Prof. V.G.K. Murti and Prof. Sankaran in conversation with Prof. V. Jagadeesh Kumar
My name is Jagadeesh Kumar;
I am a professor in the department of Electrical Engineering.
I have with me Professor Sankaran
who is also professor of electrical engineering retired and
Professor V G K Murti again former Professor at IIT Madras;
he also occupied the positions of
head of the department of electrical engineering
and Dean Academic Research at IIT Madras.
Sir, you are the second faculty to join electrical engineering?
No, not really when I joined, there were already three others.
Three.
Professor Venkata Rao head of the department
and Ramaswami joined a few months earlier, and Dravid, N. V. Dravid.
Oh.
Associate Lecturer. We were then he became a lecturer.
Incidentally he is the uncle of our Rahul Dravid.
Oh.
It can help there.
And also Thathachar.
Thathachar joined little later.
Yes, little later.
At the time when I joined these three were there already.
Thathachar, Professor Sampath and T.A.R Bhat joined a few months later.
So, at that time the department was functioning out of BSB.
Yeah, that was the first year
when the Institute faculty moved into the campus.
First 2 years I think they were operating from the AC College and elsewhere.
And so that was the 61, 62 is the first academic year
when the whole Institute moved into the campus.
So, I joined in August,
the session already commenced in July or near about.
Therefore, I joined in the first year on the campus,
but a few months later.
And hostels were functioning, but there are no staff quarters.
As a matter of fact when I….
It is called Officers Hostel. Taramani House is called Officers Hostel.
Oh yeah that was built much later.
That was built much later.
The first day I came to join the Institute,
I remember that very vividly now.
It was all a jungle and then I started at the gate
and said how far is the building?
He said go it will be within walking distance
that man that watchman told me, then I started walking.
It was all jungle it was a very very narrow kaccha road.
Hardly I could see, no I did not see anybody for a long time
and then here and there are some NBCC
National Building Construction Company
they some of those workers who are I met them
and they also said you go in the same direction it was clearer 2 miles way.
I thought I lost my way, but finally,
I found something here some life here.
And then everybody was talking about BSB,
BSB all the departments were in BSB.
Some workshops buildings were there
and they are not really produced for workshop
maybe carpentry and some things like that,
which are needed for the first two years.
The store section, the engineering section,
various other departments were out in the workshop.
But all the academic departments were functioning from the BSB.
So, when was ESB actually built?
When we were in BSB the building construction began
and we moved into the ESB in 1962,
but the building was being built all around us.
Oh.
So, we were in the ground floor,
but we saw the scaffolding in all sides
and then upper floors were being built and so on.
But the Southern side that particular wing was more or less complete.
So, that was in 1962.
Padmanabha Iyer was the person who was ruling the place?
Padmanabha Iyer yes, Padmanabha Iyer came from Indian Institute of Science.
He is the foreman.
So, he set up most of the lab in the beginning.
Sir, how many German professors were there in the
electrical department at that time?
At that time there were none.
There were none.
65 Meyer.
You know what the first German professor was
I think was Zeinecke. Zeinecke.
Yes but
but yeah.
Zeinecke was not a professor at that time.
He joined associate professor I think yeah.
right.
Probably so, Probably so.
Meyer was the joined as professor.
Meyer came later.
Both of them were from Braunschweig?
Meyer was from Braunschweig, Zeinecke I do not know.
Zeinecke was from somewhere in the middle of Germany. Not Braunschweig.
Yeah, he should know better.
No, no.
And Professor Beslich.
Beslich from communication department, he came later.
And then Holtz.
Sir.
Holtz. Holtz.
Holtz. Holtz. H O L T Z.
And Rutloh. Rutloh is it?
Rutloh.
Rutloh for high voltage?
High voltage.
High voltage. Rutloh.
And they came, but they were all there for a brief period,
the persons who are there for a long time were Zeinecke,
Professor Meyer and Holtz.
Holtz.
Holtz. And there were also some technicians
who came and setup the Electronics Centre, Central Electronic Centre.
Do you remember the name, the names of who setup the CEC?
Racop. Racop is one.
Racop yes.
Racop is one, but Racop was preceded by some gentleman
which starts with B. I forget the name.
What is his name?
Somebody came for high voltage.
Rutloh.
high voltage.
Rutloh high voltage?
No, no, but the Central Electronic Centre was started by somebody else,
Rutloh came later. I mean, Racop came later. There was also a D. V. Bop.
Bop came here much later for the television lab.
He came in late 70s or early 80s. Bop.
one person who used to have up to this neck and wear full sleeves.
Maybe Bop.
I thought he was Bop maybe.
Bop. Maybe Bop.
Sir, the first batch of students, what was the strength at that time?
Electrical or whole put together?
Electrical.
40?
Around 40 or so.
But, yeah we used to call them high current and high low current.
Heavy current, light current.
Heavy current and light current.
Light current. That was the designation.
It was called in Germany in Braunschweig and ‘Schwachstrom’.
That is why it is called heavy current and light current.
I think 15 in each if I remember, right.
Sir?
15 each perhaps in the first batch.
Electrical itself?
No?
What this the doubt?
The first batch of Electrical.
In the first batch the numbers of students is only 20 in each.
Total.
In each batch there are 20.
In each batch there are 20. Ok.
Each batch 20.
Sir, how many?
100.
20 each. 20 each. And..
Srinivasan.
Yeah.
Whom we called ‘Computer Srinivasan’ was mechanical department right?
Yes.
He was mechanical department.
Yeah, only thing is I had lot of contact with the mechanical students
because I taught Electrical Technology for them.
Ok.
And for the first batch of electricals, I did teach at few courses,
but not such intimate contact with them.
The curriculum was already in place when you joined? Or..
Yeah, it was, I think before, well before I joined,
I think there was a committee that was appointed by Professor Sengupto.
Madras Committee.
No, the Curriculum Committee.
And they drafted the curriculum and syllabus that was,
at that time, it was for 5 years, a 5 year program.
And the first two years they had a lot of workshop
and that was a specialty which we used to claim that
IIT Madras people are very skilled with their hands
they have two years of intensive workshop.
And the specialization began only in the 3rd year onwards.
It was quite interesting; that means, the first two years,
I think, one week they did workshop and one week they had the academic program.
Ok.
So, one week right from morning till evening they used to do workshop.
For a complete day?
Complete day.
Sir, when did research actually start?
Well, I mean these things we cannot have.
sharp boundaries cannot be put in, but as far as I, engineering is concerned.
Broadly, I think during Professor Sengupto’s time
most of the effort went into the building of the laboratory,
establishment of labs and building the infrastructure.
And I think he did a very remarkable job.
Active research, I think, began with Professor Ramachandran’s time.
That was.. he came around 1969 or about 70.
67 end I thought.
67. 67. End of 67.
Because first the infrastructure was developed
and Ramachandran also introduced some curricular reforms.
Like he did away with the 1 year long courses
and introduced a semester pattern.
And he also introduced the.
Electives he introduced or not?
Electives yeah. That is the 5 year semester pattern came along with electives.
And it is he who also introduced the MS course by research.
That was his innovation because coming from IAST
where they had the degree with that background
he felt that is a good thing to do and yeah
Professor Ramachandran’s tenure I think is the beginning of research.
So, the Ph.D. as a course started at that time?
Yeah, Ph.D. was there even earlier I think,
even in the science department there were Ph.D.s.
Ph.D. program as such was on the cards right,
even during Prof. Sengupto’s time.
As a matter of fact, the first two Ph.D.s
from our Electrical Engineering department
I think they finished it during Professor Sengupto’s time.
B Ramaswamy and Seshadri.
Seshadri.
Seshadri. Seshadri. So faculty could register.
Both are your students?
No no no no no.
Professor Ramaswamy is the supervisor of Professor Venkata Rao.
And.
Seshadri?
Seshadri allowed me to put my name as his supervisor
and did the all the work himself.
Sir, when did you joined IIT Madras?
63 July 18th.
Yeah. 63 I can vouch for but July 18th I do not know maybe.
But I got leave in the morning from Guindy College
and joined in the afternoon at IIT,
because at that time in IIT if you get a seat,
if you get a placement,
if you get a position it was supposed to be very high in those days.
Sir initially your positions were associate lecturer?
Yeah, the..
Lecturer, senior lecturer.
No.
No senior lecture.
They had the associate lecturer that is the first faculty position
and then the lecturer then assistant professor and professor.
Associate professor also was not there at that time.
Introduced somebody if yeah,
because there were some people
whom they did not want to give ‘lecturer’ post or ‘professor’ post to.
So, they made them associate professors.
Yes sir? Is it true? No words.
Naturally if you have both of these,
both positions open those who cannot…
Yes, those who are not…
Who apply for professor’s post and then do not get it.
Yes exactly.
Yeah. So Professor and myself where two people..
Professor Venugopal, I think, was the first
associate professor for the whole institute,
I think, if I remember right.
So, initially there were only electrical, civil and mechanical.
Metallurgy.
Oh, metallurgy was also there.
Metallurgy, chemical.
Started started.
Yes started yes.
Started from there.
Yeah.
So, aerospace and…
Yeah that started a little later. Yeah.
EGR was the first metallurgy professor?
EGR yes was the first.
TH Ramachandran was in the department as Assistant Professor
as the head of the department. Professor EGR came
and he was the became the head of the department.
Thank you.
Associate Professors he was there
with Professor Venugopal and Professor Achuthan.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
And you were also made members of the senate.
That is right.Yeah right.
Yeah that is why you are the first member
of the senate to complete 25 years.
Remember 6, 35 years of senate membership you only did it.
Yeah, I think it is Professor Ramachandran who..
When he became the Director
he said you should hire Associate Professors also.
Also
could be members of the senate that is right that is right
And surprisingly I remember one incident.
Three of us were called to the Paris Corner,
Paris House Paris Corner their office
H.V.R. Iengar was the Chairman of the board.
So, we were the process of being upgraded to
upgraded to Professor’s post
we all went Achuthan, myself and Venugopal
in suit and tie and so on.
The receptionist thought
we were also Selection Committee Members said,
“Please go in sir”.
Then we had to tell her that
we are not Selection Committee Members, we are candidates.
So, then their tone completely changed and they said,
“Please take your seat there”.
And when we entered the room the Selection Committee
had already met and Professor H.V.R. Iengar
is a very nice gentleman.
He said, “Gentleman we have decided to make you professors
now the interview starts.
So, please be at ease, please be at ease let us discuss something.
What do you think of industry and institute collaboration.”?
So we, the industry and institute collaboration started in 1993
No.
In formal way.
Not in 1993, it was.
RGM became the Dean
Yeah, they used to have deans for various divisions.
Professor Incharge, yeah.
He was the Dean, industrial consultancy and continuing education,
I think, both of them were combined,
I think, Professor RGM was in charge
and then in evolving plans for the Institute
they thought there was a need for a trust-industry collaboration
and the Germans promised lot of aid for that,
including one professor deputed for the purpose to stay
and setup this Centre.
That was in 1970.
2.
77 or there about.
ICSR in 73; 73 ICSR.
73 or 70.
73 it started, Wagner you know.
Wagner, yeah, Wagner came and at that time I was put as in charge,
Professor in-charge of industrial consultancy.
So, I worked with Wagner for a couple of years and.
There was one gentleman called Wagener.
Who is that?
Wagener.
Wagner.
There was Wagner separate and Wagener there were two.
Oh ok ok ok.
Don’t remember.
Yeah.
It entered into my mind.
Yeah.
Most likely I’m wrong.
So, that was when the ICSR was set up.
It was called not ICSR, that time it used to be called
ICC Industrial Consultancy Center.
And later on it became ICSR
because the sponsor research became a very heavy component
of the total consultancy activities.
So, that was when it was a renamed as ICSR.
The ICC used to function from the top floor of the BSB.
When the first computer center started.
Yes.
Did we have courses in the electrical engineering
curriculum teaching computers to the students
or did we introduce them much later?
I think there were hardly any at that time.
We had 16-20 do we have sir.
We used to go somewhere to?
Yeah. See, we did not have a computer at all in the Institute.
Ok.
And our faculty members who were doing research
which needed acomputer used to go to Guindy Engineering College
with their papers.
Punch cards.
Punch cards and then taken them right,
I remember Professor Sankaran and others used to go there.
If the card one of them is replaced,
it will or rather if it gets interchanged once
we go on getting blank cards of output.
Ok.
He is right.
When did the Institute actually start becoming self-contained?
Because in the beginning many faculty stayed outside.
When I came in I know Professor Radhakrishna
was coming from outside.
Quite a few faculty were coming from Adyar and Saidapet.
Some chose to stay in Adyar
because of probably children’s education
whatever it is, but about 60-80 percent of the faculty
started living here from 64, 65 onwards.
Professor Swamy I think.
Why did the large number is there?
Large number is there yeah.
Sir, 63 only you are were there on campus.
I was there, I came in 62 or so.
A sloped road.
It was a sloped road.
Top the first floor and left side.
Yeah, C. C 1 type.
C 1 type.
That was a special ah...
Can I say something about C 1 type?
Sure sir this is..
Yeah ok.
No holds bar.
Ok sure.
If you want to criticize..
And this is only recording of old memories.
Yeah.
I mean I think I have a few things to say probably about
Professor Sengupto, our first Director.
He was very remarkable person
and I had a run in with him on a number of occasions,
but still I admire him and he is the, I think,
Institute owe a lot to him.
He used to take personal care
about every little thing in the campus,
every little thing in the campus and he used to refer
to them in a very possessive tone,
“my faculty, my head of the department, my students”
and everything would be his.
His. And he put lot of energy into everything he did
and one of his priced designs was the C 1 type,
it seems he designed that layout of your C 1 quarters
and that used to be really very convenient
and I know some people who joined there as lecturer in
C 1 type and would not leave it even after they became professors.
They stuck to C 1 type.
And so, and then this gentleman is very informal also,
he used to come and one evening he came to visit one of his,
one of our neighbors who was a Bengali and he probably,
he came for a social visit.
Then he dropped in our house.
He said, “How are you doing, how is the set up,
how is the quarters”?
Young man I was, I was not very, probably, prudent or diplomatic.
Yes.
I said I mean this, there used to be a small room.
Room.
I said probably one could have built a shelf here,
built-in shelf to keep books because it is a study room.
I could see that he was very much upset.
Upset.
Of course I said it is a very..
the set up is very nice very convenient,
because if I had altered the two remarks,
change the sequence, it have been alright.
Yeah.
But, he is a very nice person and then he,
but immediately he would get offended
if you say something inward, but…
Bibhuti Bhushan right sir?
Bibhuti Bhushan yeah.
Sengupto.
Once I had, I think this was my first year or so, 1962.
Guindy Engineering College asked me to come as an
external examiner for some practical examinations.
Normally we need to get permission and then I sent a letter.
Then Professor Sengupto called me and said,
“What happens to your lectures here”?
Sir, it is on 3 days, only 1 day I have lectures
and then I have made alternative arrangements”.
“Young man if you concentrate on...
Yeah.
..going as an examiner elsewhere then what happens to this”?
is what he was said. I said,
“Sir, we call them for their faculty as external examiners for,
for our own examinations.
So, we must reciprocate”.
He said ok, then he said ok,
but please don’t indulge in this too much.
So, the Gajendra circle.
Yes.
I mean when the design started was it by the first director? No?
Yes. Yes, it was.
I think it was done at the time of the first convocation in 64.
60s or 64?
64 first convocation.
Yeah.
I think Y.S. Ramaswamy, the Superintending Engineer
the Institute’s Superintending Engineer at that time,
I think he was the perhaps the architect.
Architect.
Yes.
With convocation you are top of the first convocation addressed.
Address it is going to yeah.
Yeah Germanic, but the Gajendra circle also
was built around the same time I think.
No, earlier 62, Luebke inaugurated the IIT foundation stone of IIT.
Yeah, but at the time the Gajendra circle was there? I doubt.
Y.S. Ramaswamy was there.
Ok.
OAT was built and..
OAT they laid the corner stone and.
And when the OAT was built, when first convocation was held.
I mean 1962.
So, Ramaswamy and Seshadri together took the degree to
Electrical Department at the first convocation right?
Yes.
For the very first convocation both of them took PhD.
May not be first convocation.
No not.
No.
Not the first convocation.
First convocation is 64.
64.
Not the first convocation.
Yeah.
Sir I believe the first computers came from the USA.
First?
Computers on campus.
There was an analog computer and ..
Yeah.
German computer I think which came from
in the year 1962 or so, is that right?
You see we had a small analog computer in the,
which came from Germany.
That was in the department.
That was in the electrical department
and then the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
they had a big analog computer built with walls vacuum cubes,
huge affair and they have no use for it anymore they had.
So, they thought it is a,
I mean they can give it as a gift to some Indian Institute and.
So, Professor Sampath was deputed to go there
and then bring that computer over here.
So, that was the second US computer.
That is the US computer which you have probably talked about.
There is a picture here.
You could tell us.
Yeah.
No.
Sir he is Professor Sampath.
Yeah.
Is this what Professor Sampath got as a gift?
Yes, as a gift yeah and it was so huge I believe..
Yeah.
That he when they did not know how to
move it out of the room.
So, they have to dismantle a section of the wall and then..
Drop it down.
Drop it down and then build it.
Was this computer used for
teaching purposes or what was done basically?
It was used for yes teaching purposes still.
I do not if you had two computers in.
Yeah.
department.
Yes Yeah.
This was all built with wall so.
Sir, This was our Building Sciences Block itself.
Sorry HSB HSB adjacent to the Central Lecture Theatre.
This used to be in, for a long time,
in one of the lecture halls in the ground floor.
Central HSB.
ESB.
Yeah.
Central central ESB.
Yeah, as I remember the.
C Subramaniam has come there
C Subramaniam is there.
C Subramaniam has come there for the inauguration of the
Computer Centre when we had the CDC
computer first computer, that Mahabala was the.
That is the IBM.
IBM computer.
IBM.
IBM computer IBM computer.
Yes.
At one point..
Yeah, that was the Professor Mahabala.
The department had a.
Sir.
DEC machine also PDP 11.
Yeah that.
Yes.
Those were also.
Sir.
No that was much later when I came.
That was later, that was much later.
When I came…
Sir the rightmost person is.
That is Chandy. Chandy.
Chandy.
Chandy is Chairman of the Board of Governors, this is Mahabala.
This is Mahabala.
So, I in fact, when I came to the department
there was still analogous to the control and.
Sir who is to the right of right of?
That is Erhard that Erhard Eppler.
Right.
Yeah, Eppler Eppler Minister for Cooperation Federal Republic of Germany.
Pratapa Reddy was the person who was handling the.
Sir, where is Professor Mahabala now? Bangalore or?
Must be Bangalore.
Sir how about the other roles that you have played,
other than academic roles were you in
wardenships of hostels or were you in charge of?
No.
Student activities of any kind.
He was used to be in the club.
I was a president in staff.
I was a president in staff club for one term and
of course, the various roles I had.
Twice you were head of the department?
Only once.
Only once?
That was in a.
Sir, is that Menon?
Here this one you remember Menon, know you see that.
Yeah.
This is Menon.
Second one.
Or first one.
Yeah, that is Menon.
Yeah.
I am not still.
Not sure I am not sure.
Who is that professor?
I am not sure who it is. I do not know.
Sir I think it is Menon
computer, communication department, communication sections.
Possibly, possibly, yeah.
What else did I do right?
I was also in charge of
CEC for sometime Centre Electronic Centre and.
Then, Dean Academic Research.
Professor Ramachandran asked me,
“I see your name you did not figure in the as a warden of the hostel.
So, would you like to become”?
I said no. Then he said “Ok. I respect your decision”.
Yeah, till which year were you in IIT?
When did you retire?
I retired in 93, October but of course,
I continued till the end of the academic year that was 94.
Then I came back in 96
as an emeritus ASTT fellow.
So, I continued for two more years.
Sir there was supposed to have been
science fair associated with the
cultural week and Mardi Gras at one time.
No.
There used to be an open house.
What is called an open house,
I remember two of them
that was the during Indiresan’s time
I think it was started,
Professor Indiresan when he was the Director
he started that and
two open house programs and..
One open house was started when Indiresan joined.
One was Pandalai’s time correct,
first one was Pandalai’s time.
Pandalai’s time.
Pandalai we have, Pandalai was there yeah.
Then cultural program Mardi Gras.
So.
It was given some other name earlier, remember?
No now it is known as Saarang.
Now, it is Saarang, Mardi Gras was the first one.
When was it started?
I do not know sir I do not know.
Probably.
1970.
I think Pandalai was Director at that.
No.
Pandalai was Director I think.
When I came it was known 73 or 74
yeah, but Mardi Gras in the 70s 73 or 74,
But earlier there was a cultural week, I understand in 62 or..
Sir was Pandalai in 74 Director?
Yeah Professor Pandalai was the director in 74.
Yeah, I think at that time the name Mardi Gras was given.
Ok.
And he first objected to it.
As for the, you talked about examinations and all that.
Well Ramachandran of course, he introduced the semester pattern.
I think Professor Indiresan,
he was the person who introduced lot of reforms. For example..
Student.
He made sure of yeah, electives.
Student.
teachers by student.
Student evaluation and then class committees to review
the results and then do any kind of moderation
that we like to have,
and doing away with external examinations
which are for except for the M.S. and Ph.D. M.Tech. degrees.
So, he introduced lot of reforms.
So that your results came out in quick time
immediately after the examinations. So.
within a week or so.
Yeah.
One week after the last exam the result should come out as a rule.
and so, examination reforms it is a very notable point
and which were for say due to Professor Indiresan.
Sir what was your experience of being a campus resident
in the sense that you are away from the
main city itself because I think Chennai was smaller than.
Actually I think that the results in the campus
are the best form best part of my service in IIT.
Yes sir, will you tell us about that?
You see we had everything that we wanted.
What all the good things that you can get
in the outside the city metropolis are available here.
Once in a way we used to go out
just for the fun of shopping or eating outside,
but everything else is here and then
it is like a Tapovana right,
the tranquility affairs Tapovana with the campus of a city
both with enjoyed the best of both worlds.
Right.
And so, I think I always tell anybody
whom I meet I mean talked about IIT campus
living is the best part of our service in IIT.
The Open Air Theater was the binding factor
I think every week you met practically..
Yes.
on campus. So,
Yes Sunday movies I mean Saturday movies we used to go
and then cultural programs and so on.
Little language movies.
Little.
At the time of any festival.
Yeah.
Holy was a ritual celebration that.
Once I remember when J. Krishnamurti
was giving a talk in the Open Air Theater.
Yeah, that time.
We were sitting in the step there one side,
M.S. Subbulakshmi came and sat on at the steps.
Yes.
And then it took some time for people to notice
and then somebody came gently
and escorted her to a seat in the front.
See that is an important point.
There have been lots of VIP visitors on campus.
Yes, lot VIP visitors inside.
Yeah. So, can
Ok, we used do, another good thing that
Professor Indiresan did is extramural lectures.
So, a number of luminaries in different fields used to,
were invited to give lectures and as a Dean academic,
was Dean research I had a role to play to receive them,
some of them and then escort them and so on.
So, in that capacity I have met quite a few of luminaries.
Sonal Mansingh dancers.
Dancers.
Then R. K. Laxman.
Yes.
R. K. Laxman he was a he said somebody asked him
with your all your cartoons and all these we could have
formed much better if you had gone abroad.
Then he said “No, raw material is here for my cartoons.
Where can I get this kind of raw material elsewhere?
So, he is and so, he was very nice and then Kirloskar
that Kirloskar the.. this.. what is forget the name.
Ramaswamy Cho Ramaswamy.
Cho Ramaswamy, P Subramaniam came
in a couple of occasions C Subramaniam.
I saw him now only.
And the lander who went on top of Everest. Hillary.
Hillary Hillary.
We know he was here.
Sir John Hillary?
Edmund Hillary.
Edmund Hillary came.
Yeah.
He was a New Zealand High Commissioner in India at that time.
Yes yeah.
So, he was asked and he gave a talk
about the Himalayan Institute which was running.
Professor Bardeen also came.
Professor Bardeen was a visiting professor
Professor Bardeen Nobel laureate in twice in physics,
but the extraordinary lectures brought a number of people
to the campus and then
it was very nice occasion for the people to.
They were initiated by Professor Indiresan.
Yes, the program was initiated by Professor Indiresan.
And he arranged a slot in one afternoon.
Wednesday.
Free the time table.
Ok.
Yeah, you were there anyway.
The classes used to be suspended.
Yes.
And that particular 2 hours.
2 hours, yes.
What about other visitors to the department itself
well you have any
yeah Professor Bardeen was see Professor Bardeen.
others not only engineering department.
Bardeen came for physics department not electrical department.
Ok.
Professor Ramasastry invited him and he came.
Professor Pauling came earlier.
But he also like he gave a..
In chemistry.
Chemistry lecture.
He is another double Nobel laureate
in peace and chemistry I think.
Some notable right..
Golding is one professor from who wrote a
classic book called Electrical Measurement, he visited once.
E. W. Golding yeah.
E. W. Golding.
Were you playing tennis in the campus sir?
No.
You did not play tennis?
I used to play the ping pong.
Oh yeah.
Very badly and bridges, bridge sometimes.
You used to play in the Staff Club almost everyday.
Yeah, I used to, I used to play bridge.
Sankaran used to play tennis I think.
Yeah.
He played for some time.
Tennis and of course, my wife used to say
I will take the tennis court,
but keep it there and go play bridge. My wife
Was there interaction between the students
and the staff in terms of bridge play and game.
Yes.
culture of bridge
Yes, they used to have some ..
I remember one occasion when the students invited for their
some hostel tournament and then a team was sent
from the staff club and our people won.
So, there used to have some..
Was it the 70s that this Bridge activity peaked?
Yeah 70s.
Tournaments used to be held in the two rooms and the HSB.
Yes and even in that shed Ladies Club,
used to be Ladies Club
I do not know what it is called now.
They used to have some Bridge tournaments there.
One interaction I remember
I think just when you are talking about
this I am reminded of this in 1973.
I think there was a strike,
remember Professor Swamy?
What in that?
There was this employee strike.
Ah yeah yeah.
Yeah, that was in 1973 or 74
due to some hostel problems
all the non faculty employees went on strike.
Yeah.
That was a very tense period because the
others, they did not want to shut down the hostels.
So, the hostels had to run and the staff members
stayed on the campus and so,
there was a lot of interaction between the students
and the faculty at that time
when the students used to help
in the running of the
and then faculty members used to
invite the students to their houses for..
Yeah yes.
Dinner or lunch or what case it may be
and then the students used to take the milk carts
and then supply to the faculty
and some of us used to
run around and the circuit breakers
which used to trip now and then
all around keep the electricity system going.
very nice.
And it was period of tension
at the same time there was some kind of.
Bonding.
Bonding between these students staff that was.
How long did this go on?
About.
10 days.
About a week to 10 days.
Police was called. In the end police was called.
Police were called, I think that was a interesting thing.
That was.
They used to throw arrows
from one hostel to another hostel. Yeah.
Who? Students?
Fighting between hostels used to go on.
No..ok that period.
How..the nature on our campus is
one of the highlights of our IIT Madras.
How was it when you joined?
That is, is it true that area around the ESB
was quiet bare at that time?
Now it is full of trees.
Can you recollect how it was?
When it was built what was it like?
No at the back of ESB there used to have a big Banyan tree
and in the front we had those
shaded trees it was there all the time.
No sir. What he is asking is,
do you remember I think we have to be joined only
between the ESB and MSB in fact,
one night we had a dinner where all the students
and faculties were all together.
Yeah, but true.
Yeah.
Bushes were clear bushes were clear
the big trees were there all the time
big trees were there all the time.
And the in the organization in the beginning,
again in Professor Sengupto’s time this was set up
the Central Milk Supply Scheme was started
professor by Professor Sengupto
because earlier they used the local
milk supply people used to bring their cows
and then used to deliver milk at their houses.
I mean in the very in the very beginning in the very beginning.
Bring the.
In the very.
Bring the cows and milk our house.
And with their usual tricks
and all with water and all those things I mean.
Then.
Ramana Murthy.
There was one gentleman
named Professor Ramana Murthy.
Yeah.
In the physics department
he did yeoman service for the establishment of the
hostels and common facilities for the faculty and students.
So, he negotiated with a number of
local milk supply vendors and then
he arranged to have the cows
and all brought it to shed there
and then the milk procured and also negotiated,
supplemented by the government.
Government right.
Government and. So, he also made sure that
we purchased the commodities required for
various hostels in bulk and then Institute's.
So that the prices the rates can come down.
So, this was all due to Ramana Murthy.
Sir in fact, there was an
arm of IIT called the Central Supplies.
Yes.
Supplies only CS.
CS Central Supplies.
That was the birth of that.
That was the birth of that yes.
So, I have one more specific question
about the campus itself.
See I think behind those trees
it was a barbed wire fence I think,
that the tennis courts beyond
between the tennis courts and..
what is that avenue called?
Velachery side.
There is I think there was a
used to be a barbed wire fence.
There was a fence.
But there were lot of breaches
I mean fence was there.
Yes.
But people used to go under or above and all.
So, what was the Velachery like at that time?
I mean were there lots of inhabitants there or
was it a bare land?
Beyond that.
Yes, around the time of ?
Comparatively barren perhaps,
but it is not really devoid of any.
There were some trees and bushes and all that is,
but that extent is up to the wall.
Velachery that separates Velachery think
there used to be probably less
there used to be less vegetation than here.
There used to be gate near Brahmaputra hostel right
that is very from where the people
will enter from the village and go to this side.
Yeah, there Brahmaputra.
we have difficulty in identifying the number of.
People there.
Situations and people.
Yeah.
If you could help us it would be great.
This is Vasudevan.
This is Vasudevan yes.
Professor VGK, MV. Who is center person?
Baron von Mirbach, Baron von Mirbach.
Baron von Mirbach.
Ok.
Was he Ambassador?
Probably. VIP that is what is put.
This is Varadacharya.
Varadacharya.
T. Varadacharya?
K. S. Varadacharya.
T. S. Varadacharya.
T S Varadacharya, T S Varadacharya
he was a senior technical assistant in our lab.
And who was that sitting there?
Sitting there is T. S. Varadacharya.
Very very good gentleman.
Is that a potentiometer?
DC potentiometer.
That is a DC potentiometer.
With all that PRO type of a cover.
This is Pauling.
Professor Pauling.
Linus Pauling.
Is it Ly n i a u s or L i.
How do you spell Linus Pauling? L i n i s n u s.
L i
L y I think it was put there.
It’s a mistake. Yes.
one by one. So, direct Pauling yeah this is.
Yeah, that is Professor Sampath and Pauling and yeah.
Sengupto, Sampath and then Sethunathan.
That is Sethunathan registrar, Sethunatan registrar right.
That is the same photograph following.
I remember her.
She used to put the board Professor C V Sethunathan.
And first remove it you know it you are very clear.
Yeah that.
one by one. So that we can have parallel tabs.
Yeah.
One by one.
This one is communication.
Menon.
Yeah, this is Menon probably.
Menon.
This is T.V. Gopal.
T.V. Gopal.
And that is Sadasivam. Sorry that is..
Anantha.
T.V. Gopal
C.R. Ramaswamy.
No no before that before that.
No
Pillai
No maybe student.
Maybe a student.
Is it the post graduate lab or is the research lab?
Sir this is UG lab, 30 no yeah this is 302
because the control panel was on this side 301
On the other side. Yeah.
This was standard sir.
These are all set up by Siemens Company
and their representatives in India.
Siemens people set up this console.
Sir was these labs there right from the beginning sir
in 1962 when the building was open?
60s.. This was built completely only in 64-65.
Because first the frame came,
the building was completed
then all these equipments came
in a crate and then the wiring is very extensive.
Yes.
That is in principle if there is a special supply
available from a generator in the measurements lab
for example, somebody at any part of the building
in the other sections also would be able to tap that.
Because all the supplies are going to
the centralized control panel
or the measurements lab from there spare
wires are there running from the other lab.
ok.
So, in principle if he has got some
special type of sine wave
at a variable frequency
somebody else can tap that anywhere else. So, it.
In fact, I used it for my Ph.D. in 1980,
I generated the waveform in machines lab
and used it in my room in room number 317.
So, brought it back to the
control center of measurements lab
which was room number 310
from there I routed it to 370.
Right.
And I was using that.
Was that a German Technical Institute
you got from or is it from Siemens company?
It is Siemens Company, Siemens.
Yeah, the machines and some of the things may have
come from different sources like and so on,
but the contact was Siemens only
they planned the distribution part.
Right was there a DC generator
DC battery room or something like that.
No.
DC.
We had a DG cell.
Yes.
I mean motor generator set.
Motor generator set which can generate
various frequency AC supply that is one.
And then one which generates almost a pure sine wave
because in the normal ISP generators do not get
give you a pure sine wave,
is contaminated by various harmonics.
I see.
But one which is almost free of that impurity..
That is said which is used for calibration purposes.
I see.
That is one which is special.
Ok.
And then there is another which were the voltage is
regulated precisely it does not change very much.
And also we had a 3 phase balancing unit.
So.. Which will give exactly 400 volts 120
degree phase shift 3 phase supply.
From a generator is it?
No, it was a separate unit.
sir.
It will operate on the mains it will adjust.
Increase decrease it is like an auto transformer.
This is Harry.
Machines lab.
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