SLN Shastry, the Executive Engineer who supervised the transformation of IIIT Hyderabad from a barren 66-acre land with unfinished structures in 1997 to the thriving research institute it is today, added another feather to his cap. Earlier this year, he received his Master’s degree in an earthquake engineering domain from IIITH’s EERC. Here’s how it happened.

The 1947-born civil engineer who watched the banyan tree spread its wings, went back to the classroom and defended his MS thesis in “Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Existing RC Buildings in Vijayawada city” from IIIT Hyderabad’s Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC).

Our story goes back to 1998, when Salaka Lakshmi Narasimha Shastry was deputed by APIIC to oversee the planning and development of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s brainchild – the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad. As University Engineer (UE), Shastry was involved in all aspects of developing the campus infrastructure –the student hostels – Palash, Kadamba, Parijatha and Bakul, faculty quarters of Ananda Nivas and Buddha Nivas, the academic block – Himalaya, Open-air theatre, development of internal roads, overseeing materials and labour, electrical substation and water supply, down to the avenue plantation on the verdant campus. It was estimated that he had worked on a total 10 lakh sft since the campus’s humble beginning in 1998.

Looking at the small banana grove that he had planted in the quadrangle outside his window, he reminisces that he has worked out of the same office in the Nilgiri block from 1997; even before the place had doors, windows or flooring. He had a work table, some paper files and would spend about 12 hours on site, overseeing the execution of each building himself.

Shastry’s story is a masterclass in simple living, high thinking.

From Temple town to APIIC
Shastry’s father was a Purohit in the temple town of Gudivada in Krishna district. In spite of his meagre income, the priest ensured that his son would finish his SSLC from the local Bethavolu High School (1963), PUC from ANR college (1964) and Licentiate in Civil Engineering from the Govt. Polytechnic, Vijayawada.  In 1967, at his first job in the Town Planning department, Shastry worked on the Master plans for Kurnool, Nizamabad and Hyderabad. He moved to Hyderabad in 1970 and got married to Sarada in 1970. Between 1974- 77, he pursued a distance program from Osmania University and earned his BE in civil engineering.

Known for being industrious and upright, Shastry’s well-wishers like Chief Engineer M. Govindaiah (PH Dept.) and N. Venugopala Reddy, Director of Town Planning Dept., would urge him to join the recently established APIIC in 1975. It would be a long, highly eventful tenure spanning 26 years. As Zonal Manager at Vijayawada, Cuddapah and Hyderabad, Shastry was constantly on the move between districts, providing land, water, power and communication for infrastructural projects in its industrial estates. The Telugu Bala Mahila Pragati Pranganam buildings at Guntur and Nimmakuru, the Navodaya Vidyalaya building complex in Chilakaluripet, the Arrack bottling plants at Challapalli and Perecherla and the Government Polytechnic buildings in Suryapet were some projects in Krishna and Guntur districts.

When CM Naidu assumed office, Shastry was closely associated with his vision for Hyderabad. As Executive Engineer, he supervised the construction of the Working Women Hostel in Jubilee Hills, residential school buildings in Yousufguda, e-Seva buildings at Khairatabad and Secunderabad, five Rythu bazaars and the renovation of Ravindra Bharati.  The stadia at Gachibowli, Saroornagar, Yousufguda and Osmania University were built during his tenure at APIIC.

Deputation to IIITH and watching the Banyan tree prosper
Sixty six acres was allotted to build the new university.  “It was CM Chandrababu Naidu who suggested that I oversee the construction of the university. At that time, my office was next to the Chief Minister’s house in Jubilee Hills. We had a strong personal rapport and I would meet him almost every week for clearing proposals and moving files”, he recalls. “I was first here on the IIIT campus as Estate officer from APIIC, between 1998 and 2001. I was fortunate to have worked with intellectuals like Chairman Dr. Raj Reddy, IIITH’s first Director Prof. Narendra Ahuja, Prof. Rajeev Sangal, eminent officials like Sarvasri L V Subramanian, Ajay Sawhney, R. Chandra Sekhar, JRK Rao et al, who worked at a different pace”.

Nilgiri and Vindhya – Where it all began
Did you know that the Nilgiri block was originally constructed by the R&B Dept in 1996, as the Ranga Reddy District Court? The Vindhya Building was meant to be the District Collectorate. “When I first took charge, these were unfinished buildings with no plastering, flooring or windows. At that stage, Prof. Raj Reddy came from Pittsburg and after surveying the site, we were instructed to make arrangements for the first batch 50 students of the residential GDIT (Graduate Diploma in Information Technology) program”.

“Since I had a strong rapport with the government departments and 25 years of independent experience in building construction and infrastructure development, I was given carte blanche powers”, explains the Chartered Engineer who is certified to sign off on evaluation estimates and work execution. “I personally went to factories and manufacturers to procure materials, whether it was steel from Vizag steel plant, cement, readymade doors, tiles or paints. Taking charge of labor management ensured continuity of work throughout the year. I also contracted the Forest Department to do avenue plantation of the trees that you see on campus today”.

“Within six months, we were ready for the 1st batch of students, with some classrooms, labs, dining hall, library and staff rooms in Nilgiri.  Of the four buildings originally designated as accommodation for the District Judge and other officials, some were converted into the boys’ and girls’ hostels and a working canteen was made available for the residential program.  As the student population increased, JNTU was commissioned to draw up a master plan for the hostel complex with a 25-year projection. A portion of land was leased for the sub-station to power the campus, executed by TCS. 6 bore wells were also set up across the campus.

In 2002, Shastry left APIIC and took on the role as UE in IIITH’s Engineering Office. It was a cooperative ecosystem where a lot of experimentation was happening. Prof. Shyamsunder Reddy developed a small dairy farm while Prof. Venkaiah worked with students to develop a kitchen garden. “Adjacent to my office, from 2000, I have been maintaining banana trees and a jackfruit tree with an annual yield of 40 fruit, which is distributed on campus regularly”, says Shastry who knows every inch of the campus.

Going back to the classroom
The big idea for his Masters’ enrolment came from two EERC faculty, Prof. Ramancharla Pradeep Kumar and Prof. Venkateswarulu Mandadi. Shastry was plugged into the information pathway of the various government departments and was able to quickly procure extensive data that the professors needed for two research papers on Disaster management preparedness in Vijayawada and land allotments and occupancy details for the upcoming Nanakramguda IT corridor.

“Prof. Pradeep encouraged me to do my thesis on safety mechanisms at twenty distressed buildings in Vijayawada and study whether they could sustain earthquakes of certain frequencies. I attended Masters’ classes for three years and enjoyed the classroom experience. Of the 20 building surveyed, 12 buildings were deemed unfit. For my Ph.D, I will be exploring retrofitting methods and suggesting engineering solutions for these structures”.

While at APIIC, Prabhakar his driver was assigned to drive Shastry to the different districts in his jurisdiction. The driver would report to duty on alternate days, because on his working days, they would be on the road for 24 hours. When working on his thesis, the duo made nearly 40 trips to Vijayawada for data collection, taking an estimated 1000 readings per building to assess its structural integrity.

Staying analog in a digital campus
At 77, Shastry still remains the go-to person on campus for all engineering issues. “However, I am still a paper-pen person”, notes Shastry who is surrounded by neat filing cabinets, stacked with files, dating back to 1997. “I have never done yoga or morning walks and have never been admitted to hospital”, says the septuagenarian who gets his exercise, clocking in to work at 9am and walking 5-10 kms on campus.

“When I was in government service, I would take a month’s leave every year to go on pilgrimages. I have travelled to all the 12 jyotirlingas and the 18 Asta dasha Shaktipeethas”. Of his Manasarovar trip, he recalls, “Twenty years back, my wife and I travelled by jeep over ten days, camping in tents near waterbodies every night. It was a most memorable experience in the Himalayas. Only Mukti Nath is left on my wish list”.

Shastry has a son and daughter who are both well- settled, with their own families. He considers himself blessed that they live in the same city. His daughter-in-law works in another department in IIIT. From 1986, the engineer has been residing in Ameerpet, in a 3-storey house that resembles a village hut. “My wife maintains a small garden. My needs are limited. For me, my work is worship.  It gives me happiness and mental peace. I live within my financial means. I am happy with what God has given me”, he sums up philosophically.

Deepa Shailendra

Deepa Shailendra is a freelance writer for interior design publications; an irreverent blogger, consultant editor and author of two coffee table books. A social entrepreneur who believes that we are the harbingers of the transformation and can bring the change to better our world.