Dr. Rajat Gupta is a native of North East India and was Director of National Institute of Technology Srinagar (NIT Srinagar) from 2011 to 2016. During this time he played a significant role in stabilising and streamlining the working of the institution. He created a positive climate in a campus that had been through its share of turmoil, overhauled an old academic culture and launched a number of creative courses – which earned him tremendous respect and popularity across the valley. NIT Srinagar would remember his efforts in several dimensions for a long time. He brought outstanding professionalism and a unique perspective to the role. The repeated protests and turbulence of those years, and the big natural disasters like the 2014 floods, taught important lessons in leadership and resilience to Dr. Gupta's colleagues and students, through his calm handling of crises. Under his direction, the institute made significant strides, including plans for a state-of-the-art auditorium, a guest house, hostels, residential quarters, and a proper playground. It is little wonder he came to be seen as the true "Avatar" of NIT Srinagar.
Though reserved by nature, Prof. Gupta is an excellent orator, a thoughtful counsellor, and an attentive listener. His speeches at the inaugurals of our national programmes were always precise, focused, and meaningful. He was the driving force behind several innovative initiatives, including support for the INSPIRE Internship Programme (a Government of India scheme) and international conferences held for the first time in the valley in collaboration with various IITs. He had little patience for vanity, undue criticism, or show, and often remarked that righteousness is the true ornament of knowledge. Students and colleagues affectionately called him the "Budshah" of NIT Srinagar – a reference to the fifteenth-century king remembered as a symbol of prosperity, tolerance, and cultural renewal that remains unmatched to this day.
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One incident stands out. During an internship programme for schoolchildren, Prof. Gupta noticed the students being served just one Gulab Jamun each after dinner. "Why only one – give them two, they are our ambassadors from the valley," he said, and began serving the sweets himself, personally carrying the plates around the hall. It is easy to overlook the quiet contributions of people who help build an institution, but such gestures reflect a rare quality – self-respect, which, once lost, can never be fully restored. Many such episodes reflect Prof. Gupta's approachability and his hands-on, proactive way of resolving difficult issues. He worked closely and harmoniously with both his seniors during his tenure, the Hon'ble Chairpersons, Dr. M. J. Zarabi and Sh. Wajahat Habibullah and, before them, with the successive Chief Ministers of the state who served as Chairpersons of the Board of Governors (BoG), NIT Srinagar, whose contributions are equally worth acknowledging. The presence and guidance of these Chairpersons has always been not just procedurally necessary, but genuinely valuable to the institute.
Prof. Gupta is an iconic personality from North-East India who wears multiple hats at once – engineer, educationist, institution-builder, communicator and above all, a passionate servant of knowledge. Folks like him have a vision and influence that endures long after they're gone. His sagacity, compassion and foresight in spreading the torch of education at NIT Srinagar will remain unforgettable and we look forward to having him back, this time as Chairperson of Board of Governors, National Institute of Technology Srinagar.
— The author is Dean, Alumni & International Affairs, and teaches Nanotechnology at NIT Srinagar. He can be reached at shah@nitsri.ac.in