Dubai: A 75-year-old Indian expat, who received a doctorate degree (PhD) in Dubai last week, says a long-cherished dream has finally come true.
Grandfather to a five year old, Dr Pankaj Manubhai Vyas, told Gulf News that he had been wanting to get a doctorate ever since he completed his post-graduation in Chemical Engineering from Bombay University in 1975.
“But I could not pursue my studies at the time,” said the Gujarati septuagenarian who hails from Mumbai.
“Coming from a middle class family, my father, who had retired, prevailed upon me to start working. I had three other siblings who were younger than me. In due course, I got married and had a girl and a boy. My duties at home and at work kept me very busy and my desire to get a PhD had to be shelved,” he recalled.
Extensive experience
Dr Vyas, who has been in the Middle East since 1986, said he came to Dubai in 1998. An expert in the paints and coatings industry, he has extensive work experience in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. With his two children grown up and settled, Dr Vyas’ dreams to get a PhD were revived when he learned that the tech institute BITS Pilani Dubai was offering working individuals like him a chance to get a PhD.
“Although I continue to work as a technical consultant, I decided to go back to school and try my luck,” he said.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and presented its own set of challenges for Dr Vyas. “Matters got delayed as I had to do a lot of lab tests, research and submit papers. But I was determined to put in my best. When the pandemic restrictions lifted, I started going to college three time a week and finally, on Sunday, six years on, I was awarded the PhD,” he said with pride.
Thesis subject
The subject of Dr Vyas’ thesis holds much relevance. As he explained, “I studied the formulation of high-performance fire-retardant intumescent coatings based on novel fillers including nano particulate fillers.”
In laymen terms, what that essentially means is that fire-retardant intumescent coatings used in buildings can delay the spread of an unfortunate fire because such coatings expand 30-40 times when the temperature rises, forming an insulating layer and preventing the spread of the fire, thus allowing people enough time to evacuate and douse the flames.
“The cost of such coatings could be one-and-half-times more than the regular coatings, but it is well worth the extra cost,” he added.
Dr Vyas said he thoroughly enjoyed being a student again. “Learning never stops, but still, getting back to academics was very refreshing,” he said, adding that his mentor for the thesis was 25-30 years younger than him.
Double celebration
Given his vast experience, BITS Pilani even gave him a chance to share his learnings with aspiring engineers, he said, adding that he found the opportunity very satisfying.
Dr Vyas was among 11 others who received doctoral degrees at the convocation which also coincided with BITS Pilani’s Diamond Jubilee and the Dubai campus’ Silver Jubilee.
As his 68-year-old wife joined him at the event, her pride and joy were more than evident.
Dr Vyas said, “My family has supported me all along. My son, 35 and his wife were also present at the convocation. My daughter, who is 45 now, and lives with her husband and son in the US, could not join us but is very happy for me.”
Dr Vyas, who flew to Mumbai on Monday, said, “I am visiting my 95-year-old mother. It’s her blessings that have held me in good stead.”
