Professor Arvind P. Kudchadker (1934-2024)
Professor Arvind Kudchadker, Professor Emeritus, IIT Bombay, passed away on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024 in Chico, CA, USA, at his daughter’s place. He was 90 years of age and had some age-related health complications, but the end was peaceful.
Professor Kudchadker was associated with multiple institutions during his professional life, but mainly as a faculty and administrator in IITs Kanpur and Bombay, and then after his formal retirement from IIT Bombay, as founding Director in two new Institutions he played a key role in creating, namely Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DAIICT) and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Petroleum University (PDPU), in Gujarat. Through his multifarious contributions to engineering education, research and academic administration, Prof Kudchadker has left an indelible mark on the academic scene in India.
Born in Goa on February 16, 1934, Kudchadker obtained his undergraduate degrees from Mumbai University, graduating with a BSc (Tech) in Oils Fats and Waxes from UDCT (now ICT) in 1958. Following this up with a PG Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, he proceeded to the US to obtain an MS from University of Texas at Austin (1961) and a PhD from Texas A&M University (1967), both in Chemical Engineering. During his stay in the US, he also worked with the American Petroleum Institute, carrying out research in thermodynamic data and analysis. He returned to India in 1968 to join the faculty of chemical engineering at IIT Kanpur. After 10 years during which he held several positions including the headship of the department, he moved to IIT Bombay in 1978 as Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. At IIT Bombay, apart from his role as a teacher and researcher, he played a key role in Institutional development, serving as the first Head of the newly created Computer-Aided Design (CAD) centre, as Dean of Research and Development (1984-86) and as Deputy Director (1986-94), all during the directorship of Prof B. Nag. His years in administration saw a number of initiatives which took R&D and Industry-academia interactions in the Institute to a new level. He played a key role in faculty recruitment, and was instrumental in attracting a large number of promising young faculty to IIT Bombay in various departments. These farsighted initiatives have paid dividends over the subsequent decades and are largely responsible for IIT Bombay’s standing in academics and research today. In the larger professional scene in the country too, Prof Kudchadker played an active role as a member of various governmental and private research bodies.
In research, Professor Kudchadker worked in Thermodynamics, and developed an active laboratory in thermodynamics research at IIT Bombay. He was among the first to recognize the importance of sustainable chemical processing, and initiated programs with a broad vision for shifting the focus to bio-based raw materials from fossil-based ones. He was a mentor to several generations of students, and was also early to recognize the importance of technology in bringing quality education to the masses. Post his retirement from IIT Bombay in 1994, Prof Kudchadker continued to be active professionally, helping set up the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DAIICT) in 2001 and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Petroleum University (PDPU) in 2007, for both of which he served as the founding Director. His experiences in creating, developing and mentoring quality institutions are recorded in his book, ‘Creating a New Technological Institute’.
For his many contributions, Professor Kudchadker was variously recognized. Among these recognitions may be mentioned the Fellowship of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and Emeritus Professorship awarded by the Senate of IIT Bombay.
As a person, Prof Kudchadker is remembered as a jovial, easygoing person equally at home with his own peer group as well as with the generations of students that he mentored. His wife Shanti (who incidentally, was also a thermodynamicist) was an admirable foil to him in all his endeavours. A connoisseur of Hindustani classical music, Arvind and Shanti Kudchadker were regulars at the notable music concerts in Mumbai.
The Department of chemical engineering at IIT Bombay and the Institute at large, fondly remember Professor Kudchadker’s many contributions, and will miss his occasional visits to the Institute and friendly interactions. May his soul rest in peace.
We invite people who have been associated with him, in any manner, to pay tributes and recall fond memories, by communicating through this page, for others to read and cherish.
Comments
SALUTE TO A VISIONARYt-ARVIND .P.. KUDCHADKER
SALUTE TO A VISIONARY-PROF. A.P.KUDCHADKER by Prof. K.P.Madhavan
My association with Prof.Kudchadker began when he joined the faculty of Chemical Engineering department in 1978 After a long distinguished service with IITB, he retired in 1994. During this period, he made signal contributions to ITTB encompassing academics, R &D and institutional governance.
Prof. Kudchadker had planned his academic journey astutely. He set up a well-equipped Thermodynamics laboratory for teaching , research, process development with funds obtained for sponsored research both from the government and industry sectors. He could undertake a series of projects on estimation of physical, thermodynamic properties and VLE data of important chemical compounds. The work of his research group on thermodynamic data collection and analysis, prompted DST to float in 1991 a National Data Programme at IITB with Prof.Kudchadker taking up the co-ordinating responsibility. Under his stewardship, Thermodynamics emerged as an important research area of the department.
When the department was called upon to start a Co-operative MTech programme, Prof. Kudchadker took up this task with the assistance of Prof. S. L. Narayana Murthy to outline a curricular structure with the right blend of theory and exposure to industrial practice.
He was an excellent teacher with a mastery of the subject and a pedagogic style which could evoke a responsive chord of each student in his class. He fostered creativity in his students by engaging them to tackle challenging problems. He had excellent rapport with the student community. In recognition of his overall contribution to the growth of the department, he was conferred the honorary title of Professor Emeritus
When sponsored research started gaining momentum in IITB in late 80s, it needed someone with the skills and vision of Prof. A. P. Kudchadker, to give it a direction and thrust. Under his stewardship, many bureaucratic chains were unlocked and many initiatives launched to encourage faculty to engage in sponsored research. To catalyse research, he started the process of releasing IRCC funds for upgradation of research infrastructure. Chemical Engineering department was also a beneficiary of IRCC support enabling it to acquire a Microreaction system and a Zeunix based computing facility to serve the badly needed computational needs of research students.
He was the second Chemical Engineering faculty to step into the high office of the Deputy Director in 1986. He assumed office at a time when IITB was poised to take a leap forward in all spheres of academic endeavor. Prof. Kudchadker had his own distinctive style of functioning. He had touched base with large number of faculty and administrative staff and engaged them in constructive dialogue over academic and governance issues. One of his signal contributions has been in helping Prof. B. Nag, the Director at that time, to bring in a dynamic and proactive style of faculty recruitment replacing the prevailing passive style of recruitment. With his persuasive style, he could bring many well qualified young prospective faculty into the hiring stream. He also initiated the task of administrative reforms covering all administrative functions of the institute. Thia was a monumental task.
Sensing that IITB-alumni relations were progressively weakening, he stepped in to take positive steps to revive the IITB Alumni association so that it could function in a much more purposeful and goal-oriented manner than in the past. With his wide outreach to the alumni near and far, he could sensitize them to get deeply involved in IITB’s growth plans. This mandate gave a new dimension to IITB- Alumni relations.
The process of starting Management Education at IIT Bombay began in early 1990s with Prof. A. P. Kudchadker assisting Prof. Nag, in conceptualisation of a Master’s programme which could co-exist well with the prevailing science and technology oriented programmes.. With active support from Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, our Board Member at that time, they were able to secure substantial financial support from ICICI Bank and Hindustan Lever Ltd. for setting up a Management School. This paved the way for an Implementation Committee headed by Prof.Madhavan to carry on with the task of starting the Master’s programme in Management.
The CAD Centre development ,which he masterminded, was an interesting innovative model for academic-industry interaction. In early 80s, UNDP-DOE had identified IITB as the nodal centre to inculcate CAD Culture in Chemical and Metallurgical engineering sectors. Prof. A. K. De who was the Director at that time entrusted the task of implementation of the UNDP-DOE mandate to Prof. A. P. Kudchadker. CAD Centre established in 1985, soon emerged as a successful centre with sustained industry support for manpower and technology development. Prof. Kudchadker set in place a lean governance model for the Centre and a pro-active operational policy with the goal of making it a self-supporting centre
Even after superannuation from IITB, his interest in enhancing the quality of education and research in the country remained unabated. He had enlisted a group of professionals and academics to prepare a report titled PANIIT Perspectives -Research and Innovation Ecosystem. With many scientific publications in his area of specialization under his belt, he capped it all with a book on Creating a 21st Century Technological Institute
Reliance Industries tapped his talent and experience in academic domain to start an education programme in IT in Gujarat. As the founder of this institute, he guided the growth of this institution to emerge as well recognized academic entity. Another institution he nurtured with success was the Deen Dayal Institute of Petroleum technology in Gujarat
Prof. Kudchadker, as a person, had a charismatic personality. He had an easy and engaging style of interaction with people which kept them at ease . He was an optimist at heart and radiated his positive outlook to all he interacted with. This motivated many to give off their best. Despite all his achievements, he remained a humble and humane person harbouring goodwill for all. He was a resourceful and accessible person whom people could go to for advice and counsel.
On a personal note, me and my family were privileged to have close relations with him and his family. I worked with him closely on several important missions. He remained a true friend, mentor, guide and motivator for me. He had a wonderful family with his wife Shanti supporting him all through his successful and happy life journey. His daughters, Anjali and Leena had not only inculcated his academic brilliance and but also his sterling qualities. Though he is no longer with us, we cherish every moment of our long association with him.
Prof. Kudchadker has gone, but the legacy he left will go on
IN FOND MEMORY OF PROFESSOR ARVIND P. KUDCHADKER (APK)
I am extremely shocked and saddened to know about the demise of Prof A P. Kudchadker, a long-time family friend and a senior colleague, both at IIT Kanpur and IIT Bombay. I cherish my pleasant memories of long association with him which commenced in 1968 when he had visited my Advisor Prof. W.B. Kay at the Ohio State University in connection with his project with the American Petroleum Institute. I was then a Ph.D. student there whereas he was returning to India with his wife Shanti after completion of their respective Ph.D’s from Texas A&M University. Subsequently I followed them to IIT Kanpur one year later under the common sponsorship of KIAP.
We shared the same Thermodynamics lab for developing our individual experimental set-ups at IIT Kanpur as I joined one year later in 1969, though we had developed Thermo Labs separately at IIT Bombay as he had joined two years later than me. I had the opportunity of having regular interactions with him having had the common teaching and research interests. He always encouraged me in developing new courses and undertaking industrially sponsored research projects, though he had cautioned me when I ventured into new allied research areas, such as, supercritical fluids processing and cryogenic engineering, like an elder brother. He was extremely popular amongst his students and junior faculty, and was commonly nick-named as “APK.” His characteristic cordial smile and easy accessibility endeared him to all like a ‘bright star in the sky’ and made him a magnetic, very pleasing, and extra-ordinary personality. His presence anywhere at IITK could be spotted by his unique light blue colored car (don’t recall the brand name now) which he had brought from the US. He was always open-minded and a good orator-cum-negotiator-cum-administrator. He was equally, effectively, and actively involved in academic and administrative activities and industry-academia interactions. He was like a role model for me.
In his demise, I have lost a great friend creating a vacuum in my mind’s space. I am yet to accept the reality that I will not see him again and will miss his pleasing welcome smile. May his soul rest in God’s abode. I pray to God to give enough strength and peace of mind to Shanti, his constant companion in all spheres of life, and to his daughters Anjali and Leena to carry forward his principles.
My Awesome Mentor
I was blessed to have Dr. Arvind (APK) as my mentor since late 1979 when he became my M.Tech. guide at IITB. He was responsible for building my confidence that I could improve my English vocabulary and pass GRE Verbal (I ended up with 89 percentile). His recommendation letter (plus network) helped me get admission in U of Houston (Top 10 graduate program in ChE) for my PhD. My wife and I enjoyed a couple of days with Drs. APK and Shanti, when they stayed with us in summer 1992 and I drove them to UT, Austin. During 1994 to 1998 I met them a couple of times when I visited Mumbai. Then, I lost contact with him for many years when they moved to Gandhinagar for starting DAIICT.
Another life-changing event happened in the summer of 2014 when I met with them (along with some of his IITK and IITB students, who were my colleagues in Shell) for lunch in Houston and mentioned to him that I was planning to start a school in Pandharpur (my native place where I was in High School) after my retirement. His eyes lighted up and he invited me to their home in Deonar, which I visited every India trip starting in December 2017 until end of 2019. He not only gave me a "vision" for a grassroots school, but also provided many connections and advised me to visit some fantastic models like Rishi Valley, AP and Vigyan Ashram, Pabal. I fondly remember many dishes cooked by Dr. Shanti and the encouragement and guidance they provided every time. Althogh COVID pandemic postponed out project, with their blessing our Kalpavruksh Pre-Primary Center opened in Pandharpur on June 15, 2023 and is now in the 2nd year.
I fondly remember visiting APK, Dr. Shanti, Leena and family in their house in Chico, CA in November 2023 and walking with him in the backyard, giving an update on our school, picking his brain, and asking him for advice. He was so glad that the project has started and is flourishing.
What I remember most about APK is his enthusiasm about improving education in India, for which he dedicated more that 50 years of his life. I strongly recommend that you read his e-book and also watch the 5-part presentation at UPES on YouTube. I am sure he has mentored 1000's of his students and 100's of professors, who are grateful and feel this tremendous loss. Our payback to him is to "pay it forward" and mentor as many young students and professionals as we can.
I pray to God for giving strength to his family to go through this tough time and may his soul RIP.
Thank you, Prof APK!
The news of Prof. Arvind P Kudchadker's passing away deeply saddened me, but now that some days have passed, fond memories overflow. Prof. Kudchadker and I both joined IIT Bombay in 1978. I joined in 1978 as a freshie UG in Chemical Engineering, whereas Prof Kudchadker also joined in 1978, but as an established professor with pedigree from the USA and from IIT Kanpur. I got to know of his stature first from his PhD students, who held him in awe. But what sealed his reputation for me was a footnote in a classic text and reference book we used: it was a reference to Prof. Kudchadker's journal paper, one of several, on measurement of hydrocarbon critical properties. As an UG freshman of those days I had no prior idea of the concept of published papers and the importance of their citations, but seeing his name in print as an authority and discoverer of a bit of data, measured for the first time ever in the world, was a great revelation to me. I went and met him and found him and his wife Dr. Shanti (a soulmate in life and work) to be genial folks, ever ready to meet and chat. They used to commute from Deonar, where they maintained a bungalow, and drove a big car, a metallic blue 4th generation Chevy Impala. They had lunch in their office cabin, which enabled me to drop in and meet them there quite often. This was usually after 12.30 pm classes, which were then held right there in the Department, unlike the impersonal lecture hall complexes we have now. He had a TI programmable calculator, with a magnetic card reader and magnetic strip, a miraculous wonder in those days when all we had in the Computer Center was an EC1030 with a punched card reader! He also had other fascinating computing gadgets and experimental setups. I was bedazzled when he showed me through a thick sight-glass in a high-pressure vessel the interface between liquid and vapour, and lo and behold how it magically vanished at the critical point! It was a mind-blowing experience. He encouraged me and so many others, as they have recounted here, and in so many ways. Prime amongst them was his getting me to join IIT Bombay as a fresh faculty assistant professor, and even helping, along with several faculty colleagues, to get an electron microscope in the Chemical Engineering Department at IIT Bombay, a legacy we have continued to this day. For this and many more reasons, I salute him, and wish solace to Shanti, Anjali, Leena and their families. With fond regards, Jayesh Bellare
Prof Kudchadker was a giant…
Prof Kudchadker was a giant of the ChemE department. His reputation alone lifted the department. While I did not have the good fortune of either taking a class with him, or to be guided by him, I was aware of the high regard everyone held him in, and I am sorry to hear he has completed his journey of the physical plane.
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Donor & helping Nature
In1974 , he was Dean of Institution at IITk. He had donated his slides rule to me and also helped me by engaging me in his laboratory on part time job. He went Atarra in NSS camp with me. He was generous and was believing in astrology more than palmistry.
Professor Kudchadker was a mentor, friend, guide and inspirational figure to us all. He was a gracious and generous man; a man of the people, who was a constant source of inspiration and wisdom to so many. He touched our lives and helped mold our characters, so that we could achieve our greatest success. I acknowledge and appreciate the enormous influence that he had on my life and personal success; and for this, he will always have my respect and admiration.
I met him as a freshman in Fall 1970 at IIT-Kanpur on the 1st day of the first week of classes in his office. I requested Professor Devprabhakar,Professor C.N.R. Rao and Professor Kudchadker to give me an opportunity to do independent study with them. I worked for him, till the last day of school, May 1975.
Professor Kudchadker lived a long, productive and fulfilled life of great achievement. He was a one-of-a-kind, singular, dominant intellect in his field, widely known for his research in Thermodyamics and his many contributions in Pilot Plant scaleup, inventing new chemical processes in the field of Pharmaceuticals, Flavor & Fragrances and Electronic Chemicals. He authored books and received several awards for his achievements in research and teaching.
Professor Kudchadker inspired greatness, independence, creativity and critical thinking. He shared his brilliant mind and was a larger-than-life figure in the scientific careers of his many students; treating us as colleagues and even members of an extended family. I was fortunate to be one of his students. It was then that he became a towering figure in my life and career.
In addition to his professional achievements and contributions to society, Professor Kudchadker was a loving husband to his wife, Shanti Kudchadker. He is proudly survived by his wife Shanti, daughters Anjali and Leena, sons-in-law Milind and Raj, grandchildren Aditi, Ronak, Kiran and many friends and loved ones.
Professor Kudchadker departed our Earth peacefully, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, surrounded by family in Chico, California without any pain or suffering. He was 90 years old. He was born on February 16, 1934 in Curchorem, Goa, India.
I will miss Professor Kudchadker as a mentor and friend. I am comforted by the knowledge that his accomplishments, intellects and students are enduring and will continue to exemplify the impact he had on our world.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, at this time; and I remind you to celebrate the beautiful life of our dearest Professor Kudchadker.
It is difficult, to say farewell to such a great man. He truly meant so much to so many. May you rest in peace, my dearest Friend and Mentor. You will never be forgotten.