cordial and close contact with the student community. To strengthen this relationship and to preserve my primary role as a teacher I went to the class rooms and taught the undergraduate students of metallurgical engineering for two hours every week. I shall always remember my walking in to the mess in Birla Hostel along with the Dean of students and having a meal with the students without prior notice and with no fanfare. The students were delighted and we spent almost two hours discussing various issues. Such incidents were several and frequent. It disturbed me to know, during one such visit, that some of our students were so poor that they could not even afford two square meals a day. It occurred to me that many may like to help such students. We placed a Hundi in the Viswanath temple on the campus and urged people to donate for anna dan. We ensured that a few very needy students received monthly meal coupons to be used in Maitri Jalpan Grih. I hope that this practice is still in vogue. The sports activity was also shifted from a faculty base to the hostel base. This ensured greater participation from the students and was delighted to note that many wardens got deeply involved in promoting their hostels. Cultural programmes and competitions also received a boost. We also hosted All India Youth Festival towards the end of my tenure. It is my strong belief that if there were problems on the campus, they were not due to the students. They were a result of external and internal politics out side the student domain.
At the end, I hasten to add that it is not for me to say whether I had a successful term. Posterity will decide that. In retrospect, to me as an individual, the term was satisfying. However, right on the day I assumed charge, I decided that I will not continue for even one day longer than my tenure. I informed the concerned authorities, nearly six months in advance, about my decision to leave and my request was accepted well in time. I left a month before to avoid the embarrassment one of my predecessors faced when asked to continue until another VC was found. The self respecting person that he was, he declined by saying that he would not like to be a daily wager. I handed over charge to Professor Shrikant Lele who kindly agreed to become the Rector before my departure.
Q-5: Please discuss about your interest in metallurgical research.
My research for PhD was in the just discovered area of rapid solidification or cooling liquid metals at the rate of a million degrees per second. Series of spectacular results were obtained by Professor Pol Duwez at Caltech. Professor Anantharaman was at Caltech at that memorable time. He sent me the few papers that were published by that time and urged me to stay back at BHU and register for PhD under him. I had to do a lot of improvisation to set up the equipment needed for the work and did it successfully with the help of Sri Gulab Singh, a mechanic in our workshop. Most of the components came from the scrap market of Varanasi. We used to scour these places moving on bicycles. The effort was satisfying. I got the first PhD in the area of rapid solidification outside the USA and completed the same in about three years. Both my external examiners were Americans. This gave me an opportunity to win the prestigious Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship for carrying out further work at the Universities of Cambridge and Sussex. I was only 28 years of age, but was given the status of a Senior Visitor at both places and had the privileges of Faculty there. The most important thing that I noticed during my first visit abroad was the professionalism exhibited by every one in the university. If a mechanic or the store promised to give me a component on a particular day, they used to place it on my table the evening before. No reminders no further discussions! We still lack that kind of commitment and discipline.
In due course my interest turned from experimental work to theoretical work as well. Currently my interests are in the area of nano materials with special reference to their synthesis by imitating natural biological processes. I also work in the area of thermodynamic modeling of materials.
Q-6: Readers would like to know about your experience in working as administrator at other organizations/institutes.
It was a great experience that taught me many things that are fundamental to good administration. I had the privilege of having colleagues and friends in the field of metallurgy like Professor P. Rama Rao, Dr. V.S. Arunachalam and Dr. C. V. Sundaram who were already occupying very senior positions. They gave their time, advice and unstinting support. I learnt many things from them. I am of the firm opinion, after attending several management courses conducted by experts of various nationalities, that our needs are very different from those of the western world. In India we do not just deal with an employee. Behind every face there is a family. There are unfulfilled needs and expectations. I believe that a successful CEO in India has to assume a parental role and give a patient hearing to the personal problems of individuals besides solving the institutional problems.
I also feel that running institutions must be totally divorced from political powers and interference. Only a firm commitment by the CEO, to quit rather than to surrender to unwanted interference, will save the institutions.
Q-7: Please tell us about your family.
My wife Smt. Sudha has been a great support to me and let me pursue my professional life without any worry of running the family. She was herself an employee of the Andhra Bank. She joined the Bank when it opened a branch in Varanasi at the beginning of 1980 and rose to become an officer. Being an M.A in economics, she new how to manage our meager resources and care for the family needs.
We have two lovely children who grew up in Varanasi and for a good part of their education; we were on the BHU campus at P.21 New Medical Enclave. Again, we were the first occupants of the newly built houses and all the residents were professors. It was one of the most well knit groups on the campus with a great deal of social interaction. Our children and we are still in touch with our former colleagues and their families.
Our daughter, Dr. Suparna did her schooling from St. John Convent, DLW and qualified at the BHU entrance examination for MBBS. She went on to complete most of her requirements for M.D in pediatrics. She is married to Sri. Srinivas, who is a computer engineer, now specialized in modeling financial markets. They have two lovable and brilliant children and are settled at Princeton in the US. Our son, Dr. Animesh Patcha, also studied in the same convent and in the Central School on our campus. He went on to do his B. Tech from MESRA, Ranchi, MS from IIT, Chicago and PhD in computer engineering from Virginia Tech, Blacksburgh. Presently he is employed by CISCO at their San Jose campus. He is married to Smt. Lavanya who is an M.S in information sciences.
We have the most excellent relationship with all our colleagues in the metallurgy and mining departments of I.T., BHU. I had close professional interaction with Professor Lele and several younger colleagues. Many of my doctoral students are holding professorial and other prestigious positions in the country. Several have won national awards for their outstanding work. One of my recent PhD students will be submitting his thesis soon.
Q-8 Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure talking to you.
Our university has a galaxy of distinguished alumni spread all over the world. The love and affection they shower on each other has only to be experienced to be believed. We need a goal for utilizing the untapped love. Our university is truly national and unique in its scope and diversity. Every effort should be made to preserve its national character and its glorious record of service to the nation. There should never be room for regional, parochial and partisan politics.
Prof. P. Ramachandra Rao can be contacted at: pramachandra_rao@yahoo.com
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(Dr. P. Ramachandra Rao)
(Dr. P. Ramachandra Rao with Mrs. Usha Mittal and Mr. Laxmi Narayan Mittal on BHU campus in 2004)