Early life: Mohan was our first child, born on 23 September 1947 at Bareilly. He was a healthy child weighing 8 lbs on birth. While, the whole environment of the family found a pleasing change with his birth, our father found a long lost purpose in life. At that time, I was working in Rohilkhand Canals Division of irrigation department of United Provinces at Bareilly. Our life at Bareilly was that of nomads, moving almost all the time from one place to another, sleeping for more than twenty nights out every month, in one inspection house or the other, scattered all over the area. We were accompanied by a contingent of ten to twelve regular members of our staff, who were always with us and moved with us from place to place, looking more like an extended family. I used to be busy in the morning hours, riding a cycle or trotting on horse back, on the banks of irrigation channels, looking at the freely flowing water soaking the unending expanse of parched fields. The days kept rolling, as we moved from Rohilkhand Canals at Bareilly to Mohammadpur and Pathri Power Station Division at Roorkee in November1948, thereafter to Gaghra Canal Survey Division at Jaunpur in September 1949 and Ganga Flood Protection Division at Banaras and Ballia in January1950 and finally to Fatehpur Division of Lower Ganga Canal at Kanpur from July 1950 to July 1951. During that period, Mohan was growing up freely, as a young child, under the loving care, affection and indulgence of our father, untouched by the pre-schools, nursery schools or any other type of formal work or schooling.
Early education: After leaving the irrigation department of U.P. in July 1951, I joined Civil Engineering School, Lucknow as a lecturer in civil engineering. Gradually, we settled down there and moved to a residential house in Moti Nagar, which was a newly developed residential colony of the town. Incidentally, Agrawal Intermediate College happened to be located, close to our house, across the street. It was a Hindi medium institution and looking to the proximity of the institution, Mohan was admitted there in class I, in July 1952. Mohan was five years old at that time and every member of the family was happy at the beginning of formal education of Mohan. The days continued their roll and we moved to Allahabad in 1955 and to Ajmer in 1958.
During the British period, the Government High Schools enjoyed excellent physical facilities and academic standing in the country. Our visit to Government Higher Secondary School at Ajmer in January 1958 about the admission of Mohan was extremely interesting, as the Principal DM Jain stepped out of his room and greeted us. That was the middle of the session, but, Principal DM Jain was very happy and helpful in admitting Mohan to class VII on transfer from Allahabad. Thereafter, Mohan went on to complete his studies for higher secondary examination of the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan from Government Higher Secondary School Ajmer in April 1962. In the meantime, we had moved to Jodhpur in July 1962 and Mohan joined the University of Jodhpur and completed first year of the three year degree course ( TDS ) from there in 1963.
Further education: Malaviya Regional Engineering College was established at Jaipur in 1962. Professor VG Garde, who had established MBM Engineering College at Jodhpur in 1951 was nominated as the first principal of Malaviya Regional Engineering College Jaipur and the first batch of sixty students, for admission to five year degree course in engineering was admitted to the college, in July 1963. Since, development of land, construction of buildings and other facilities were in progress at Jaipur, the first batch of students was splitted into two groups of thirty each, as an interim measure and one group was sent to Birla Engineering College Pilani and the other to MBM Engineering College Jodhpur for undergoing studies for first year of the five year degree course in engineering. Mohan was one of the students, selected for admission to Malaviya Regional Engineering College in 1963, in the first batch and was assigned to Birla Engineering College, Pilani for studies for first year of the five year degree course in engineering. Mohan was sixteen years old at that time and that was for the first time, that he had left the carefree environment of the family and was expected to share living accomodation and meals with other boys in the hostel of Birla Engineering College Pilani. I had an opportunity to visit Birla Engineering College during that period and to have a look at the tremendous physical and mental adjustment that the young boys have to go through, during their transition from sheltered living at home to corporate living in boys hostels of professional institutions. Principal Laxminarainan and the Chief Warden, Professor Gopalan were extremely good to me during the visit and arranged to provide sufficient free time to Mohan to stay with me during the visit.
Regular classes for First Year as also for Second year of five year degree course in engineering had commenced at Malaviya Regional Engineering College at Jaipur from July 1964. However, with the consent of Principal VG Garde, Mohan was permitted to join second year of five year degree course in engineering at MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur, on transfer from MREC Jaipur in July 1964. Mohan had grown up considerably during his one year stint at Birla Engineering College Pilani. He was soft spoken and rendered all possible help to almost everybody, who came in contact with him. He completed BE in Electrical Engineering, standing fourth in order of merit from MBM Engineering College Jodhpur in May 1968.
University of Roorkee: I had joined ME course in Water Resources Development at Roorkee in 1967 and was living in Afro-Asian Hostel of the University. I had vacated my official residence at Jodhpur and our family had shifted to a local rental accommodation with our father. Mohan was in the final year of degree course in Electrical Engineering at MBM Engineering College at that time. Sometimes in May 1968, after the completion of his BE Final examinations, he picked up our versatile Ambassador Car and drove our father and his mother, brothers and sisters to Roorkee. It was a happy gathering of the family, as everybody squeezed in, in my room in the hostel.
I was happy to see, that, Mohan was doing well in his studies and along with that, he had been discharging most of the responsibilities of the family, during my absence from Jodhpur. After completion of BE in Electrical Engineering from Jodhpur, he was accepted for admission to ME course in Advanced Electronics and Servo-mechanisms at the University of Roorkee. Incidentally, he was living in Jawahar Bhawan, a hostel of the university for post-graduate students, during his first year of the ME course in July 1968, while, I was living in Afro Asian Hostel of the university for the final year of my ME course in Water Resourses Development. Mohan completed his ME in Advanced Electronics and Servo-mechanisms from the University of Roorkee in May 1970 in First Division with Honours, standing first in order of merit and winning the university gold medal.
Higher Studies in U.S.A. : During the British Period, facilities for higher studies in engineering, and technological and professional courses were not available in India. As such, the aspiring students, who had the resources, used to go to England for post graduate studies and on return from England, they enjoyed the privilege of picking up plum positions in India. After the end of the second world war in 1945, the conditions in the universities of USA were very favourable for the admission of foreign students. Liberal financial scholarships were available for bright and promising students and naturally, the students from all over the world, made a bee line for picking up the so called American Dream. Most of the students, who went to USA for higher studies in the post war period, settled down there on cosy jobs and in course of time, made a mark there. In the meantime, there was all round expansion of facilities for higher education in India and almost every promising student thought of taking a chance for further studies in an American University. The foreign trained faculty of most of the prestigious institutions of India, served as a motivating force for Indian students for seeking admissions for further studies in the top rung universities of USA.
Acceptance of Mohan for Graduate Program at UC Berkeley: University of California at Berkeley was established in 1868. It is a public university deeply involved in innovation, research and development. It is one of the most prestigious universities of USA. Correspondence for admission in Universities of USA was initiated by Mohan, while he was living in Ravindra Bhavan hostel of the University of Roorkee, during his studies for the final year for ME course in Advanced Electronics and Servo-mechanisms. Mohan was accepted by the University of California at Berkeley for its graduate program for the fall quarter, commencing in September 1970, under the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences of the university. Foreign student advisors of the university had also arranged for the participation of Mohan, in a six week international summer program of the University of California at Santa Barabara, commencing on 12 July 1970, for the orientation of foreign students to the American university system. Apart from opportunities for free mixing with foreign students from different countries, the orientation programme also provided a course related to political, social and economic trends in USA and another course in English as a second language for the participants. Soon after completion of final examination of ME at the University of Roorkee in July 1970, thoughts of joining a graduate program in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California at Berkeley served as a great booster for Mohan and he started looking forward for a bright career, gradually unfolding ahead of him.