On a chilly winter Wednesday, the seminar hall at Jadavpur University's electrical engineering department was filled with warmth and nostalgia as former students and colleagues gathered to honor the memory of a beloved teacher. The Jadavpur Electrical Engineers’ Welfare Association (JEEWA) organized the Prof Shyamapada Patra Memorial Lecture to commemorate his upcoming centenary, which falls on June 1, 2026.
A Teacher Who Shaped Generations
Speaker after speaker, many of them his former students, shared heartfelt anecdotes about 'Patra Saheb'. They remembered him as a compassionate mentor to teachers, staff, and students alike, known for his meticulous approach and firm decision-making. His teaching left such a lasting imprint that several of his pupils later became professors in the same department.
Former professor Nirmalendu Chatterjee, an ex-student, highlighted the clarity of Patra's pedagogy. "While tutoring students after my own retirement, I could vividly recall the lessons Prof Patra taught. His concepts were so well explained that I never needed to revise those subjects again," Chatterjee shared.
Global Tribute From a Distinguished Alumnus
The memorial address was delivered by Prof Bikash Pal of Imperial College London, who earned his BE from JU in 1990. Prof Patra taught him for one semester in his fourth year and guided his final-year project. Pal described his mentor as a bright, kind, and humble man who advised him on his PhD at ICL and maintained contact through letters.
Prof Pal's lecture focused on 'Protection for low carbon power networks: Challenges and opportunities'. He reviewed existing technologies for protecting electricity supply systems and discussed their limitations in modern, inverter-driven networks, also touching on control measures for power swing stability.
The Pioneering Legacy of Prof Shyamapada Patra
Prof Patra's career was marked by significant contributions. He joined the College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Jadavpur, as a lecturer in electrical engineering in 1949. In 1956, he traveled to the UK on a scholarship for an integrated MSc and PhD at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).
Upon his return in 1959, he was promoted to reader at CET, which had by then become part of Jadavpur University. At the time, he was the department's only doctorate holder. While still young, he was entrusted with setting up the syllabus for the newly introduced postgraduate course in power systems and taught the specialized papers alongside the then HoD, Prof H C Guha.
Under his guidance, the power systems laboratory was developed. Facing a funds crunch from 1962 to 1970, the lab indigenously built costly equipment. In 1982, Prof Patra, with the help of Prof S.K. Basu and Prof Samiran Choudhuri, authored a seminal textbook, 'Power System Protection', published in 1983 for Rs 53. The book was so influential that Prof Pal recalled seeing it on his PhD guide's shelf at Imperial College London. The book is now out of print.
Prof Patra superannuated in 1986 but continued teaching at JU until 1991. Tragically, a few months after his retirement, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and passed away on October 31, 1992.
The event began with a welcome address by Manik Chandra Ghosh, president of JEEWA, and included remarks from Prof Madhubanti Maitra, the current head of the electrical engineering department. The gathering stood as a powerful testament to an educator whose legacy continues to illuminate the field of electrical engineering.
