Giving 100% to everything one does is never a bad idea

BITS Pilani's group vice chancellor Ramgopal Rao on the importance of consistently focusing on the big picture

- Shail Desai

The dream of securing a stable government job gave way to academics once Ramgopal Rao, the group vice chancellor for BITS Pilani, decided to pursue a master's degree at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mumbai. It was here at IIT that he was exposed to some of the best minds in the country-people who helped him discover his passion for engineering and research.

"Today, classrooms have transformed significantly since I studied engineering.

There are abundant resources available online unlike earlier when we had to rely on teachers and textbooks," says Rao, 59, based in Pilani, Rajasthan.

"Accessing diverse content allows for a more personalised and engaging learning experience," he says.

Much of his focus has been on experiential learning to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The challenges he throws at his wards involves problem solving and design thinking rather than recalling formulae.