Decades before India made a name for itself in the field of education, the tiny princely state of Travancore aimed it high in higher education and even made an unsuccessful bid to enlist services of great physicist Albert Einstein as Vice Chancellor of its fledgling university for a monthly pay of Rs 6000.
The Nobel prize winning scientist, considered as the founder of modern physics and one who developed the theory of general relativity, politely declined the invitation saying he wanted to join Princeton University in America.
The University, set up in 1937 as Travancore University, was renamed as University of Kerala later, and is planning year-long celebrations to mark its Platinum Jubilee this year.
According to late historian Prof A. Sreedhara Menon, who authored a comprehensive history of the university, seeking Einstein’s service for the state was the idea of the then Diwan (Prime Minister) of Travancore Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar. Aiyar was a shrewd administrator and multi-faceted scholar who kept abreast of contemporary developments including those concerning modern science.
Citing records of local people’s council, Menon says Aiyar advised the reigning prince Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma, the last Maharaja of Travancore, to invite Einstein to decorate the prestigious academic post.
Aiyar thought that the prestige and status of the university would get elevated if a great scientist like Einstein agreed to head it. According to writer and historian M. G. Sashibhushan CP, as Aiyar was popularly known, had tried to bring not only Einstein but many famous personalities from various academic disciplines as faculty of the university.
"I have heard people talking of CP’s public announcement about the proposal first at the Sree Chitra State Council. But as far as I know, unfortunately, the copy of the letter sent to Einstein is yet to be traced," Sashibhushan told.