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Stimulating the intellect and offering solutions

A firm believer in the use of technology for agriculture, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental stands for research in fundamental sciences, opening more options for students, and making the University globally competitive in terms of technology, says Mandira Nayar...

He might be living in one of the country's biggest cities, heading one of its largest universities, but Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental is working to change a part of India that is rapidly becoming invisible. While he may not be far away from Punjab -- where he grew up -- in distance, in isolated Delhi he is a world away from rural India and agriculture.

His students might graduate with an aim to do bigger and brighter things, but Prof. Pental has his feet planted firmly on the ground and his heart firmly belongs in the fields.

"I think research in agriculture is the most important public service science can do. The rural tragedy of India is that we haven't used science and technology in agriculture. Secondly, the social structures and the money earmarked for rural development goes somewhere else,'' he points out.

Having grown up studying in rural schools in Punjab -- his father was a doctor -- the domestication of plants has always fascinated him. "I think at the back of my mind, I got interested in the subject when I was a child,'' he says.

Prof. Pental now pursues this interest in a completely modern context and is well known in the field of crop manipulation. A big supporter of technology, he firmly believes in innovation.

"It is cruel to push children at 17 years to choose. We hope to be able to open up every avenue for students taking fundamental sciences. We want to let late-bloomers bloom. Many courses have been re-designed. The idea now is to strengthen the standards. There will also be an emphasis on providing access to knowledge and information,'' he states.

According to him, with the University 20 to 30 years behind the world in terms of laboratories, there is a need to bring these up to par. "We will improve these on war-footing. Some laboratories have not changed for the past 30 to 40 years,'' he points out.

The University is now looking to find its feet in the world of technology. Huge investments in computers have been made, and colleges in the University have been connected through computers.

"I think the most beautiful part of Universities is that it is fun without being too much of a drain on your resources. You can get your intellectual stimulation sitting in a coffee house, instead of a five-star hotel. And you don't need to be suited booted with a necktie,'' he says with a smile.

Far removed from the lives of the students in the University, Prof. Pental's passion might not be the kind that most young people taking their first steps into the adult world of college would comprehend, but he shares one major trait with them that a lot of people in the field of education have forgotten -- enthusiasm.

Working to give them more "freedom'' to branch into areas that they are not even aware of, Prof. Pental hopes to be able to give students more options than those available to them at the moment.

"This freedom has to be used creatively. Are you giving new ideas to innovate, thinking of solutions? It is not only about interpreting ideas, but also giving solutions,'' he asserts.

Having changed his role from being a student to teaching, his intellectual stimulation has moved from coffee houses to sparring with students about plants in laboratories.

"The last movie I watched was "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi''. I find three-hour movies devastating on the mind. They had lots of khwaish in the film, but when we were at that age, "khwaishein'' were very simple. To keep our friends amused a bit and to know where we were going,'' he says. Hoping to give his students more than just simple "khwaishein'', he aims to provide them with many more opportunities.

"I think young people should never lose hope. They should play hard and study hard and work with enthusiasm,'' he asserts.

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