BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, traces its roots back to 1900, when the Birla family established a pathshala to educate the younger children of the family, including G.D. Birla. By 1925, this had grown into a high school that attracted students from all over the Shekhawati region. As new schools, colleges, and hostels were constructed, the Birla Education Trust (BET) was founded in 1929. By 1952, Pilani saw nearly 6,000 students enrolled in various BET institutions, prominent among which were the Birla Colleges of Engineering, Science and Pharmacy. In 1964, these three colleges were unified under the umbrella of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science.

Much of the landscape of today’s vast Vidya Vihar campus has been carved out against the elements over decades in an isolated village, under the harsh Rajasthan skies. A librarian described the campus in the ’40s as‘frightening and scary’. They recounted seeing sand on the ground and the scorching sun battering down on their head all around; the land was said to be sandy and dusty with hardly any traces of plant life on it. They stated that it was nearly impossible to walk on the sand. During the nights, the place was said to be haunted by jackals. The whole land was supposedly levelled, not by machines but by man-power; which was then used for agriculture at the start and slowly, one by one, the new educational buildings and the hostels were constructed.’

Plans for the Vidya Vihar campus from the 1930s, with a target of completion by 1948

Jawaharlal Nehru and G.D. Birla in Pilani, 1950, en route to the campus

Over six decades have passed since then. One might wonder what the most major changes to this campus have been; the EPC embarks on a journey to answer this question.

MIT and BITS— A Unique Partnership

The collaboration between BITS and MIT was an incredible milestone in the institution’s journey to its current form, and it is largely attributed to Mr. G. D. Birla, the founder of BITS Pilani, and his persuasion. He was responsible for kick-starting the BITS-MIT-Ford Foundation program, from where BITS can trace many of its academic practices, including its credit system. The institute also received many donations from MIT, including a large number of books donated to the library, and consultations from various MIT staff about the organization of the library, the creation of a placements division, and reforming the curriculum offered at BITS.

The research paper by Prof. Stuart Leslie and Prof. Robert Kargon of Johns Hopkins University — “Exporting MIT – Science, Technology and Nation Building in India and Iran” — compares IIT Kanpur and BITS Pilani. IIT Kanpur was modeled on post-WWII MIT, which emphasised “Engineering Science”, theoretical rigor, and strong research in electronics and aeronautics. This caused a disconnect between the local Indian industry and the institute, and accelerated the brain drain. Meanwhile, BITS Pilani was modeled on pre-WWII MIT, which focused heavily on engineering practice and industry collaboration, with programs like the Practice School. The EPC strongly recommends all students read this article, and understand their roots as BITSians. 

Student Culture 

Many of the hallmarks of student culture on campus today; the Students’ Union, the fests (Oasis APOGEE, and BOSM), and the various clubs, organizations, and departments can trace their roots to the early days of the university.  The Students’ Union was first established in 1968, a mere four years after BITS Pilani was deemed to be a university in ‘64 with Vijay Rao as its President. In its early years, the union was described as a ‘rookie’ organisation, in contrast to the more formalised and streamlined organisation that we have today. 

Oasis, the cultural fest we know and love today, grew out of an all-Rajasthan College Fest called Culfest. The first proper predecessor to Oasis was called Mayur, and it was more of a mela, with a few stalls and rides being set up in Shiv Ganga. As the next decade rolled around, Oasis became grander and moved out of Shiv Ganga , which became a popular spot for BITSians to relax, one frequented by couples due to its scenic views. Up until 1973, members of the faculty were part of the organisation committee and oversaw the conduct of all fests. Since 1973 however, these events have been completely student-run.

APOGEE was held, for the first time, in 1983 and was the premier technical fest of the university. It featured various workshops, technical talks, panels, and the like. It quickly became a platform for student projects, workshops, and notably paper presentations,  which  continues to this very day.

BOSM was first conducted in the mid-1980s, though details on its first iteration seem hazy. However, there was a culture of enthusiastic student chants and all-night games. Since its inception, it has been one of the largest university-level sport meets in the country.

The campus had—before we entered the brave new world of the internet— a robust culture of print media, with newspapers and magazines in both English and Hindi. While none of these continue on in the present day, they do offer a look into the past. Started in 1964, along with the university itself, BITS-BEAT and RACHANA were the two on-campus publications—in English and Hindi respectively. BITS-BEAT in particular served as the primary means of gathering firsthand information available to the students in those first few years.

The publication enjoyed both a liberal editorial staff and liberal administration, allowing it to run stories covering everything from drug abuse on campus to the visits made by the MIT dean to campus. It ran a cartoon column, a jokes column, trivia, puzzles, and quizzes that helped students to pass the time. In many ways it had all the components of any professional newspaper. BITS-BEAT also amplified student voices, including discontent and issues, often getting in trouble with the administration. Its short yet memorable run was credited to mounting academic pressures and increased focus on placements.

Student clubs, societies, and organizations have always been a big part of campus life. The Astro Club, the Photography Club, Ragmalika, Music Club, Dance Club, Hindi Drama Club, English Drama Club, Hindi Press Club, and English Press Club are mentioned as some of the oldest clubs on campus. Some of them, like the English Drama Club, no longer exist, while others like the Photography Club go by different names. The institute also had a SPIC-MACAY chapter which worked in conjunction with Ragmalika to promote classical music and dance on campus. There was also a swimming club, separate from the team. 

A Changing Campus Landscape

Arguably the most impressive feature of the campus today, the New Academic Block (NAB) was unveiled in 2014. It was built as a part of Project Parivartan, the 2011 expansion plan for the Pilani campus. Built on a sunken plot, the NAB features a Snake Path that begins near South Park and terminates at the Rotunda below the Clock Tower. Housing classrooms, computer labs, various academic departments and the Information Processing Centre, the NAB was built below ground level to ensure an uninterrupted line-of-sight between the Clock Tower, G.D. Birla’s statue, and the Saraswati Mandir (Sharda Peeth).

The vintage painting of the campus hanging by the Main Auditorium entrance offers a glimpse of what things looked like before the NAB was built. Vast lawns in front of the Clock Tower spanned the gap between the Ram-Budh and the Krishna-Gandhi sides of campus. The semi-circular D-Lawns stood where the Rotunda now does. This adjoined the rectangular Central Lawns (C-Lawns) where the NAB stands today, known popularly as the ‘cricket lawns’. A remnant of the lawns where erstwhile BITSians spent their evenings remains today; just before the turn from Krishna Marg into the Rotunda, is a grassy clearing with a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru. A corresponding statue of Rajendra Prasad stands on the Ram side; and now you know why these statues are in locations deemed rather inaccessible today.