You simply can?t miss Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology?s (VIT) yellow-painted buses doing the rounds of Bangalore twice a day. Spread across 53.8 hectares of land, VIT boasts of a green and pollution free campus. ?The institute has a horticulture department which is responsible for keeping the campus green and we have over 75,000 trees,? claims Prof. Nagbhushan, the dean of VIT.

Set up in 1986, VIT is affiliated to the Vivesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, and is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. The National Board of Accreditation, New Delhi and the Institution of Engineers (India), Calcutta, also accredits it. ?The Dataquest-NASSCOM survey published in May 2005, rates VIT as the number one engineering institute in Bangalore, number two in Karnataka and number 29 in the overall India rankings,? says Nagbhushan.

Multiple choices

The institute offers undergraduate degrees in engineering in nine subjects ? including civil, mechanical, electronics, computer science engineering and biotechnology. It also offers four postgraduate courses ? masters in computer application, MTech in electronics, MTech in mechanical engineering and an MBA. Four of its departments, mechanical, electrical, electronics and biotechnology, have also been recognised as research and development centres. Each department has a special study forum, set up to keep tabs on the latest developments in the field.

To strengthen its bonds with industry, VIT has a ?centre for industry-institute interaction? that interacts with industries and other research and development establishments in Bangalore. The centre has three cells ? the training and placement cell, the research and development cell and the software development cell. ?The Centre ensures that students are in constant touch with industry and this helps their careers,? says Nagbhushan. Under the research and development cell, VIT has executed several funded R&D projects for government agencies like the department of power, department of science and technology, the University Grants Commission (UGC) etc. The training and placement cell provides soft skills, training and counselling to students. ?It has several general and customised programmes that provides both engineering and management training to students,? adds Nagbhushan. Says Prasanna Venkatesh, final year student of electronics engineering at VIT, ?The personality development course offerred is very thorough. The emphasis is on grooming students in order to become successful professionals.? Nagbhushan asserts that VIT is one of 100 institutions identified by the AICTE to provide training in advanced technologies to students and professionals. The institute has a JAVA course authorised by SUN Microsystems and the Cisco Networking Academy Programme.

Sporty campus

Sports and extra-curricular activities are high up on VIT?s agenda. The institute has a department of physical education and a sports complex. VIT also has a cricket and football ground, an athletic track, volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton courts, gymnasium, table tennis and chess facility.

The cultural forum Susamskriti organises writing, quiz, theatre and music competitions. ?The idea is to ensure the overall personality development of students,? says Nagbhushan. Admissions to VIT are through the COMED-K examinations, conducted by the government of Karnataka. ?Admissions are according to merit and subject to reservations in the various categories,? adds Nagbhushan.

Varuna Verma

OLD MEMORIES

Ashutosh Dikshit, executive pre-sales, Birla Soft, on his days at VIT

WHAT MADE ME OPT for the institute was its emphasis on the all-round personality development. While other colleges in Bangalore peg themselves on academic excellence, VIT?s USP lies in its complete grooming of students.

The college has a dedicated cultural forum with its own office bearers and also regularly organises extra-curricular competitions like quizzes, debates, theatres and music festivals. In fact, it was at VIT that I discovered the ?debater? in me. I participated and came out tops in most debate competitions. This was a huge confidence booster. The all-round personality edge that I got at VIT helped me land my first job at Birla Soft. VIT?s sports facilities are amongst the best in Bangalore. Add to this, the campus? serene environment, and this was truly a great place to study.

As told to Varuna Verma