The second Professor Anand Swarup Arya Memorial Lecture was held on September 29, 2021, over Zoom in the presence of his beloved wife, Mrs Kaushalya Devi Arya, his daughter Anjali Arya, friends and colleagues. It was intended that the Lecture held simultaneously on the launch of the 6th Edition of Know Disasters magazine would be a fitting tribute to Prof. Arya’s memory – his work, academic life and significant professional achievements. His thinking influenced many individuals, institutions and organisations.
It was appropriate that professors from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, attended and shared their unforgettable moments and learnings from Professor Arya where he secured his Graduate Degree (BE) in Civil Engineering and Master’s Degree (ME) in Structural Engineering (1954). He started his career as a member of the faculty at the University of Roorkee where he served for 36 years till his superannuation in 1989. He rose in ranks to become a Professor and Head of Department of Earthquake Engineering, and finally, as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University. After his retirement, he was made the Emeritus Professor of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
AK Chaturvedi, Director of IIT-R said, “Prof AS Arya was truly a legend who spearheaded earthquake engineering and disaster management efforts throughout his life. IIT Roorkee is immensely proud of his contributions, both as an alumnus and as a faculty member. IIT Roorkee is deeply indebted to Mrs Kaushalya Devi Arya and her children for their contribution in establishing Chair Professorship in the name of Professor Arya a reality.
Anil Kumar Sinha, Editor-in-Chief – Know Disasters and, Former Vice Chairman, Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of Bihar, reminisce his first interaction with Prof Arya during the 2001 Bhuj Earthquake and, Professor Arya’s association with Bihar State Disaster Management Authority as a sitting member.
Prof RK Bhandari, distinguished Visiting Professor at Centre of Excellence on Disaster Mitigation and Management, delivered an insightful lecture on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in multi-hazard ecosystem challenges and the way forward. He added: “Padma Shri Awardee, Prof Arya inspired a whole generation. He brought the concept of seismic safety of buildings constructed of vernacular building materials such as stone, mud and other non-engineered materials or their derivatives in the arena of structural engineering which is commonly considered non-touchable buildings for engineers.” He developed innovative testing methods to verify the seismic safety of these buildings when most structural engineers would say these buildings cannot be made safer and their construction should be stopped without realising the ground realities. However, Professor Arya realised early that until these buildings are made safer, the seismic safety of masses is just not feasible. In this regard, he co-authored Guidelines for Earthquake Resistant Non-Engineered Construction in 1984 (later updated in 2013) under the banner of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering.
Dr. Dr. G. P. Ganapathy from Vellore Institute of Technology presented a digital painting made by him to pay tribute to legendary Professor Arya.
At the end of the Memorial Lecture, the Know Disasters Family paid tribute to Professor Arya and thanked the renowned dignitaries who accepted the invitation and took some time out from their busy schedule to make the event successful with their presence.
