Munirathna Anandakrishnan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1928-07-12)12 July 1928 |
| Died | 29 May 2021(2021-05-29) (aged 92) Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | College of Engineering, Guindy,University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Educationist |
| Years active | 1960–2021 |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Padma Shri National Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil) UM Distinguished Leadership Award Order ofSki-U-Mah Engineering Personality Award TNF Excellence Award M. K. Nambiar Memorial AwardRotary Vocational Service Award For the Sake of Honour Award National Science and Technology Award Ugadi Puraskar Man of the Year 1999 Platinum Jubilee Award ICCES Outstanding Achievement Award UGC National Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Award |
Munirathna Anandakrishnan (12 July 1928 – 29 May 2021) was an Indian civil engineer, educationist, a chairman of theIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a vice-chancellor ofAnna University.[1] He was also an Advisor to theGovernment of Tamil Nadu on Information Technology ande-Governance.[2] A winner of theNational Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil),[3][4][5] he was honored by theGovernment of India, in 2002, withPadma Shri, the fourth highestIndian civilian award.[6]
Munirathna Anandakrishnan was born on 12 July 1928[7] in the south Indian state ofTamil Nadu.[7][8] After graduating in civil engineering (BE) from theCollege of Engineering, Guindy,[9]Madras University in 1952,[1] he pursued his studies at theUniversity of Minnesota from where he secured a master's degree (MS) in 1957 and a PhD[2] in civil engineering in 1960.[7][8][10][11] During his doctoral studies, he was a teaching assistant at the university and was the president of theIndian Students Association andForeign Students Council at the university.[1][8] He also worked part-time at Twin City Testing and Engineering Laboratories, a private firm, as a materials engineer[2]
Anandakrishnan returned to India in 1962 and started his Indian career as a Grade I Senior Scientific Officer at theCentral Road Research Institute, Delhi and worked there for a year.[1][2] His next posting was as a member of the faculty of civil engineering at theIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) where he worked till 1974, holding various positions such as assistant professor, professor, senior Professor, chairman of civil engineering department, dean and acting director.[2] He also served IIT Kanpur as the chairman of the central staff recruiting committee and as the advisor on campus development.[1]
In 1974, Anandakrishnan moved to the US, on deputation from theDepartment of Science and Technology to work as the science counsellor at the Indian embassy in Washington D.C.[1][2] In 1978, he joined the United NationsCommission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) as the chief of new technologies at the Office of Science and Technology (OST), where he worked till his retirement fromUN service in 1989.[1][8] At the United Nations, he also held the posts of the deputy director at theCommission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) and the secretary of the UN Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Development (UNACAST).[2]
In 1990, Anandakrishnan returned to India to take up the position as the vice chancellor ofAnna University, Tamil Nadu[8] and served the institution for two consecutive terms till 1996.[1][2][12] During this period, he was also a member of an International Expert Committee for the development of Science and Technology in Brazil and was involved in its activities till 1997.[1] After his second tenure as the vice chancellor, he was appointed the vice chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE)[13] and also held the post of the Advisor to theChief Minister of Tamil Nadu[12][14][15] on matters related to Information Technology andE-Governance.[2][8][11] In his advisory role, he was responsible for replacing theCommon Entrance Test system[16] with theSingle Window Admission System for admission to engineering courses across Tamil Nadu. Anandakrishnan retired from active service in 2001 and lived with his family at Kasturibai Nagar, inAdyar, Chennai.[citation needed]
On 29 May 2021, he died due to COVID-19.[17]
Post retirement, Anandakrishnan is known to have been active by involving himself with many institutions and organizations. He was the honorary chairman of the Board of Governors of theIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and held the chair of the Higher Education Committee of theFederation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).[1] He was a member of the executive councils of theUniversity of Kerala,Central University of Haryana,Sikkim University and theNational University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA).[1] He was a former chairman of Science City, Tamil Nadu,[18]Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS),[12] theHigh-Power Committee for the Review and Reorientation of the Undergraduate Engineering Education in India and the Board of Undergraduate Studies of theAll India Council for Technical Education (AICTE),[14] New Delhi.[1]
Anandakrishnan was the president of the Madras Science Association and Tamil Nadu Academy of Sciences and a member of theIndian Society for Technical Education and the Indian Society for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.[2][19] He was also associated as a member with organizations such asMadras School of Economics, A. M. M. Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre,[20] C. P. R. Environmental Education Centre,[21]Tamil Virtual University,Assam University, Tamil Nadu Foundation,[22] Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG),[23] Madras Management Association,[24] Madras Craft Foundation,Tamil Nadu Council for Sustainable Livelihood,MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, andInternational Forum for Information Technology in Tamil, Singapore, (INFITT).[2] He was a member of the Managing Committee of the Tamil Nadu chapter of theTransparency International, a trustee of the Information Technology Bar of India, Chennai, a trustee and subsequently the chairman of the Ranganathan Centre for Information Studies and held the chair of the Academic Advisory Committee of theNational Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore.[2]
Anandakrishnan was a former chairman of severalUniversity Grants Commission committees and panel such as Engineering and Technology panel, Committee on Specification of Degrees, Expert Committee to review the Maintenance Grant Norms for Delhi Colleges and the Expert Committee to examine the proposals for starting new Academic Staff Colleges. He has also headed theAICTE committees like Sectoral Committee of theNational Board of Accreditation, Southern Regional Committee, Standing Committee on Entry and Operation of Foreign Universities in India and All India Board of Under Graduate Studies in Engineering and Technology.[2] He has also been associated as a member with the academic advisory council ofPondicherry University and with theNational Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore.[2]
Anandakrishnan is the author of a book and the editor of three more on educational and technical aspects of engineering.[2]
He is also credited with over 100 articles[1] in peer reviewed national and international journals.[2][29][30]
Munirathna Anandakrishan won the Order of theSki-Uh-Mah from theUniversity of Minnesota in 1958 for his activities during his studies at the institution.[2][8] In 1972, he received theIndian Invention Promotion Award for developing the design of a radial permeability measuring device.[2] TheInstitution of Engineers (India) selected him for theEngineering Personality Award in 1992 for his contribution in liaising with UN agencies.[2] The next year, he received two awards, theTNF Excellence Award from the Tamil Nadu Foundation and theM. K. Nambiar Memorial Award from the Madras Institute of Magnetobiology.[2] A year later,Rotary International,Meenambakkam awarded him theRotary Vocational Service Award. Rotary Club of Madras followed it with theFor the Sake of Honour Award the next year. He received one more award, theNational Science and Technology Award for Excellence in 1995.[2]
TheGovernment of Brazil conferred on him the Commander of theNational Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil) in 1996[1][3][8] and the same year, he received theUgadi Puraskar from the Madras Telugu Academy.[2] The International Institute of Tamil Studies honoured him in 1999 and the Centenarian Trust, Chennai selected him as theMan of the Year 1999.[2][8] TheGovernment of India awarded him the civilian honour ofPadma Shri in 2002[8] and theUniversity of Minnesota awarded him theDistinguished Leader Award in 2003.[1][2][8] The year 2004 brought him two awards, the Platinum Jubilee Award of the Indian Ceramics Society and the ICCES Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Conference on Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences.[2]
Anandakrishnan was an elected Fellow of theNational Academy of Sciences, India and theInstitution of Engineers (India).[1][2] He was also a Fellow of the Indian Society of Technical Education. Kanpur University honoured Anandakrishnan with the title ofDoctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2005.[1] TheUniversity Grants Commission (India) awarded him theUGC National Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Award in 2006.[1]
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