Two faculty with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham shared their insights on how India is emerging as a responsible global power with expanding economic influence. Dr. Balakrishnan Shankar, Dean, School of Engineering, and Mr. Suresh Kodoor, Director of Academia-Industry Partnership, took part in the NDTV World Summit 2024 – The India Century.
The Summit began on October 21 with an opening address by Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He emphasised that India has become a ray of hope in a world immersed in turmoil.
“Our endeavour will be to make India’s century a century of victory not just for India, but for all of humanity,” said the Prime Minister.
In this context, Dr Balakrishnan Shankar and Mr Suresh Kodoor were part of a key session titled “The Role of Education in Shaping India’s Century”. They spoke about how the university’s holistic approach to learning is shaping global entrepreneurs who will pioneer innovative solutions for the benefit of all. This is founded upon Amma’s compassion-based vision of education, research and technology.
They discussed that the university carries a particular focus on preparing students to be industry-ready. The integration of real-world problems, interdisciplinary research, and technological advancements are central to Amrita’s educational approach.
Dr Shankar highlighted the unique Live-in-Labs program, where students are actively involved in addressing critical problems in rural areas across India. They spend time living in the villages and collaborate with community members to find solutions.
“Our parent organisation [Mata Amritanandamayi Math] has adopted around 100 villages, where students identify real-life issues, work on cost-effective solutions, and deploy them,” he said. This hands-on approach has resulted in 200 patents being filed by students and faculty, with 100 of them already accepted.
Dr Shankar further shared a key example of the university’s impact when the Amrita Landslide Early Warning System (A-LEWS) was established in 2009 in the Munnar region of Kerala. It was the world’s first wireless sensor network for the detection and early warning of landslides.
“We identified a village, deployed sensors, and predicted landslides, leading to the evacuation of villagers twice, ultimately saving lives. This centre is now recognised for excellence in detecting landslides,” Dr Shankar said.
Highlighting the role of compassion-driven research, he added, “Our motive is to solve the common man’s problems through interdisciplinary efforts, leveraging AI and other technologies.”
Mr Kodoor contributed by saying that AI has emerged as a major disruptor in today’s world, pushing the need for a workforce with new, future-ready skills. He illustrated his point by discussing AI’s profound impact on the job market.
“AI is estimated to replace 85 million jobs in the next two years while creating 100 million new ones requiring different skill sets. Automation has always replaced jobs, but this time, it’s targeting roles that require cognitive ability,” Mr Kodoor explained. He said that educational institutions must collaborate closely with industries to prepare students for the jobs of the future.
“Our students work on real-time industry projects, go for internships, and gain practical exposure to what’s happening in the business world,” Mr Kodoor said. In line with this vision, Amrita has signed over 100 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with various industries, including the automotive, energy, IT, and construction sectors.
Both Dr Shankar and Mr Kodoor spoke about how universities must move beyond just being centres that share knowledge. To foster entrepreneurship among students, innovation is crucial to address our world’s deepening challenges.
“Universities need to become knowledge creators,” stressed Mr Kodoor.
