Nation’s responsibility to nurture PU: Prof Sood

Charu Chhibber

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

It is the nation’s responsibility to nurture Panjab University rather than refusing to give its due, says Padma Shri Prof Ajay Sood, one of the most distinguished and decorated alumni of the varsity.

Prof Sood is president of Indian National Science Academy – the first PU alumnus to bag the position since Independence. The Indian Institute of Science (IISC) physicist was also elected as fellow by the prestigious Royal Society of London in 2015, among other honours.

In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Chandigarh Tribune, ahead of his lecture on “Active Matter – Paradigm for Science Without Borders” at Panjab University tomorrow, Prof Sood said it was extremely painful to read about the financial crisis his alma mater is undergoing due to the apathy of the people who should be supporting it.

“Panjab University has a hugely valued heritage of the nation and it is a university in the true sense of the word. You name a speciality and the PU has it – right from Punjabi Literature to Economics, Gandhian Studies, Gender Studies, Guru Granth Sahib Studies, Physical Education, Music, Defence and Strategic Studies to Accelerator Physics. Very few universities have this kind of wide spectrum of courses offered,” Prof Sood opined.

He added that not only as an alumnus but also an Indian citizen, he feels the Panjab University must be nurtured by the nation.

“It is the nation’s pride but are we doing enough to keep up its rich legacy built so devotedly by its distinguished alumni, which include countless renonwed names like Prof Sahni, Dr Manmohan Singh and the likes who have enriched all walks of life across the globe,” said an emotional Prof Sood.

He said it must be the nation’s responsibility to nurture the university rather than being unreasonable by refusing it its basic due. “The varsity is not asking for a luxury, it is asking for its basic due. It is saddening to see those who must nurture it turn against it and make it go through hardships,” said Prof Sood.

“The authorities should not make an ego issue and come out in support of the Panjab University to take it to the next level of growth and development,” said the alumnus who has is extremely proud to be associated with it.

Sharing insight into his days spent at the PU, Prof Sood says the fondest memories from his life till now are from this place. “I have lived in hostel numbers 2, 3, and 4. Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun K. Grover was my batch mate. We were such a brilliant batch that most of us were toppers from our colleges,” he said.

Prof Sood went on to add that apart from academics, what set the students of those times apart from was their active participation in extra-curricular activities, something that he says is missing from the current crop of students.

“Students today have too many diversions, including the internet and social media. In our times, there were no such diversions. We lived and learnt together and had fun with each other. These days, those kind of inter-personal relations are missing,” he averred.

Sharing the story behind his love for physics, the celebrated physicist says he was always interested in science. “The marvels of science, especially those of physics intrigued me right from my school days. And my teachers at the Panjab University nurtured that interest beautifully,” he says.

BREAKTHROUGH

Prof Sood and his team from Bengaluru’s IISc had achieved a major breakthrough when they designed a microscopic heat engine that operates at 50-60 per cent efficiency by relying on changes in bacterial activity.

SOOD EFFECT

Sood and his team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bengaluru had created history in 2003 when they generated electricity by passing liquid or gas through carbon nanotubes. The discovery often referred to as the 'Sood Effect', now finds application in many fields, from medical appliances like self-powered pacemakers to gas pipelines.

WHAT IS KEEPING HIM BUSY

Prof Sood’s new work dwells on how to make very sensitive and reasonable diagnostics available. “We look for answers to difficult questions that no one has ever asked. Once we discover those, we move on,” he says, adding that he is also working on how the addition of nanotubes can add to the viscosity of a material without adding to its weight.

SUCCESS MANTRA & MESSAGE FOR PARENTS

“Nobody forced me to take up a particular subject. My parents did not pressurise me. They supported me,” he adds, giving out an important message to all parents to let the children decide and pursue what interests them.

MESSAGE FOR STUDENTS

Prof Sood has an equally important message for students: “Do what interests you. Do it passionately. Sincerity is the key. And enjoy your days at the university. These enriching days will become the asset of a lifetime.”