Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is a glorious institution with a history spanning more than 100 years, established with a visionary plan by its founders. The sheer size of the university and the breadth of its disciplines—engineering, medicine, law, management, performing arts, and more have produced eminent scholars and leaders who have significantly contributed to solving India’s challenges. Padma Shri Awardee, Prof. Sudhir Jain, Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, reflected on the institution’s remarkable legacy in an exclusive interview with Dr. Ravi Gupta, Founder & CEO of Elets Technomedia and Editor-in-Chief of Digital Learning Magazine. Edited excerpts:

What was the different approach you took in building a new institution, and what challenges did you face? Could you talk about this journey?

In academia, many of us are fortunate to have opportunities to teach, conduct research, or even lead institutions as directors or vice-chancellors. However, very few are privileged to build a new institution from the ground up. This was an extraordinary and rare honor—not just for myself as the director, but also for my colleagues, students, and staff.

I often emphasized to everyone involved—students, faculty, and non-teaching staff—that we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly special. It was a chance to come together as a team and design an institution that could reflect India’s highest aspirations for academia. Because we were not burdened by the legacy challenges that established institutions face, we had the freedom to start a fresh and incorporate the very best ideas and practices.

At IIT Gandhinagar, our guiding philosophy was to learn from the successes and challenges of the first-generation IITs. We sought to adopt their best practices while consciously safeguarding ourselves against the issues and inefficiencies they encountered after decades of operation. This unique position allowed us to design an institution that could, over time, set new benchmarks for excellence.

I often likened this process to parenting. As parents dream of their children achieving more than they did and having access to opportunities they never had, I felt the same responsibility toward this institution. My vision was for IIT Gandhinagar to excel in a way that would make its community proud and inspire admiration from the older IITs. I wanted them to look at our work and say, “This new IIT has achieved even more than we did.”

This sense of purpose shaped our journey, uniting us as a team and driving us to build an institution that could serve as a guiding light for future generations.

You brought a more holistic approach to engineering education during your time at Gandhinagar. You introduced subjects like history, arts, theatre, archaeology, and other dimensions often overlooked in engineering institutions. What inspired you to think so “out of the box”?

I wouldn’t say it was as “out of the box” as people perceive it. If you look at any credible report on undergraduate engineering education by reputed institutions, they all emphasize the need for engineers to have a broad-based education. Engineers shouldn’t just know how to do something; they must also understand why they are doing it.

If an engineer lacks clarity about the purpose and implications of their work, they risk being reduced to mere technicians. In such cases, the leadership and decision-making will inevitably be in the hands of those who understand the “why,” while engineers are hired to execute the “how.” As a premier institution, we had a responsibility to produce future leaders who could solve societal problems and provide vision. This necessitated a broad-based and grounded education.

On one hand, our graduates should aspire to be global leaders, understanding the best practices and advancements around the world. On the other hand, they must be deeply aware of India’s unique challenges and societal realities. 

Our students were some of the brightest minds, having cleared rigorous and competitive exams. Once they joined us, it became our responsibility to prepare them to tackle India’s challenges and societal issues. This preparation couldn’t be limited to technical education alone. It required integrating humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and various other disciplines into their curriculum. These subjects grounded them in the realities of India while simultaneously broadening their perspective. By doing so, we equipped them to become well-rounded leaders capable of addressing both local and global challenges.

BHU has a rich legacy, diverse departments, a large faculty, and numerous students across disciplines ranging from engineering, humanities, and sciences to performing arts. Transitioning from a leading engineering institution to a university with such diversity and magnitude must have been a huge responsibility. Could you share your thoughts on what you had to learn or unlearn in this journey?

I feel privileged and fortunate to have had such wonderful opportunities in my career. My journey began with a narrow focus as an earthquake engineering expert teaching within that specialisation. However, as I progressed in my teaching and research career, I realised that earthquake engineering cannot be viewed in isolation. It must be seen within the broader context of civil engineering.

This understanding led me to think about how civil engineering as a discipline could evolve to address earthquake-related challenges more effectively. Over time, I realised that even civil engineering must be integrated into the broader scope of engineering education. From there, my perspective expanded further, leading me to think about how overall education could be improved to enhance engineering education.

Serving as the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University is an extraordinary privilege. BHU is a glorious institution with a history spanning more than 100 years, established with a visionary plan by its founders. The sheer size of the university and the breadth of its disciplines—engineering, medicine, law, management, performing arts, and more have produced eminent scholars and leaders who have significantly contributed to solving India’s challenges.

Throughout my career, I have believed in the importance of lifelong learning. At IIT Gandhinagar, I frequently told my students that they must “learn to learn” and embrace learning throughout their lives. Similarly, I have been a learner throughout my career. When I began teaching at IIT Kanpur, I learned to be a better teacher. As Director of IIT Gandhinagar, I had to learn how to lead an institution—a role I wasn’t fully prepared for on day one. Over time, I learned and improved.

Now at BHU, the journey of learning continues. I understood clearly that this was new territory, and I would have to learn many new things and unlearn others. This has indeed proven true. The governance system at IITs is very different from how universities in India are managed. As a result, I have had to undergo significant learning and adapt my approaches.

With your extensive experience across institutions like IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, and BHU, how do you see the role of higher education evolving in the current scenario, especially in the context of achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047? What changes and reforms are needed in the higher education ecosystem?

Education has always been important, but it has never been as critical as it is today. Over 200 years ago, when the British came to exploit India’s resources, they had to send their people to live in difficult conditions physically. Today, with advancements in IT, this is no longer necessary. The intellectual work done remotely, powered by good universities, now drives industries like IT, which dominate the global economy. Today’s richest companies are not in manufacturing but in IT, and these industries rely on universities to produce exceptional thinkers and problem solvers.

The same is true for defense, where electronic warfare and technological advancements play a far greater role than before. This highlights the critical importance of universities in shaping the economy and defense of the country.

I believe that the universities must go beyond merely teaching subjects or conducting exams. They must prepare students for life by focusing on three key aspects:

1. Aspiration: Helping students develop the desire to achieve something meaningful and positive.
2. Motivation Creating environment that builds strong motivation to achieve.
3. Capability: Equipping them with the tools and skills needed to fulfill their goals.

The traditional approach of teaching only subjects addresses the capability part, but it is equally essential to foster aspiration and motivation. This requires meaningful teacher-student engagement, which cannot be replaced by online resources. Teachers need to engage with students deeply and inspire them to think, innovate, and lead.

To accomplish this, universities need more than good teachers and infrastructure. They also require:

1. Good Governance Systems: Universities should operate through shared governance, where policies and norms are collaboratively developed. This empowers all stakeholders, ensuring they take ownership of the institution’s success.
2. A Strong Institutional Culture: Institutions must create an atmosphere where teachers and students can engage meaningfully. Even the best teachers and resources cannot succeed in an unsupportive environment.

Universities cannot be governed like government departments or corporations. They require governance models that balance autonomy and accountability. For example:

• Shared Values: Widely shared values by the community are essential. Without them, decision-making becomes inconsistent and chaotic. Whether it is about academic standards or disciplinary actions, a unified framework ensures clarity and fairness.
• Empowerment and Autonomy: Faculty and administrators must be free to make decisions without micromanagement. For instance, a department head with an allocated budget should have the autonomy to decide its use based on departmental needs. However, this autonomy must come with accountability to ensure fairness and transparency.
• Delegation of Authority: Decentralised decision-making fosters creativity and innovation. Overregulation limits innovation at all levels, and if faculty are not encouraged to think creatively, students will not learn to thin and innovate either.

To achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, universities must focus on cultivating student’s aspiration, motivation, and capability. By fostering shared values, shared governance, and a culture of autonomy and accountability, higher education can become the foundation for India’s progress.

How do you view the growth of private and foreign universities, the trend of students going abroad, and its impact on the higher education ecosystem in India?

Education is not a zero-sum game. There is space for everyone. Private institutions will not hurt public universities; if anything, they will contribute to public universities, and vice versa. A healthy educational ecosystem benefits from diversity. Private and foreign universities add diversity, new methods of governance, and innovative practices. We will find opportunities to learn and grow if we open our minds to these possibilities.

As a public university product and someone who has worked in public universities all my life, I do not see private or foreign universities as a threat. Instead, we observe them in the public university system, learn from their best practices, and adopt what works for us. Education is not a competition where someone’s gain means another’s loss; conversely, if someone improves, it can inspire and help others improve.

Moreover, there is no upper limit to excellence. Even if we think we are doing well or rank higher than others, there is always room to do better. Public universities should see private and foreign universities as opportunities for self-improvement and fostering healthy competition.

The trend of Indian students going abroad is another dimension to consider. While higher studies in specialised fields abroad are understandable, the increasing number of students leaving after 12th grade is concerning. This has economic implications, as billions of dollars flow out of India, and social implications, as younger students are less likely to return to contribute to India’s economy. If students go abroad at a young age, we risk losing valuable human resources permanently.

The solution lies in improving our educational institutions—both public and private—so that students find high-quality opportunities here. This is not to discourage anyone from studying abroad but to create a system that provides equally good options within India. 

What changes and initiatives have you introduced during your tenure as Vice Chancellor at BHU?

During my tenure as Vice Chancellor at BHU, I addressed several pressing issues within the university, particularly in administration, financial management, and the overall academic environment. Making changes in a large university is undoubtedly a complex process, but we achieved several impactful reforms:

1. Improving Administrative Processes:
   Administrative inefficiencies were causing significant frustration for students, teachers, and other stakeholders. There were delays in clearing papers, processing payments, and handling faculty and vendor-related financial matters. To address this, we:
   • Streamlined administrative processes to make the system more responsive and accountable.
   • Introduced benchmarks and expectations for timely processing.
   • Made structural changes, such as establishing a Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell, which implemented a single-window system to clear any papers related to sponsored projects within 72 hours. This significantly reduced bureaucracy and improved efficiency for faculty handling research projects.
2. Recruiting Diverse Talent:
   To bring meaningful change, we brought new talent, and a combination of existing personnel and fresh talent became change agents. This approach balanced the legacy knowledge of the system with innovative ideas from new recruits:
   • Brought in officers on deputation and contractual terms.
   • Encouraged collaboration between new hires and existing staff to drive reforms effectively.
3. Addressing Financial Challenges:
   Financial constraints were a significant hurdle when I joined. To overcome this, we:
   • Identified areas of waste and optimised fund usage, such as ensuring timely rent collection, tuition fee payments, and better investment of surplus funds.
   • Improved financial discipline and identified opportunities to increase internal revenue.
   • Successfully persuaded the government to increase grants by showcasing proactive financial management and reforms.
4. Ensuring Discipline and Safety:
   A culture of indiscipline and safety concerns was adversely affecting the academic environment. To address this:
   • Worked on creating a secure and comfortable ecosystem for students and teachers.
   • Improved overall discipline, enabling a conducive atmosphere for academic growth and meaningful discussions.
5. Empowering Teachers and Students:
   Our ultimate goal was to improve the quality of education and opportunities for students and faculty. Key initiatives included:
   • Providing autonomy to faculty for academic and research-related expenses, such as conference participation, purchasing equipment, or conducting experiments.
   • Introducing programs for professional growth, such as enabling teachers and students to engage in research and training abroad for six months to a year.
   • Establishing the “Teach for BHU Fellowship,” which allowed PhD students to engage in teaching and gain valuable experience in post-thesis submission. This initiative provided financial support and enhanced their career prospects.
6. Fostering Leadership and Life Skills:
   To nurture leadership qualities and life skills, we:
   • Sent over 100 faculty members to premier institutions for leadership training.
   • Created specialised leadership and life skills committees in every faculty.
   • Launched a strong counseling service accessible to students and other stakeholders.
7. Student-Centric Initiatives:
   Several programs were introduced to enhance student opportunities, including:
   • Internship programs for our master’s graduates.
   • Ambitious leadership development initiative.
   • Enhanced counseling services to support student mental health and well-being.

When I reflect on the changes we have implemented, I see significant progress in administrative efficiency, financial stability, and opportunities for personal and professional growth for students and teachers alike. While these changes have already started showing results, their long-term impact will become increasingly evident in the years to come. Maintaining these initiatives and continuously monitoring and improving them through mid-course corrections will be critical to ensuring their sustained success.

Employability is a major issue in the country, with significant political and social dimensions. How does BHU address this issue, and what initiatives are being implemented to enhance employability?

I believe it is the responsibility of schools, colleges, and universities to prepare students not just academically but for life, which includes employability. Employability today demands more than technical skills. For instance, if you were to hire a driver, it is not sufficient that the driver knows how to drive. The driver must also have the discipline to show up on time, conduct themselves professionally, and be reliable. Similarly, universities must go beyond teaching subjects like physics, chemistry, or history; we need to prepare students for life.

When a teacher insists that a student arrives on time for class, it is not about the teacher’s ego—it is a life lesson. Punctuality and discipline are critical workplace skills. If a student learns to submit an assignment on time or meet deadlines during university, they are developing habits essential for professional success. Unfortunately, we sometimes fail our young people by being overly lenient.

I often share a story to illustrate this point: In a factory, a worker was required to wear safety goggles while welding. However, he found the goggles uncomfortable and often avoided wearing them, despite repeated reprimands from his supervisor. One day, an accident occurred, and the worker lost his sight. Later, when his supervisor visited to express sympathy, the worker angrily refused to meet him. After much persuasion, the worker allowed the supervisor to visit but blamed him for the accident. The worker argued that if the supervisor had fired him for not following safety protocols, he would have retained his eyesight and found another job.

The moral of this story is clear: leniency in enforcing discipline can have long-term adverse consequences. Similarly, as educators, if we pass students who do not deserve to pass, or fail to enforce discipline, we are not preparing them for the challenges of life. If we were strict when necessary—failing a student or taking disciplinary action when required—we might inconvenience them temporarily, but we would prepare them for a lifetime of success.

As teachers and academic institutions, we must adopt a broader perspective. Our goal should not be to gain short-term popularity with students but to equip them for the long run. A little strictness today can yield significant benefits for their future careers. Ultimately, our effectiveness as educators lies in preparing students to thrive in the real world, even if it requires taking difficult decisions now for their benefit in the years to come.

Also Read: Centurion University Pioneering Skill-Based Education

The Hon’ble Prime Minister has emphasized the importance of Start-Up India and urges universities to encourage students toward startups and entrepreneurship. What initiatives has BHU taken in this regard?

I believe that preparing young students for startups begins with providing them autonomy. For example, if a parent gives their child ₹100 as pocket money but dictates how much they can spend on chocolates, novels, or other items, they are stifling the child’s creativity. Similarly, if we run a university hostel with strict rules about how every aspect of the hostel functions—down to the smallest details—we are restricting students’ opportunities to problem-solve and innovate.

When students are given autonomy to manage their own lives and affairs, with supervision to prevent misuse or abuse, they gain self-esteem, confidence, and the ability to think critically. For instance, if a 10-year-old learns to budget their pocket money creatively or an 18-year-old in a university learns to manage hostel affairs independently, they are developing skills essential for entrepreneurship. These experiences nurture a fertile imagination and encourage them to identify opportunities where they can contribute to unmet needs while building a sustainable livelihood.

I strongly feel that universities need to do much more to empower students by granting them autonomy. This approach not only fosters creative thinking but also builds a foundation for entrepreneurial mindsets, enabling students to eventually take part in initiatives like Start-Up India and make meaningful contributions to society.