From AI To Shivthar Ghal: Professor Suhas S Joshi On Finding Balance

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Given a choice, where would Prof Suhas S Joshi, Director, IIT, go for a week, leaving behind the hustle-bustle of Indore?

“Shivthar Ghal, a historic and spiritual cave in Raigad district where Samarth Ramdas Swami wrote Dasbodh.

That’s my place. I can do some writing and creative work there without being disturbed,” said Prof Joshi, who was the Guest Editor for Free Press’s Thursday’s edition.

“If not Shivthar Ghal, the next stop would be Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan,” he said.

For a busy-bee like Prof Joshi being with the nature is a natural stress-buster. After reading sports “and interesting soothing news stories” in daily newspapers, he retreats to the lap of the nature.

“On weekends, if I am in the city, I like roaming across the green patches on the institute campus and do stuff like gardening. That’s my Saturday and Sunday’s two-hour routine,” he said.

Regarding news, he said sports stories and the editorial page are his favourite sections in the papers.

Prof Joshi also said social media had become a major source of news consumption, especially among the young generation. “But social media is not an authentic source in most cases.

Many a time, fake news stories keep circulating on the social media which create huge confusion. Two faculty members of IIT Indore are working on a technology which can detect fake news. The work is in progress before we make it public,” he said.

Asked about how India was placed in the domain of AI, Prof Joshi said that we are behind but the asking rate is not huge. “I believe, our country will take two to three more years to come out with its own AI tools,” he said.

Replying to another query, Prof Joshi said India has taken strong steps to ensure a check on the brain drain. “The results are exciting.

I would like to share that during campus placement more than 90 per cent IIT Indore students accepted job offers in cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi.

This happened because Indian companies are matching the pay packages offered by their international counterparts,” he added.

Prof Joshi went on to say, “Forget ensuring the fact that the talented lot does not go abroad, India has now come up with the Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme.

It is the Centre’s flagship initiative designed to attract top Indian-origin researchers, scientists and professionals from abroad.

It’s a competitive scheme unlike China which attracts its people working abroad using money as the bait. India is unmatched and unstoppable on many fronts these days. What a time to be alive in India,” he concluded.