N. K. Bansal

N K Bansal (Narendra Kumar Bansal) (December 1943 – February 2020) was a former Head and Senior Professor of Centre for Energy Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and a Vice-Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU). Bansal was the recipient of the fellowship of the German Academic Exchange Service as well as holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship from Germany, and his work on climatic zones and passive building design is used extensively by researchers and practitioners.

Family Narendra Kumar Bansal was married to Shaila Bansal. They had three daughters; Shalini, Pooja and Sweta, whom he wanted to make independent working women through education from Delhi Public School, and later Arizona State University for higher studies. Shaila Bansal suffered through multiple cancers, including pancreatic cancer during her lifetime.

Bansal's wife Shaila Bansal died in October 2019, and they are survived by their three daughters.

Early life and education

Narendra Kumar Bansal was born to Om Prakash Gupta and Prem Lata on 11 December 1943 to a family of academics. His father was a retired teacher and his mother established a school to teach young kids. He was one of seven kids; four boys, two girls and one adopted sibling.

Narendra Kumar Bansal started 11th grade at the age of 13 and graduated high school at the age of 15, after which he went to Banaras Hindu University for a medical degree. However, due to an autoimmune disorder, he had to leave the program and was hospitalized at the All India Medical Institute (AIIMS) in Delhi for a year. After his recovery, he went on to complete his Bachelor's in Science (BSC) degree from Agra University at the age of 20, and later a Master's in Science (MSC) degree from IIT Delhi in 1966, and a Doctorate in Physics from the same institute in 1969.

He was a champion in badminton and table tennis and loved to play pranks on his siblings. He was known for his good sense of humor in the family.

Academic career In 1970, Narendra Kumar Bansal joined St. Stephen's College as a lecturer where he remained for five years, later leaving for Germany in 1975 for his post-doctoral work in the field of nuclear energy. On his return, Bansal shifted his focus to renewable energy, energy efficiency in buildings, energy planning models, and environmental systems analysis.

Bansal joined the Centre of Energy Studies at IIT Delhi in the year 1979, where he made contributions to the development of the curriculum, laboratories, and collaborative national and international projects, were funded by the German Ministry of Research and Technology

Establishment of SMVDU On 15 November 2004, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir invited Bansal to further the establishment of SMVDU. Bansal joined as Vice Chancellor and modelled the university after IIT Delhi. During his tenure until 2009, the university achieved national and international recognition. Bansal started various programs in the disciplines of science, management, energy, humanities and social sciences. Upon Narendra Bansal's death, a vigil was held in his remembrance in the central courtyard of the university.

Bansal has served as a board member, member of expert groups, or as a consultant for entities including Sintex Plastics Technology Limited, Tata Consultancy Services, Punjab Agro Industries and Ronak Industries. He also served as consultant to governmental and non-governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Resources, the Tata Energy Research Institute, the Swedish Energy Development Agency, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation, and the Planning Commission of India and Germany.

After completing his tenure at SMVDU, Bansal returned to Delhi and was invited by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as a HR consultant to develop a course curriculum for all national institutions at various levels. Simultaneously, he was offered an industry chair, Sintex Chair Professor, at CEPT University with the option to operate from Delhi, a position he accepted and remained in until his retirement in May, 2019.

Later life and death In October 2019, his wife's condition deteriorated, ending in her death on the 24 October 2019. He also suffered a spinal injury and later developed pneumonia in January 2020. He was admitted to Max Saket and was later put on a ventilator. He died after 4 days on the ventilator, on 4 February 2020.

Legacy Bansal has experience spanning over 41 years of teaching and R&D work in the field of renewable energy. He is the author and editor of more than 20 books, 16 reviews and more than 300 publications in international journals. Bansal has assisted 35 students with their Ph.Ds and 40 students with their MTech degree along with a number of international students, has been dedicated to Narendra Bansal.

Awards Dr. C. M. Jacob Gold Medal (System Society of India, 1991) Pioneer in Renewable Energy (WREN 1996, Florence, Italy) Solar Pioneer from India (German magazine 2004) Life Time Achievement Award in Education (2005) Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award Amity Excellence Award (2008) and DAAD Fellowship of Germany.