New Delhi, July 14, 2022: The Ten News Network had the great pleasure to talk with Dr. H. Chaturvedi, the Director of the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH). He talked about the most challenging phase of his life.
Dr. Chaturvedi stated that his initial years, after getting married and having two kids, were very challenging. “The income was not sufficient because the salary at that time was not good for teachers. I had bought a house but I had taken a loan from LIC, so, paying dischargement of the LIC loan was difficult.”
He moved to Delhi despite being advised by his friends not to do so. “Delhi is a costly city and getting a house, and getting children admitted into a good school would be difficult. I was settled there but suddenly, this idea with the inspiration of my wife, Srimati Sunita Chaturvedi, it has struck my mind that for good opportunities I should move to Agra.”
After a lot of effort and hard work, Dr. Chaturvedi got appointed as the Director of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). “I worked there for four years as director, and I learned a lot during my short tenure with AICTE, how education was moving. That was a time had been exponential growth in engineering colleges and management schools. Numbers were increasing very fast (rapidly), so I could know a lot of policy matters, I could know how the system works at the apex level and know very great people,” he explained. “AICTE has given a rational perspective that for a country like India, how to make policies, and that was the process when the experts were called from all over the country. And after having discussions and knowing their opinion, only then policies were finalized.”
“But after joining BIMTECH, although I joined with some assurance given by the management that support will be provided,” he continued. “Initial years I faced difficulties because of some attitude-related problems to my seniors. I was very open-minded and liberal in supporting students and teachers, but my seniors, who were much older than me, were not so much liberal and open-minded.” He claimed that he believes in, “Working with my teachers, students, and staff, it’s a very good way of doing my work because unless we have a good, strong team, supported team, connected team, we cannot achieve our goals.
“In 2008 the situation changed drastically, and the Birla family had decided that there will be more freedom,” Dr. Chaturvedi further said. I think I had the privilege that BIMTECH has been given maximum autonomy and freedom by the owners and they are only concerned about the outcomes, they are not interfering in the day-to-day operations.”
I think this kind of positivity which has been prevailing in our institutions at all levels, has been a very big factor for our successes in pursuing our own matter of excellence with values,” he said optimistically.
