JNTU Diamond Jubilee and Global Alumni Meet: JGAM 2025
(November 21-22, 2025,
Hyderabad)
A Madan Mohan and PV
Narasimha Rao Contribution
By Vanam Jwala Narasimha
Rao
(November 22, 2025)
Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University (JNTU) stands today as a beacon of technological
excellence, innovation, and nation-building, and a visionary institution born
from the foresight of Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and the unwavering
dedication of A (Ananthula) Madan Mohan as Technical Education Minister of AP.
The university’s origin traces back to the early 1970s, when PV Narasimha Rao,
then Chief Minister of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, recognized the need for a
premier institution that would not merely impart engineering education but
would nurture innovation, research, and leadership to propel India into a new
era of scientific progress.
Guided by this
farsighted educational philosophy, PV envisioned transforming the then existing
Nagarjuna Sagar Engineering College, founded in 1965 and affiliated with
Osmania University, into a full-fledged Technological University. His vision
materialized with the passing of the Act by the Legislature of the State of
Andhra Pradesh on 2nd October 1972, giving birth to Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University, the first in the country. After 36 years of
existence, it was restructured into 4 different Universities in August 2008. JNTUH
is now situated in a sprawling 89-acre campus at Kukatpally, Hyderabad.
While the conceptual
spark came from PV Narasimha Rao, it was A Madan Mohan, the first dedicated
Minister for Technical Education of Andhra Pradesh, who became the architect
and steward in turning this vision into a functional, structured, and
purpose-driven institution. At the instance of PV Narasimha Rao, A. Madan Mohan
personally visited several Technological Universities across India, studying
their academic models, research frameworks, governance systems, and industry
engagement programs.
Armed with deep
insights and a strong conviction, Madan Mohan crafted a compelling proposal to
establish a Technological University in Hyderabad that would not merely
replicate existing models but would be future-oriented, research-driven, and
globally adaptive. His efforts laid the structural and philosophical foundation
for JNTU as a transformative institution. He was its first Pro Chancellor.
A Madan Mohan’s
contribution was not limited to policy facilitation. He refined the vision,
shaped its direction, and ensured that the university embodied values of
innovation, inclusivity, and academic rigor. More than an administrator, he
became the founding force who shaped the identity of JNTU. His dedication
ensured that the University was not just born, but born with purpose, and designed
to empower generations of students, particularly from Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana, to emerge as entrepreneurs, engineers, researchers, and
nation-builders.
Born in 1931, A Madan
Mohan was a distinguished scholar and lawyer who graduated from Nizam College
in 1954 and later earned a law degree from Osmania University. He began his
career as an advocate in Jangaon before practicing at the High Court in Hyderabad.
With a sharp intellect, grassroots connect, and policy acumen, he entered
public life, winning the Siddipet Assembly seat as an Independent (Telangana
Praja Samithi-TPS) in 1970, but joined subsequently in Indian national Congress
(INC) Party. Later three more times as a Congress Candidate in 1972, 1978, and
1983.
In his decade-long
ministerial career, Madan Mohan held key portfolios including Technical
Education, Revenue, Health, Mines and Geology, Law, and Commercial Taxes.
However, his role as Minister for Technical Education remains his most enduring
legacy. He passionately championed the cause of higher technical learning and
played a pivotal role in the establishment of JNTU in Hyderabad. His influence
extended beyond policy, and he became a mentor to many, including Telangana’s (then)
future first Chief Minister, K Chandrashekar Rao, who fondly regarded him as a
political and ideological guide.
Having known Madan
Mohan ever since my association with Dr M Channa Reddy in the early 1989, and
also later as his PRO after his becoming CM, it may also be appropriate to
mention Madan Mohan’s unequivocal contribution to Telangana Formation, the
State where JNTU is located. It is contemporary history that, A Madan Mohan,
who started the ‘Telangana Praja Samithi (TPS)’ to lead the Mulki Movement, and
the historical 1969 first phase separate statehood movement, handed over the
reins to Channa Reddy.
That proved to be the
major turning point for him to demonstrate his innate capacity and ‘Charismatic
Leadership Abilities’ to register series of ‘Electoral Landslides’ like the
1971 Lok Sabha, 1978 Assembly, 1980 Lok Sabha, and 1989 Lok Sabha plus Assembly
Elections. The credit goes to Madan Mohan too. Madan Mohan was fielded as TPS
Candidate by Channa Reddy for Siddipet Assembly by-elections in November 1970.
Being aware of the importance of victory there, and to ensure that, he camped
in the constituency for nearly two months.
Then, Channa Reddy
dined and even stayed few times at the residence of KCR. Recalling his family
association, KCR revealed in one of his conversations, when I was working as
his CPRO that, ‘The Spirit of Passion and Commitment to Telangana demonstrated
by Channa Reddy, influenced me in leading the second phase of Telangana
Agitation and eventually succeeded.’ Madan Mohan won with 20000 majority votes.
KCR then was with Madan Mohan supporting him.
PV Narasimha Rao, who
would go on to become the Prime Minister of India and the architect of economic
liberalization, had already demonstrated his passion for education,
intellectual development, and institution building through initiatives like
JNTU, long before he transformed the national economy. His belief that
education is the highest form of social empowerment found its expression in the
establishment of JNTU, an institution that would democratize access to
engineering education and create a generation of thinkers, innovators, and
problem-solvers.
Together, these two
statesmen, PV Narasimha Rao, the visionary, and Ananthula Madan Mohan, the
builder, crafted the foundation of what JNTU would become: U university deeply
rooted in public purpose, technological advancement, and nation-building. Their
synergy created a model institution whose legacy continues to evolve and
expand.
Today, as JNTU
celebrates its Diamond Jubilee and hosts the Global Alumni Meet (JGAM 2025),
the university proudly reflects on a legacy that has shaped thousands of
engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry leaders across
the world. Every building, every classroom, every innovation emerging from JNTU
quietly carries the imprint of these two founding figures. Their vision
continues to inspire, one built on the belief that education is not just for
employment, but for enlightenment, empowerment, and societal transformation.
In remembering PV
Narasimha Rao and A Madan Mohan today, we do more than honor the past. We renew
a commitment to their enduring ideals, innovation, integrity, vision,
leadership, and service to society. Their legacy lives in JNTU’s mission, and
their spirit continues to guide its future.
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