Book abstract of the semi-biography of Prof PS Mani Sundaram, founder Principal of REC Trichy and first Vice Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, both in Tamilnadu. These are 2 of India's most coveted institutions of higher learning. Mani Sundaram, fondly known as Princi, was a maverick and perhaps one of few academic entrepreneurs India has seen. The book was released at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of REC Trichy (now NIT) in July 2014, by Sh. K Rosaiah, Governor of Tamil Nadu, and the first copy was presented to Sh Pranab Mukherjee, President of India at the ceremony. It is available as a limited edition Hardback (Special Golden Jubilee) in India and as an eBook on most of the popular online bookstores. A must read for all leaders and educators.

2. Book
Abstract
The
First
Princi.pal
is
a
semi-­‐biography—a
montage
of
memories—of
the
life,
vision
and
leadership
of
Professor
P.S.
Mani
Sundaram,
the
founder
Principal
of
Regional
Engineering
College
(REC),
one
of
India’s
top
Engineering
Colleges.
He
was
also
the
first
Vice
Chancellor
of
Bharathidasan
University
in
Trichy,
South
India.
A
students’
principal
in
every
sense,
he
ran
REC
Trichy
with
entrepreneurial
flair
and
innovative
masterstrokes,
giving
it
the
solid
foundation
that
has
kept
the
institution
consistently
among
the
top
10
engineering
colleges
of
India
for
half
a
century
running.
The
First
Princi.pal
is
the
author’s
tribute
to
the
sheer
brilliance,
wit
and
candour
of
the
man.
Tinted
with
the
unique
flavour
of
Mani
Sundaram’s
value
system,
personality
and
vision,
it
contains
recollections
of
people
who
speak
of
him
in
frank
and
fair
terms.
Instead
of
prescriptive
dos
and
don'ts,
the
content
is
rich
with
inspirational
anecdotes,
stories
of
thinking
out
of
the
box,
living
your
convictions,
balancing
competing
interests,
shaping
the
lives
of
youth
by
the
genius
of
one
of
the
greatest
institution
builders
of
modern
India.
His
contribution
to
post-­‐independence
India’s
higher
education
is
unequalled,
his
influence
on
students
unparalleled
and
his
innovative
administrative
style
matched
by
few.
Educationists
can
draw
inspiration
from
the
perfect
combination—putting
together
infrastructure
and
the
environment
to
allow
students
to
make
the
most
of—to
foster
high
performance.
Administrators
can
learn
that
policy
is
meant
as
a
guide
to
efficient
governance
rather
than
a
control
mechanism.
Leaders
in
government
and
industry
will
be
able
to
identify
with
the
odds
of
running
such
an
institution
for
almost
two
decades,
and
so
successfully
at
that.
The
book
is
divided
into
three
parts.
The
first
part
relates
the
author’s
initial
years
at
REC
and
his
experiences
with
his
“Princi.”
A
pioneer
in
advancing
the
interrelationships
between
industry
and
education,
Professor
Mani
Sundaram,
during
his
short
tenure
as
Vice
Chancellor
of
President
of
India,
Shri
Pranab
Mukherjee
holding
the
first
copy
of
The
First
Princi.pal
after
its
release
by
Shri
K
Rosaiah,
Governor
of
Tamil
Nadu,
at
the
Golden
Jubilee
Celebrations
of
REC
Trichy
(now
NIT)
on
19
July
2014.

3. Bharathidasan
University,
used
his
innovative
and
entrepreneurial
facets
to
set
up
several
trendsetting
programmes.
He
empowered
people
and
provided
the
enablement
to
allow
them
to
discover
their
own
potential.
The
second
part
of
the
book
focuses
on
the
Princi’s
capabilities
as
an
academician
who
recruited
the
best,
created
the
right
environment
and
then
made
sure
that
the
culture
allowed
people
to
bring
out
their
best.
He
also
handled
political
dynamics
skillfully
both
inside
the
campus
as
well
as
in
the
state
corridors
of
power.
His
was
a
deceptive
determination
that
allowed
him
to
play
with
soft
hands,
deftly
driving
through
the
maze
of
bureaucratic
obstacles
as
seen
in
his
masterful
handling
of
the
students'
struggle
(anti-­‐Hindi
agitation,
1963–68)
for
English
as
Official
Language
of
India.
The
last
section
provides
an
insight
into
the
character
of
the
man,
the
impact
of
his
style
of
governance,
and
his
knack
in
keeping
the
child
in
each
student
he
picked
for
REC.
It
relates
various
episodes
that
display
the
characteristics
of
P.
S.
Mani
Sundaram,
the
genius.
His
human
touch
shows
how
much
he
cared,
and
highlights
his
kindness
and
generosity
towards
uplifting
those
who
sought
his
support.
Embedded
are
key
lessons
in
innovation
/
leadership
/
administration
/
education
/
entrepreneurship
each
showing
that
things
can
be
done
and
done
differently.
Mani
Sundaram
was
one
fine
human
being.
And
the
first
Princi.pal.
Maybe
even
the
last.
Keywords:
Professor
P.S.
Mani
Sundaram,
Regional
Engineering
College
(REC),
anti-­‐Hindi
agitation,
Bharathidasan
University,
academician,
modern
India,
higher
education
Endorsements
S. Sivakumar, Architect- lTC eChoupal
'What
a
tribute!
A
legendary
teacher's
life
and
times
brilliantly
captured
as
a
reflection
through
the
life
journeys
of
his
students!
This
is
a
book
that
just
has
to
be
read.
Whether
you
are
an
Academic
Administrator
or
a
Start-­‐up
Entrepreneur,
this
is
a
101
to
learn
how
to
build
lasting
institutions
...
'
Thomas M. Koulopoulos, Author and Chairman Delphi Group
'A
wonderfully
witty,
remarkably
touching,
indelibly
inspirational
story
about
the
great
power
of
a
selfless
spirit.'
Sidin Vadukut, Author
'A
lovely
little
book
that
will
inform
the
general
public
of
a
remarkable
man,
and
make
alumni
feel
proud
of
the
heritage
they
will
always
be
part
of.'
Dr. M. Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur

4. 'This
is
a
fascinating
volume
both
in
style
and
content
and
an
absorbing
read.The
author
has
adopted
an
innovative
approach
to
express
gratitude
and
pay
tribute
to
Prof.
P.S.
Mani
Sundaram,
who
was
so
much
a
part
of
his
life-­‐and
hundreds
of
other
students
like
him-­‐during
their
formative
years.'
R Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice Chairman, Cognizant India and
Chairman, NASSCOM
'Professor
Mani
Sundaram
was
my
"Princi"
too.
This
nicely
painted
montage
of
words
captures
the
essence
of
REC
Trichy's
ethos
during
my
time-­‐the
fine
balance
between
freedom
and
individual
responsibility.
The
book
underscores
the
genius
of
one
of
India's
finest
institution
builders
and
is
a
compass
to
the
entrepreneurial
way
of
academic
leadership.'
Pawan Agarwal, Adviser (Higher Education & Culture), Planning
Commission
'Professor
P.S.
Mani
Sundaram
was
a
great
institution
builder
and
laid
the
foundations
of
two
of
India's
most
prestigious
institutions
of
higher
education.
This
book
that
tells
his
story
is
truly
inspirational
with
many
interesting
anecdotes
from
his
life
and
times.
It
is
a
great
tribute
to
him
and
his
tremendous
work
in
the
field
of
higher
education
at
a
time
when
higher
education
was
evolving
rapidly
in
the
country.'
The
Author
Sunil
runs
Ideafarms,
a
Design
+
Innovation
company
that
pioneered
using
concepts
and
approaches
of
Industrial
Design
in
the
software
industry.
Belief
in
individual
talent
and
the
power
of
interdisciplinary
teams
provided
the
impetus
for
his
founding
Ideafarms
–
a
business
model
based
on
the
simple
tenet
that
'everything
produced
by
human
beings
is
meant
for
use
by
other
human
beings’.
Ideafarms’s
user
orientation
drives
its
technology
vision
and
not
the
other
way
around,
thereby
making
the
company
strikingly
different
from
the
norm.
Sunil’s
entrepreneurial
experience
spans
Consulting,
Manufacturing
and
Information
Technology.
He
is
hands-­‐on
and
widely
travelled;
business
has
taken
him
to
most
parts
of
Europe
and
across
the
US
giving
him
insights
that
help
him
to
continually
refine
the
user-­‐oriented
design
process
at
Ideafarms.
Sunil
is
a
lateral
thinker
and
a
fan
of
Ed
de
Bono’s
creativity
methods.
His
quiet
ambition
camouflages
his
keen
passion
for
a
variety
of
subjects
that
interest
him,
providing
a
visionary
dimension
to
his
thinking.
He
likes
calling
himself
a
generalist.
Sunil
Malhotra

5. He
believes
that
designers
have
the
highest
responsibility
towards
sustainability.
To
amplify
this,
he
draws
on
Eastern
philosophies
–
simplicity,
inclusion
and
local
relevance
–
to
create
his
unique
brand
of
innovation
for
socio-­‐cultural
transformation.
His
understanding
of
mobile
as
a
tool
for
social
change,
powers
his
current
innovation
agenda
(#DESi
–
Design
Entrepreneurship
for
Social
impact).
His
unabashed
stand
"India-­‐will-­‐define-­‐
the-­‐future-­‐of-­‐the-­‐world"
is
something
you
will
love
to
hate.
A
breakthrough
practitioner
of
innovation,
he
has
professional
degrees
in
Industrial
Engineering
and
Law.
After
completing
his
Masters
in
Industrial
Design
at
IIT
Bombay
(1985)
he
ran
a
successful
Design
Consultancy
in
New
Delhi,
India,
that
morphed
into
Ideafarms
in
2002.
He
blogs
with
passion
on
a
variety
of
topics,
at
Innovation
goes
Bananas
and
on
Egology.
The
First
Princi.pal
is
his
first
book.
Contacts
+919810000766
guru.thebook@gmail.com
Follow
@SunilMalhotra
Sunil
on
Linkedin
Website:
http://www.thefirstprincipal.com
eBook
available
on
all
leading
online
stores
worldwide.
Special
Golden
Jubilee
Edition
(Hardback)
available
in
India
through
Amazon.in,
Flipkart.com
and
Authorsupfront.com