RU-BA-RU Dear friends, it is a well known fact that the life of some people enlighten the life of others. Indeed we cherish this idea as we share with you an exclusive interview with the Head of the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication- Prof. P. T. Karule.
Prof. Karule has published over 10 research papers, 5 in national conference and 5 in international conference and received the Best Paper Award at PSG college of Engineering, Coimbatore He is associated with various professional bodies and is a faculty of Cadence Design System, Bangalore which gives corporate training to engineers of companies like Wipro, Mindtree etc. specializing in the areas of VLSI, Embedded system etc.
The members of EESA convey their heartfelt gratitude to Karule Sir for taking time off his busy schedule to share his opinions, experiences and advice with us. We hope our readers also benefit through this virtual association with him as all of us who know him have benefited from it. The excerpts of the interview are :
P.D: How did you decide to devote your life to the profession of teaching?
PROF: My parents were teachers. So teaching is in my blood. Their dedication towards teaching inspired me. Also, I enjoy the company of young and enthusiastic students. So I decided to pursue a career in this noble profession.
P.D: How was your first experience as a lecturer? Your feelings when you first faced a class of students?
PROF: I felt nervous (laughs); I still remember my first day as a Professor at YCCE. It was 13th Dec 1989. As I entered the classroom, I felt quite apprehensive, only one thing went racing across my mind then, it was ’to give my best shot.’ But facing a class full of enthusiastic students, I could feel a rush of adrenaline through my veins. That memory can never leave my mind and is ever adding to the joy it gave me then.
P.D: And how has been your journey from that day till now? How did you feel when you were offered the post of HOD?
PROF: O! The journey was very interesting. I love to teach. But administration was the other inherent passion I had. I was always a leader during my student life. So after Prof. A .V. Bapat sir, I knew the Post of head of the department was coming my way. Initially I was a bit reluctant to take that post because I was pursuing my PhD and shouldering such a responsibility seemed a mammoth task. But now I feel I took the right decision.
P.D: Sir could you please tell us more about your subject for PhD?
PROF: I am currently pursuing my PhD in the area of Image Processing & Neural Network at Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University. The project would help doctors around the world to classify images in liver diseases. So they can use the developed project as a resource for second opinion.
P.D: Could you tell us about the scope of the core industry for students who wish to join it?
PROF: : For those who aspire to step into the core industry, my advice would be to focus on their subjects. It is a general trend that after getting selected in campus interviews, students tend to become lax in their final year in their studies. This is undesirable. After engineering degree course in electronics one can opt for M.S or M.Tech in various courses. Today VLSI, Embedded Systems and CMOS are good options and are in great demand.
P.D: What difference do you find between the student-teacher relationship that existed in your days as a student and the one that exists today?
PROF: The bond that we shared with our teachers was very cherishable. Somehow today that bond doesn’t exist. And both the teachers and the students are responsible for this.
P.D: What according to you could be done to strengthen this student-teacher relationship?
PROF: Organizing various events, both, technical and non technical is an excellent way to bridge the gap between students and teachers. EESA is one organization that, I feel, is taking prodigious measures to overcome this by organizing various activities. This also helps in the overall development of a student. Absence of organizations such as EESA would confine the activities of students to the classrooms, which is unfavorable. Today industry does not need just professionals, it needs smart professionals. EESA helps in building the personality of a student.
P.D: Finally, any advice for your students?
PROF: “Practice before you preach” is the adage that I deeply believe in and try to implement it myself whenever I can – “Do not wait for the best, always implement the better idea, and the best will follow”.
-Prateek Dixit
