KOCHI: Babu Joseph, former vice-chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), will celebrate his 80th birthday on Monday a little differently. This time, he will be greeted by his friends, former colleagues, students and well-known academics from universities across the country via videoconferencing. A book titled ‘Fests c h r i f t ’ , which comprises research articles of his students and colleagues, will also be released during the celebration.
“During my career, I was able to teach brilliant students, some of whom have reached great heights in the field of academics,” said Babu Joseph, who has two vice-chancellors of the university — Dr K N Madhusoodanan (present VC) and Dr Ramachandran — among his students. Babu was a part of the university since its birth in 1997 and continued till 2001. The professor, however, doesn’t find online conferences and meetings to be an effective way of conveying thoughts. The conference has been scheduled for 11am and the book will be released by Ajit Kombhavi, director, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy in Pune.