READY FOR THE NEW

The implementation of the NEP, despite potential teething problems, may help take Indian universities and their thriving research culture to the next level

- ABHINAV SINGH

A visit to the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani is an interesting experience. Pilani is a five-hour drive from Delhi. The town, in Rajasthan’s Jhun-jhunu district, is unremarkable. But, the BITS Pilani campus can leave you mesmerised. It is this magnificent campus—a veritable factory of excellence—that has made the small town of around 50,000 people widely recognised.

Established in 1964, BITS Pilani, which is the top private technical university as per THE WEEK-Hansa Research Best Universities Survey, 2022, has an alumni network that boasts more than 6,000 CEOs and more than 3,000 academicians, including vice-chancellors and directors at prestigious educational institutions across India. BITS now has three more campuses-Dubai (established in 2000), Goa (2004), and Hyderabad (2008). The campuses have identical curricular structures, and, together, have 17,500 students and 935 faculty members.

As we reached the campus, Prof Souvik Bhattacharyya and Prof Sudhirkumar Barai were eagerly waiting to greet us. Bhattacharyya is the vice chancellor of BITS Pilani and Barai is the director of the Pilani campus. Bhattacharyya's spacious office overlooks the new academic block designed by architect Hafeez Contractor. The vice chancellor puts the new block in perspective: "This campus is a wonderful blend of tradition and modernity." The balance is not limited to architecture; retaining and building on effective methods and constantly updating where necessary has helped BITS become what it is today.