His Highness Sri Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV (1884-1940) Maharaja of Mysore Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya (1861 - 1962) Diwan ofAv Mysore Foreword The enthusiastic group of youngsters with guidance from a team including some Senior Alumni of our beloved College had put in an extraordinary effort and conducted a Two-day Centenary Celebration of our College, University College of Engineering named – UVCE PAYANA on June 30 & July 1st 2018. The Celebrations event saw a huge alumni participation and received lot of appreciation from all Alumni for being conducted very well. As part of the centenary celebrations, the team had brought out a wonderful souvenir, AVALOKANA which gave an overall picture of the way the college progressed through the 100 years of its existence. Many rare and colorful photographs of the former Principals and Professors, some remarkable history of our college and Group Photos of various batches of the yester years which brings sweet memories to the Alumni were included. On reading through Avalokana, it was gratifying for me to note that many of the Alumni have distinguished themselves and we are proud that we all belong to such a great Institution which has contributed to the technical advancement and building of the Nation. All that we are, and we have achieved we owe it to our Alma Mater. In continuation of these efforts, the enthusiastic youngsters have now brought out a second volume of AVALOKANA carrying many interesting articles and wonderful interviews of distinguished Alumni - Dr MR Srinivasan (1950 Mech), Former Chairman of AEC; Dr Roddam Narasimha (1953 Mech) of NAL / NIAS; Dr VK Aatre (1961 EEE) who was Scientific Adviser to Govt. of India; Dr TS Prahalad (1961 Mech) who contributed significantly in ISRO, in ADA for development of LCA and as Director of NAL; also from distinguished Army Officers we have Brig Gopal (1946 Mech) and Brig HSN Sastry (1961 Mech). I recall in early 1961, Dr Roddam Narasimha after his return from USA gave a lecture in UVCE on his work in Caltech. For us, even the word Mach Number itself was new, and if my memory is right, he gave a lecture of his work on Hypersonic (up to Mach No.15) Wind Tunnel using rare gases. It thrilled many of us and enthused us to pursue Post-Graduation. I anticipate a similar inspirational effect on the readers after reading the interviews. This volume of Avalokana also includes several photographs of many batches and their reunions or get-togethers on completion of milestones after their graduation from UVCE. Articles by various alumni from different batches reflect the sweet memories of their time in the college. What took me back by happiness was when I learnt through the souvenir that the first Lady Chief Engineer of BWSSB is a distinguished Alumni of UVCE and it is a commendable feat. Through all this, this remarkable compilation of UVCE as Avalokana 2 seems to be serving as a reference for any future efforts in taking initiatives for the improvement of UVCE & I am hopeful that many more such endeavors will continue. It brings me a sense of content to see this volunteer team, VisionUVCE joining hands with the college in order to work for plans for the improvements of the College, it’s laboratories and for enlarged scope of activities in years ahead. With the cooperation of all old students, I am sure the young and enthusiastic team would be able to plan, execute their plans and elevate the college to attain the top position in the ranking by AICTE of technical institutes in the country. All the Alumni of UVCE would whole heartedly support and encourage this effort to reinstate the glory of olden days and place the college on a high pedestal. The Alumni sincerely hope that UVCE gets adequate funding and autonomy in managing its academic activities and if feasible transform to be an autonomous institution of technical education similar to IITs. UVCE returning to its glory is a vision I think all Alumni wish for and with the centennial journey completed, it has a lot to offer to everyone. UVCE has been a home to countless engineers and hopeful that it shall continue to be the same for years to come! P Sadashiva Rao, 1961 Mech Retd Project Director, Propulsion System, PSLV, ISRO From the Office of Vice-Chancellor, Bangalore University I firmly believe that there are two options – Acceptance or Change. The things you cannot change, you have to accept and the things you can’t accept, you have to change. Be it an individual’s stand point or a system’s scope, change would require time and a lot of perseverance to achieve the desired outcome. And for a global change in a system, the main requisite is a congregation of forces from the entire community. With the universities and colleges growing on a fast scale from a countable number to a diverse system, it has all become more about numbers. Since the 1950s with a modest intake of about 30 in 1917, UVCE has increased to over an intake 1000 students every year now. It is time to supplement in maintaining quality education. For example, if the result is good in a class, it proves about good quality. Sometimes it is relative to stakeholder. Students view it differently; for teachers the meaning is different and for evaluation teams it is all the more different. The yardstick varies from one to another. Quality is nonetheless, continuous reduction of defects. We cannot compromise on the quality in order to justify the quantity. We need to scale up our institution standards to cater to every student’s educational requirements to face global competition. In the current times, modern technologies have already paved their ways into the classrooms. Because of these ever emerging technologies, the nature of teaching-learning has undergone paradigm change. Technologies are making great impact in education information and knowledge is exploding in every discipline by the hour. This poses a great challenge in education and it is essential to keep up our pace with the growing transformations. UVCE must adapt these necessary measures to keep up with the current inclination towards modern modus operandi. Good infrastructure, existing departments to incorporate latest tech advancements, leveraging the rich legacy of over 100 years, competitive curriculum, good vision with focus on quality education and all-round student development, employment and industry connections should be the main priority of this institution. As the VC of Bangalore University, I endeavour to provide complete support to make to make UVCE an autonomous institution. The introduction of CBCS curriculum at UVCE will further help in obtaining the NBA accreditation. Infrastructure wise, the restoration of the heritage building is in progress and a new building at the Mechanical block is being constructed alongside by incorporating modern conveniences and amenities that articulates development in the right direction. With a great heritage and culture of over 100 years, UVCE is steadily evolving and I am delighted to know these achievements are being manifested to impart the importance of a great institution like UVCE. Avalokana part one has gloriously captured some of the wonderful artefacts of UVCE and with the release of the second part, I am absolutely certain that this magazine will add to our pride of being associated with this magnanimous institution and provide a deep drive into the legacy of UVCE. With such wonderful accomplishments and feats up our sleeves, we are poised towards a better tomorrow and a bright future. Dr Venugopal K R Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University, B.E., M.A., D.J., L.L.B., B.S., D.P.R., M.B.F., D.I.R., M.E., Ph.D. (Computer Science), Ph.D. (Economics), FIEEE (USA) ACM Distinguished Educator (USA) From the Principal’s Desk “A good education is a foundation for a better future.” The strength of the nation lies in the technological advancement and structural development harnessed by the students who are the nation’s asset. This forethought for a greater nation was transformed into a reality by Sir M Visveswaraya when he established this institution to provide for a better future by offering graduate studies for students across the state. With over 100 years of legacy to add, I am truly enthused by the ambience and energy of the place, the high quality of lecturers, students and the commitment to explore the diverse world of engineering. Technological advancement can be achieved by the voluminous growth in the field of education, research and by the constant diligence in the advancement of economic and industrial growth. This was the vision of the great engineer, Sir M V and this organization has been successful in yielding some of the best engineers of the country and testimony to this is our alumni who have credited themselves in diverse engineering and academic fields. The centenary year has marked for many new beginnings with growing infrastructure of the college, the preservation of the heritage building, renovation of the classrooms and strengthening of the current structure. Alongside this, we can definitely hope for the more progress and enhancement in the field of research and technology with UVCE reaching sky high with its achievements. With the support and encouragement from the great minds who have graduated from UVCE, we as an organization are positively motivated to facilitate the growth of UVCE into a world class institution which will add to the credibility of the establishment. I am certainly privileged to be the principal of this college during the centenary year and it was really great to perceive and share the enthusiasm of the alumni who heartily participated in celebrating the magnificent journey of their Alma mater.