Rising from a modest background, Prof. N.C. Shivaprakash fulfilled his dream of becoming a professor and now dedicates his efforts to giving back to society. A retired faculty member of IISc Bangalore and current Academic Council member at RGPV, he supports skills oriented teaching as envisaged in the NEP-2020.

Professor N. C. Shivaprakash is a retired Professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, one of the country’s premier research institutions. He is also a member of the Academic Council at Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) in Bhopal.

He says when he became a Professor, his lifelong dream of becoming an educator was fulfilled. And with that dream realised, he felt a strong responsibility to give back to society.

Driven by this purpose in mind, when the Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) invited him to join their Academic Council, he readily agreed. He mentions that he has had a long-standing professional friendship of over 20 years with the current Vice-Chancellor of the RGPV, Dr. Rajiv who was earlier at NIT Allahabad. He also recalls receiving a motivating phone call from Dr. Piyush Trivedi, former Vice-Chancellor of RGPV and a dynamic leader who served two terms as VC, which further inspired him to engage with the university.

His first meeting as part of the Academic Council took place recently and there is going to be a meeting of the Academic Advisory Committee soon. While visiting the Shivajirao Kadam Institute of Technology and Management (SKITM), he expresses admiration for the institution. According to him,  SKITM refers to being Smart, Knowledgeable, Innovative, Teamwork and Meticulous—qualities that he sees embodied at SKITM.

He also had  an interaction with the students and describes them as enthusiastic and energetic. He delivered a talk on the National Education Policy (NEP), which evolved into a motivational address. He notes that SKITM recently gained autonomous status, an important shift in Indian higher education as the country moves away from the colonial legacy of affiliation. By 2040, he says, India aims to make all institutions autonomous and degree-granting.

Explaining the NEP framework, he states that India should develop three types of universities: teaching universities, research universities, and multi-disciplinary universities. For example, he envisions SKITM becoming a teaching university within five years, RGPV evolving into a research university, and institutions like the IIT and the IIM Indore serving as multi-disciplinary research hubs.

Reflecting on his own background, Professor Shivaprakash notes that he comes from a family and village where very few people are educated, and many are first-generation learners. He strongly believes that education is the foundation of national development. India's global success, he says, is due to its education system, with Indian professionals contributing significantly to countries like the United States.

However, he cautions against brain drain and advocates that talented individuals should choose to serve the nation. Despite visiting over 25 countries, he chose not to work abroad, guided by his principle of giving back to the country that educated him.

He explains that education should not be limited to knowledge but it must also impart skills. Whether in BA, B.Sc, B.Com, Hotel Management, Engineering, or Medicine, every field must equip students with practical abilities. Only then, he thinks, will true wisdom prevail and the country will move forward.

Coming from a humble background, he completed most of his education through government schools and institutions. He reminisces about his early schooling, where classes were held in huts without tables or chairs, and students would sit on the ground. Despite those hardships, students found inspiration in the historical roots of Indian education systems—from Gurukuls to ancient centers like Takshashila and Nalanda in Bihar, which once attracted international scholars and teachers.

Retd. IISc Professor N.C. Shivaprakash shares a touching personal anecdote from his high school days. One of his teachers, B. Lingaiah, who also hails from his village, used to take him to weddings and refer to him as a friend. When he asked why a student should accompany a teacher to such events, the teacher explained that Indian wedding invitations traditionally include ""relatives and friends""—and called him a friend. That moment of warmth and equality left a lasting impression on him. He credits his high school and primary school teachers for shaping who he is today.

Prof. N. C. Shivaprakash firmly believes that teaching is among the noblest professions, a belief that takes root early in his life through interactions with the teachers who profoundly shaped his values. He explains that it is the teacher who produces every professional in society, be it a politician, lawyer, engineer, or doctor. The transformative power of education, he believes, lies in the hands of educators who nurture minds and inspire purpose.

Among those who have significantly influenced him are three iconic figures. The first is Sir C. V. Raman, the legendary physicist who became the first Asian and Indian to win the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the Raman Effect. Prof. Shivaprakash notes that Raman’s pioneering work laid the foundation for advanced applications such as laser technology and medical surgery. What inspired him most was an interaction between Raman and a student, where the student argued that better research is possible abroad due to superior equipment. Raman acknowledged this, citing that American labs might have 10-kilowatt x-ray machines compared to India’s one-kilowatt setups but he asserted that while the West may have more powerful tools, Indian students possessed ten times the brainpower. "Use your brain and do research," Raman said. That message, Prof. Shivaprakash says, is the highest form of motivation a teacher can offer.

Another enduring inspiration is Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Prof. Shivaprakash recalls his many interactions with Kalam during visits to the Indian Institute of Science, where Kalam passionately promoted his dream project, PURA, Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas. This concept aimed to reduce migration to cities by empowering villages with infrastructure and opportunities. Though not fully realized, the spirit of the project continues to inspire him. He also draws inspiration from Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the renowned engineer from Karnataka credited with building much of the state’s early infrastructure, including the iconic Vidhana Soudha. He notes that civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering are the real roots of engineering, which today seem overshadowed by an excessive focus on computer science. While a mechanical engineer can learn computers, the reverse is far less common, a reality that, he believes, will eventually reset to balance.

He recalls sharing Swami Vivekananda’s iconic phrase "Arise, Awake" during a recent academic council meeting. Expanding the word ARISE into an acronym, he interprets it as: A for Academics, R for Research, I for Innovation, S for Startups, and E for Entrepreneurship. In today’s world, he asserts, success lies in more than just academics, it demands innovation and risk-taking. If someone wants to do academics, go to America. If one wants to be adventurous, go to Australia. If one  wants to innovate, stay in India, he declares. For him, India begins with ‘I’ for Innovation. The spirit of jugaad, he says, is unique to India, an agriculturist in a village can innovate without foreign aid.

He recalls auditing NIT Surat, where he visited a diamond factory run by a man who had left home in Class 7. The man’s office bore a powerful quote: "I am nothing, but I can do anything." Despite minimal education, this self-made entrepreneur now gives cars and flats to his employees, and the average salary of a technician is two lakh rupees. That single statement, Prof. Shivaprakash says, left a deep impression on him.

At nearly 70, Prof. Shivprakash continues to work with the same zeal, determined to contribute to India’s education system. He warns, however, that India’s rise as a trillion-dollar economy hinges on manufacturing. South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, he points out, have reached their heights through robust manufacturing sectors. India, he believes, must do the same. However, he is optimistic—highlighting upcoming domestic production of semiconductor chips and advancements in communication technologies such as 6G.

Recalling personal anecdotes, he contrasts today’s technological ease with the past. In 1978, when he visited Srinagar, it was nearly impossible to place a telephone call. At home, it took him 14 years to get a landline connection. Today, it takes less than 14 minutes to set up a mobile phone. Technology, he says, is a double-edged sword, it can be used, misused, or abused, but ultimately, it is the mindset and discipline that determine its impact.

He draws a parallel with Japan, recalling how during a visit, he noticed a taxi driver waiting at a red signal even when there was no traffic. Discipline, he insists, is key to national character. Recently, at a conference in Thailand, he attended a session where high school students confidently presented research on refractive index and lasers. In contrast, many Indian students hesitate to speak publicly. He underscores the need for activity-based learning in India, especially in CBSE and central schools, where monotonous classroom routines often suppress creativity and confidence.

Prof. Shivaprakash’s commitment to educational reform is unwavering. He calls for a shift from rote learning to application-based knowledge, from mere academics to a fusion of research, innovation, and real-world impact. Through every story he tells, he remains anchored in his vision: to give back, to uplift others, and to use the power of knowledge for national progress.

Professor N. C. Shivaprakash emphasizes that India’s education system must go beyond conferring degrees, it must empower students with skills, practice, and perseverance. He critiques the common misconception that earning a B.Tech automatically makes one an engineer or completing an MBBS equates to becoming a doctor. According to him, true mastery comes through consistent practice. “Write and write and write,” he often tells students, insisting that one instance of writing reinforces learning more than ten instances of reading.

Reflecting on the post-COVID-19 educational climate, he reinterprets the word "COVID" as an acronym: Create Opportunity for Victory In Disaster. He believes the pandemic, though disruptive, has created a pivotal moment to rethink education and promote lifelong learning. A four-year degree, he says, should be viewed as an opportunity to build a strong foundation for the next forty years of one’s life.

Peer learning and residential academic ecosystems are central to his educational philosophy. He points to institutions like the IISc and and IITs, where students and faculty live and work together, allowing for labs to be accessed even at midnight. For him, innovation and breakthroughs cannot be confined to the rigid 9-to-4 schedule. “Anyone who believes success can be achieved only between office hours is mistaken—the day is beyond 24 hours.”

He urges students to never assume they know everything. “If you say you know everything, you know nothing,” he warns. Even with technological marvels like Chandrayaan and Mars missions, he reminds us that science has only scratched the surface of understanding the universe. Of the estimated 200 billion to two trillion galaxies in the cosmos, Earth is a tiny part of a solar system, within one galaxy, and the vast majority of the universe—over 95%—remains unexplored dark energy. This humbling truth, he believes, should fuel the hunger to learn.

Professor Shivaprakash expresses deep optimism about India’s progress, especially in the face of adversity. Despite global economic instability during the pandemic, India’s GDP remains stable—a sign, he says, of resilience. “Stable is better than unstable,” he adds, advocating for sustained, grounded growth rather than temporary exponential spikes.

He celebrates India’s identity as a land of unity in diversity. From its food and languages to its customs and innovations, India, in his view, offers an unmatched cultural spectrum. With a smile, he recalls telling a hotel staff that nowhere else in the world would one find so many variations of dosa—rava dosa, masala dosa, plain dosa, and even a shop in Bengaluru serving 101 types of dosa, all with the same ingredients yet distinctly flavored. That, he says, is the beauty of India.

However, he also voices concern over a lack of discipline in public life—especially on Indian roads. “Autonomous vehicles won’t work in India,” he quips, noting how basic road rules are ignored and everyone rushes to overtake, regardless of lanes or order. Discipline, he believes, is essential if India is to realize its potential as a global power.

Despite all this, he remains hopeful. The world is looking toward India. In the next decade, he envisions the rise of at least fifty world-class universities in the country—not only serving Indian students but also attracting international learners. A healthy competition in education, he believes, will bring transformation."