Why did Dr Chivukula decide to donate Rs 228 crore to his alma mater, IIT Madras? | Mint

Education at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) should focus on what is relevant to the nation’s development over the next three to four decades, and not what is relevant to the US, according to Krishna Chivukula, who has made the single largest donation to his alma mater, IIT-Madras.

The IITs have been largely export-oriented as graduates have better opportunities abroad, said Chivukula, who donated to the IITs. In response to emailed queries, the institute was donated Rs 228 crore. This is the largest donation given to any educational institution in India.

“But now, the centre of growth of the world economy is shifting towards Asia and particularly India. India is going to grow very fast,” he said. “IITs and IIT student unions should focus more on things relevant to India in terms of education and development because India is not a very developed economy in many areas.”

After serving as group president and CEO at the Hoffman Group of Companies in New York, Chivukula founded two companies. In 1990, he founded Shiva Technologies Inc., which specialized in advanced mass spectroscopy for authenticating ultra-high purity materials. He also founded Indo MIM Private Limited in Bengaluru, which focused on the production of small metal and ceramic components with complex geometries in high volumes. Edited excerpts from the interview:

Can you share some memories of your time at IIT Madras? How were those years for you?

I was at IIT Madras from 1968 to 1970, where I did my master’s degree (MTech in Aerospace Engineering) in rocket science with specialisation in jet propulsion systems. It was a lot of fun. The campus was not as developed as it is today. But still, we had a lot of fun with whatever was there. The important thing was that we had students from all over the country, and they mingled well. It was a very challenging environment at that time, because we developed a lot of fundamental technologies in the country that were not available to India at that time. After all, it was very difficult to share knowledge from the US in rocket science and other similar areas. So, I and a lot of others did a lot of fundamental work.

We had a lot of fun in our daily lives, as any student would. We drank soft drinks. The best part of the evening or weekend was playing tennis from 4 to 6 pm, and then coming back to Kaveri hostel, taking a bath, having food and going to the ‘tent theatre’ in Velachery (an area behind the IIT Madras campus). Six or seven of us would sit in the theatre and watch a film.

It was the simple pleasures of life because life was very simple in India in 1968 and 1970. But you don’t need a lot of things to have fun. You can have a lot of fun with very few things, and that’s what we did.

How did your experience at IIT shaped your career and personal growth?

I think IIT Madras gave me more confidence and more focus than IIT Bombay because I did my BTech from IIT Bombay. In BTech, you can focus on something only in the final year.

But here (at IIT Madras) for two years I studied only aerospace engineering. I said, “Look, I wanted to be an astronaut, or I wanted to do a PhD in aerospace engineering.”

From that perspective, the two years I spent at IIT Madras really focused my thinking on what I liked to do and what I wanted to do. It’s a different matter that I didn’t do what I wanted to do. I didn’t finish my PhD. Instead, I went to Harvard, did an MBA and got into the industry.

Anyway, I think the concept of focusing and thinking about what you want to do in life and doing it was much more developed at IIT Madras than IIT Bombay. Obviously, this is because I was much younger at IIT Bombay and hopefully more mature at IIT Madras.

What inspired you to make such a huge donation to IIT Madras?

I have always wanted to give something back to the IITs in India because, in my mind, there is a one-to-one correspondence between my education at IIT and my ultimate success, to the extent that I am successful. IIT education is fantastic, and in terms of the depth and breadth of technical knowledge you get at IIT, it is far superior to what you would learn in the US, even at some of the best institutions.

Being from IIT gave me a lot of confidence. Because I went to IIT and did well there, I got into Harvard Business School, and one thing after another happened.

So, I wanted to get to the bottom of why IIT and my mother made my life so successful. From an education perspective, IIT played a vital role. I wanted to give the same opportunity I got to other kids in India who might not be able to make it to IIT even after getting admission.

And second, I want to enhance the reputation and reach of the IITs. I want to unleash the inherent talent of the IITs and the professors here. Take them out of prison, let them see the light and breathe fresh air and provide the funds to do so. If they have money, they can think and work freely.

What are your views about the current system of education in India, especially higher education? How important are IITs for higher education and career development in India?

I think in terms of IITs, they have been largely export-oriented earlier because graduates had more opportunities abroad than in India. Take my example – when I graduated from IIT Madras I went to the US. Similarly, a lot of people went to the US at that time.

But now, the centre of growth of the world economy is shifting towards Asia and particularly India. India is going to grow very fast. IITs and IIT student bodies should focus more on things relevant to India in terms of education and development because India is not a highly developed economy in many areas. We are very good, and we have the potential, but it is not like the US where you have it, or the US used to have it, because now it has all gone to China. But, India does not have the breadth of the economy.

IITs should focus for the next 30-40 years on what is relevant to the growth of India rather than what is relevant to the growth of America!

When you talk to today’s young students, do you see any difference between their generation and yours?

I think people younger than me are much more open-minded than me, much smarter than me at that age, much more intelligent than me at that age, and much more confident than me at that age. There’s a huge difference!

I just hope that confidence doesn’t turn into overconfidence. They are very free to express themselves, especially the IIT boys. They are not afraid. They know they are talented, and they are. They speak their mind, whether you like it or not. And that is good. It is very refreshing. It is just like American students who speak their mind.

I think the main difference I see is that young people are more confident in themselves, in their place in the world, and where they are going. They are more focused.

In our days, we used to take what was available and what was given to us. Nowadays, I see people who are like, “I want to do this and only this.” Maybe right or wrong, but they have a good sense of what they want. And I think that’s a big difference.