While we were at I.I.T Delhi, one of the
senior professors in the Department of Electrical
Engineering, Prof.P.S.Satsangi called a few of the research scholars from
different states and made us sign a document for
formation of the Systems Society of India(SSI). This professional
society was formed to promote interaction
between those working in the area of Systems Engineering and
to conduct National Systems Conference once in a year. The founder members were
supposed to create opportunities for systems related activities in their own
institutions. Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary branch where
engineers and scientists in different fields will be able to work together.
Developments in different engineering branches had become too complex and it
was becoming difficult for one belonging to a particular branch to know
everything about such large systems.
After returning from Delhi, I took the initiative to enrol
quite a few members to SSI from different departments and we formed the very
first chapter of SSI in REC Calicut. As the subscription amount was not too
big, many of them joined as life members by a onetime payment. As Systems
engineering could include all areas on engineering, many seniors from all
departments were enrolled as members. National Systems Conference was being
organized in different parts of India. One of the earliest centres was at
P.S.G. College of Technology (twice) and later at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
Thiruvananthapuram. Many of us used to attend these conferences and present our
research papers therein. We discussed the possibility of conducting the
National Systems Conference 1997 in REC Calicut. Principal was happy to give
permission. An organizing committee was formed with members from all
departments. Since the bulk of the members from the Department
of Electrical Engineering, Prof.
K.M. Moideenkutty was nominated as the
Organizing Secretary, myself as General Convener, Dr
Abraham.T.Mathew and Dr.Y.Venkataramani as
Editors for the Conference proceedings. The
theme for the conference was chosen as “Technology Education Environment
for Sustainable Growth”.
Previously, only one major conference, the Annual
convention of Indian Society for Technical Education (I.S.T.E) alone was conducted
in REC Calicut. But many of us had been attending National
Systems Conference at several places in India and from what we could see from
those places, we were confident that we could make a reasonably good job with
cooperation from all.
The conference was scheduled from 11th - 13th Dec
1997 and preparations were in full swing about 6-8 months prior to that.
However, the major problem in organizing such conferences in a place like
Kozhikode is the availability of sponsorship. No such conferences can be
conducted without liberal financial sponsorship from voluntary organisers and
governmental agencies. We approached the government departments such
as Department of Science and Technology (DST), Defence Research &
Development Organisation(DRDO), Council of Scientific & Industrial
Research(CSIR), Kerala State Council for Science Technology &
Environment Department(KSCSTE), Indian Space Research
Organisation(ISRO). All of them had offered support but in spite of
that we were short of the budget by about 2 lakhs. The registration
fee from the delegates could contribute part of it, but we decided to
go personally to the industries in Kerala.
A team of senior professors from the major
departments decided to visit major industries between Kozhikode and Kochi. We
started in a car in the early morning. On the way, we visited
Transformers and Electricals Ltd (TELK), Premier Tyres Aluva, Fertilizers and
Chemicals Ltd (FACT), Popular Automobiles, Eddy Current Controls, Toshiba
Lamps. etc. and presented our requirements. By about 5 o’clock, we reached
Allied Industries office in Panampallynagar Ernakulam where one of our alumni
was eagerly waiting for us. With the help from some of our alumni working in
many of these industries we could get offers that added up to an
amount sufficient to make up
the deficit.
In this conference six major subjects were chosen and a
total of 81 papers were presented and discussed during the three days of the
conference. Researchers from different parts of India came and presented their
papers. Proceedings of the conference was published by Allied Publishers, New
Delhi. It was a volume with 480 pages. The efforts
of Dr. Venkataramani and Dr Abraham T
Mathew in compiling and editing this
volume have to be appreciated.
Such proceedings will be the only
lasting contribution to the researchers in future. After the
conference, we sent copy of the proceedings to all the sponsors and major
academic and research institutions in India. From the feedback of the
delegates, we could understand that the conference was a major success, in
spite of geographic limitations.
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