P.C. Varghese Institute Chair

Description

Dear Alumnus,

Shri Puthenveetil Chandapillai Varghese, a Unesco Chief Technical Advisor, Professor Varghese has over 60 years of teaching experience. He has published six books with PHI learning in the field of Civil Engineering. He also encouraged and groomed many faculty members and graduates into leadership roles.

Shri P C Varghese was born on 3rd March 1921 at Mavelikara, Kerala. He did his primary schooling at his hometown, Mavelikara. In 1939 he completed his Pre-Degree education at CMS College, Kottayam. He then pursued B.Sc. from Loyola College, Madras, with specialisation in mathematics, physics and chemistry. He graduated in the year 1941. The consistent urge for knowledge made him join B.Sc. Degree (Civil Engineering) at College of Engineering, Trivandrum, which he completed in 1945.

In the year 1947 Dr. Varghese, joined Building Research Station, Roorkee, as a Scientist. He received the Scholarship from Ministry of Irrigation and Power, Government of India, to study Soil Mechanics and Earth Dams. Soon, in 1948, he left for MS Degree (Civil Engineering) at Harvard University, USA. in 1949 he joined M.Eng. Degree in Soil Mechanics at Harvard University again.

Upon returning to India, he joined as an Assistant Soil Specialist at Hirakud Dam Project, Orissa. At the end of this rigorous fieldwork for two years, in 1952, joined IIT Kharagpur to work with Professor Lyse, Head (CE) to study concrete structures. He was soon deputed on a UNESCO Fellowship to study concrete with Prof. A. L. Baker, at Imperial College, London, UK. In 1954 Prof. Varghese did his PhD at IIT-Kharagpur.

After completion of Ph.D., he preferred to join academia rather than Industry. He had the privilege of working as one of the founding staff members of IIT Kharagpur from 1950 to 1961. Also worked as a Construction Engineer for campus development works from CPWD, at IIT Kharagpur.

In 1961 he joined at IIT-Madras as Head of the Civil Engineering department and served till 1972. From 1972 to 1982 he served the Moratuwa University, Colombo (Sri Lanka). He also acted as UN advisor to the Ministry of Works, Sri Lanka during this period. There he worked with the UNCHS and the Ministry of Works and Housing on many building projects. In 1983 he returned from Sri-Lanka and settled down in Chennai. Post this he joined at Anna University, Chennai as an Honorary Professor.

The Chair Professorship will enable the Department to identify and nominate academically high performing faculty of Civil Engineering. The target corpus aspired for making this Chair as a perpetually sustaining one is around Rs. 1 crore. We now invite Alumni of Civil Engineering Department of IIT Madras to contribute towards this initiative through alternative modes of transfer of funds, indicated below. All donations to IIT Madras are eligible for 100 % tax benefit *.