Acknowledging 13 Years of Committed Service | NLSIU Bids Adieu to Mr. Suryanarayana

Mr. Suryanarayana hails from Hassan but has lived for over 25 years in the city of Bengaluru. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal (under the purview of Mangalore University at the time). Prior to joining NLS, he worked at the Central Power Research Institute, Bangalore as a technical assistant for a few years as well as with other private firms. He joined the National Law School of India University in May 2010 as the University Engineer. In 2017, he was given the additional responsibility of being the Estate Officer and since then, has handled both roles till 2023.

How did your NLS journey begin?

A friend of mine from an Association of architects in Bengaluru had told me about this job opening at NLS at the time. In 2010, construction was being carried out on the second floor of the old academic block (in the right wing), as well as for the Narmada hostel, and therefore they required someone in a technical capacity to oversee these construction activities. I then applied for the position. I recall meeting with the then Finance Officer Mr. Ashwath Reddy, then Registrar Prof. V Nagaraj, and then Vice Chancellor Prof. Venkat Rao before the appointment. I had some prior experience working in an educational environment such as BTL engineering college, and therefore was happy to be part of a University set-up like NLS.

Your experience at NLS:

My role at NLS required me to deal with miscellaneous responsibilities –  this included overseeing civil and construction projects, supervising maintenance and upgradation of facilities or equipment on campus to ensure its proper functioning (civil, mechanical and electrical infrastructure), and interacting with internal and external stakeholders for certain projects/initiatives. I especially remember the annual Convocation as it was a busy time – dealing with the police, the marching band, caterers, and several other external vendors.

I was happy to be part of some key construction projects on campus. At the time that I joined, there were no staff quarters and instead, there were smaller sheds so I was involved in the process of reconstructing the new staff quarters. Later, more construction activities were undertaken  – the Yamuna Hostel, the additional floors for the Guest House, and that of the New Academic Block (which was completed recently in 2021).

My work however extended beyond this too, such as dealing with expert snake catchers in case snakes were found on campus. (After all, the area is called Naagarabhavi for a reason). Incidentally, I got a call from a faculty member on my last day of work here about a snake that she had spotted!

Memories:

I will fondly remember Prof. M K Ramesh (now retired), who I used to interact with during my time at NLS. Also, one particular moment stands out in my memory, which is related to students and a construction project on campus. A few years after I had joined NLS, there was a plan to build an academic block in the Navalgund Park area, parallel to the library building. The work was scheduled to start soon. However, this move was objected by students as they felt it would block the library building. We had to then reconsider the decision and eventually decided to stop the excavation at the time.

Looking ahead:

To sit idle after many years of work is tough! And an idle mind is a devil’s workshop and is also not great for health. However, during the next six months, I have something really important to look forward to – my daughter’s marriage.  So, I will be busy with that till the end of this year. Later, I may try to do either freelance or consultancy work, or any opportunity that may interest me in my field of work.

To reach out to Mr. Suryanarayana, please write to