Date:20/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/20/stories/2006032014600400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A university created over cyberspace

Ramya Kannan

How Sevalaya linked up with Stanford for rural varsity project

CHENNAI : Waiting to be born in a suburb close to Chennai is a university that was constructed virtually over email. And perhaps, e-conference.

When the rural university finally comes up near Thiruninravur, perhaps the people behind the project will fete technology even as they thank a bunch of students working remote at the University of Stanford, US, for their contribution. But that is nearly the end of the story.

This one began at a seminar on the tsunami conducted by IIT Madras in which representatives of Tata Consultancy Services and Stanford University participated--more particularly, V. Muralitharan of TCS and Ashwin Mahalingam, then a student at Stanford and member of the Business Association of Stanford Engineers, a group that was created 10 years ago and has since branched into social entrepreneurship.

Mr. Muralitharan, who is also managing trustee with Sevalaya, a charitable organisation run on Gandhian principles, explained the concept of creating a rural university that would practise what it would preach: Sustainability, education and community. Mr. Mahalingam, who has since graduated, was attracted by Sevalaya's thrust on sustainability. He put forth the proposal to the Business Association of Stanford Engineers who then advertised for a three-credit, ten-weeks course at the varsity. A class of 15, people from various countries and specialising in various disciplines, finally settled in to take the course between September and December last year.

They started out with a mandate to build "a flexible, integrated university design ... through the exploration of sustainable energy, water, materials, and architecture."

How did they arrive at sustainable then? "The design would have to be economically viable, environmentally friendly and socially equitable," Mr. Mahalingam says.

And that fitted perfectly with the ideals of Sevalaya. "We were on the same wavelength," Mr. Muralitharan explains, "And that had not happened with a number of Chennai-based architects."

So, the team at Stanford got to work, with cultural and geography specific issues in mind, examining design through three different perspectives: energy, water and materials. Every week they would work on developing the system and communication, either through email or video conferencing, would go back and forth, to clarify and sort out issues. The final blueprint is now ready to be built on about 20 acres. "When the funds start coming in," Mr. Muralitharan says.

The estimate is at Rs.5.63 crore, he says, adding with hope, "If the cause is sincere, cash can be found." Sevalaya can be reached at 3, I Link Street, Karpagam Gardens, Adyar, Chennai -600 020, Ph: 24468202, 28473415, 24346549, 9444346699.