1.Could you briefly introduce yourself and
share how your upbringing inspired your path in civil engineering and your
pursuit of diverse skills?
I am Er. Pravin Khandve, completed B.E.
Civil in 1990 from College of Engineering, Badnera affiliated to Sant Gadge
Baba Amravati University, Amravati, and M. Tech in Environment Engineering in
2012 from Government College of Engineering, Amravati. I have also completed
few Post Graduate Diplomas in Business Management, Interior Decoration,
Information Technology, Journalism, Office Automation and Bacher of Arts in
Sociology.
I am Life member of many professional
bodies such as Fellow of Institutions of Engineers, and Life member of Indian
Science Congress Association, Indian Water Works Association, Indian Society
for Technical Education, Indian Society for Earthquake Technology, Indian
Concrete Institute and Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, Engineer
Council of India etc.
Currently I am working as Vice Principal,
Head of Department – Civil Engineering, & Dean – Infrastructure at Prof Ram
Meghe College of Engineering & Management, Badnera – Amravati and holding
few other responsibilities such as Chancellor Nominated Member of Academic
Council, SGBAU Amravati University; Founder Secretary of NGO - Ekatmik
Paryavaran Mitra Sanstha, Amravati; Executor Editor of International Journal of
Chemical & Physical Sciences, Amravati; Member of Board of Studies of Civil
Engineering at Prof Ram Meghe Institute of Technology and Research, Badnera –
Amravati; Secretary of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, Amravati
Centre, Amravati; Managing Committee Member of Indian Concrete Institute, ICI
Amravati Centre, Amravati and Indian Water Works Association, Amravati Chapter,
Amravati; Cell Member of Internal Quality Assurance Cell, PRMCEAM, Badnera;
Spiritual and Motivational Trainer at Mission IAS Foundation, Amravati; and
Founder Director – Proven Victory Knowledge Techniques, Student Development
Unit, Amravati.
My Work Experience includes Civil
Engineering Construction Consultancy work of 8 Years, Trade Instructor
Experience of 15 years at Government Industrial Training Institute, Amravati
under Department of Vocational Education & Training, Maharashtra state and Engineering
College Teaching Experience of 13 Years.
My Specialization Area are Rain Water
Harvesting, Environment Conservation, Energy Conservation, Water Conservation,
Green Audit, Engineering Project Management, Graphic Designing, IT Application
Development.
I have presented 15 papers in National
Conferences, 05 papers in International Conferences and published 02 Research
Paper in National Journal and 22 research paper in International Journals. I
have received 12 prestigious awards in various areas and published 06 books. I
have completed more than Ten professional Projects, and 08 Social Projects with
NGOs. I have 04 professional skill courses on Udemy Platform, and other online
courses on my own App PVKT School available at Google Play Store.
My upbringing played a decisive role in
shaping both my choice of civil engineering and my inclination toward
developing diverse skills from an early age. I was born and raised in a modest,
value-oriented environment where discipline, hard work, and education were
deeply respected. My family emphasized practical learning and moral
responsibility, which helped me develop a grounded outlook toward life and
career.
During my school years, I was naturally
inclined toward mathematics, science, and drawing, subjects that required
logical thinking as well as creativity. I vividly remember being fascinated by
buildings, roads, bridges, and water structures in and around my village and
town. Observing how these structures influenced daily life—providing connectivity,
safety, and basic amenities—sparked a deep curiosity in me about how such
systems were planned, designed, and built.
Limited resources during my schooling also
taught me the value of self-learning and adaptability. I learned to make the
best use of whatever was available—books, teachers’ guidance, and real-world
observation. This phase of life instilled in me a strong habit of learning
beyond textbooks and understanding concepts through practical examples.
Teachers during my schooling played a
crucial inspirational role. Their encouragement strengthened my confidence and
motivated me to pursue technical education. Participation in school activities
such as science exhibitions, drawing competitions, and problem-solving
exercises helped me develop analytical thinking, observation skills, and
discipline—qualities that later became fundamental to my professional journey.
Most importantly, my early exposure to community
issues such as water scarcity, basic infrastructure needs, and environmental
challenges created a sense of social responsibility in me. Even as a student, I
felt that engineering should not merely be a profession but a means to serve
society. This belief gradually guided me toward civil engineering—a field where
technical knowledge directly translates into public welfare.
In essence, my schooling years laid a
strong foundation of curiosity, resilience, and purpose, which later evolved
into my passion for civil engineering and my continuous pursuit of
multidisciplinary skills.
2.How does it feel to be featured in
India’s Pride: Icons Who Inspire the Nation, and what does this recognition
mean to you personally and professionally?
Being featured in India’s Pride: Icons
Who Inspire the Nation is both a humbling and deeply gratifying experience.
Personally, it feels like a moment of reflection and gratitude—toward my
family, teachers, mentors, and all those who shaped my journey. It reaffirms
the belief that consistent effort, integrity, and purpose-driven work truly
matter.
Professionally, this recognition
strengthens my sense of responsibility as an educator and civil engineer. It
motivates me to continue contributing meaningfully to sustainable development,
capacity building, and knowledge dissemination. More than an individual honor,
I see this recognition as encouragement to keep inspiring young minds and to
serve society through engineering with greater commitment and impact.
3.What research areas currently interest
you, and how do they influence the teaching methods you use to inspire and
motivate engineering students?
My research interests span across Environmental
Engineering, water conservation and treatment, energy conservation, advanced
surveying using Remote Sensing and GIS, municipal solid and hazardous waste
management, climate change, and overall environmental management. These areas
are deeply interconnected and directly linked to some of the most pressing
challenges faced by society today. My research is largely driven by the idea
that engineering solutions must be sustainable, practical, and socially
responsible.
These research interests strongly influence
my teaching methodology. While teaching subjects such as Basic and Advanced
Environmental Engineering, Water Treatment, Solid and Hazardous Waste
Management, Land Surveying, Advanced Surveying and Geomatics, and Advanced
Construction Technology, I consciously bridge theory with real-world
applications. I regularly incorporate case studies, field-based examples, live
data, and problem-based learning approaches drawn from my research and
professional experience.
In the classroom, I emphasize hands-on
learning, interdisciplinary thinking, and the use of modern tools such as GIS,
Remote Sensing, digital surveying instruments, and data analysis techniques.
This approach helps students understand not only how systems work, but
also why sustainable and ethical engineering decisions are critical.
Teaching subjects like Employability Skills and Universal Human Values further
allows me to mentor students beyond technical knowledge, preparing them to be
competent, responsible, and industry-ready professionals.
By aligning my research with teaching, I
aim to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and a sense of purpose among
engineering students—encouraging them to view engineering not merely as a
career, but as a powerful tool for nation-building and environmental
stewardship.
4.Could you briefly describe the innovation
behind your patent and the real-world applications you envision for it?
The innovation behind my patents areas lies
in addressing practical industry problems through sustainable and
technology-driven solutions. Two of my patents work focus on the utilization of
waste materials, such as multilayer plastic waste and stone industry
by-products, in construction applications. By incorporating waste multilayer
plastic fibers into Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks and stone industry
waste into concrete paving blocks, these innovations aim to enhance material
performance while simultaneously reducing environmental pollution and
dependence on natural resources.
Another patent addresses a critical
challenge in total station surveying, where minor alignment errors can lead to
significant building corner shifts. The developed surveying gadget is designed
to minimize such errors, improving accuracy, efficiency, and reliability in
field measurements.
Collectively, these innovations have strong
real-world applications in sustainable construction, waste management,
infrastructure development, and precision surveying. They offer scalable,
cost-effective solutions that can be readily adopted by the construction and
surveying industries, contributing to environmentally responsible and
technically robust engineering practices.
5. How do your social initiatives—such as
your environmental and knowledge–based organizations—connect with your academic
work?
My social initiatives are a natural
extension of my academic work and professional philosophy. As the founder of Ekatmik
Paryavaran Mitra Sanstha, I actively work to promote environmental awareness,
with a strong focus on water conservation and rainwater harvesting in both
urban and rural communities. The real-world environmental challenges addressed
through these initiatives directly inform my teaching and research in
environmental engineering and sustainable infrastructure.
Alongside this, I provide free technical
consultation to social organizations involved in the development of school
buildings and facilities in rural and taluka regions of the Vidarbha area,
particularly in Amravati district. These activities allow me to apply academic
knowledge to socially meaningful projects while maintaining quality, safety,
and cost-effectiveness.
Most importantly, these initiatives create
a powerful experiential learning platform for my students. Under my guidance,
students actively participate in land surveying, data collection, planning and
drawing preparation, estimation, structural design, material testing, report
preparation, and project presentations. This exposure bridges the gap between
classroom learning and field realities.
By integrating social work with academics,
I strive to develop not only technically competent engineers, but also socially
responsible professionals who understand the real impact of engineering
solutions on communities and the environment.
6.Looking 10–15 years ahead, what is your
long-term vision for your career and the institutions or social initiatives
you’ve built?
Looking 10–15 years ahead, my long-term
vision is to create a strong, integrated ecosystem where academics, research,
innovation, and social impact work together. Professionally, I aspire to
further strengthen my role as an educator–researcher by contributing to sustainable
infrastructure development, climate-resilient water systems, waste-to-resource
technologies, and advanced surveying applications that address real societal
challenges.
I envision developing the institutions and
initiatives I have built into centers of excellence for sustainability and
applied engineering, where students, researchers, and practitioners
collaboratively work on real-world problems. My aim is to institutionalize
community-focused projects—such as water conservation, rainwater harvesting,
and rural infrastructure development—so they become structured learning and
research platforms rather than isolated efforts.
On the social front, I see my environmental
initiatives evolving into scalable models for community engagement, capacity
building, and technical guidance, particularly in water conservation and
environmentally responsible construction. I also aim to expand student
involvement, ensuring that every learner gains meaningful field exposure,
ethical grounding, and problem-solving experience before entering professional
practice.
Ultimately, my vision is to mentor future
engineers who are technically sound, environmentally conscious, and socially
responsible, while ensuring that the knowledge, systems, and institutions I
help build continue to create lasting impact well beyond my individual
contributions.
7.What key advice would you give young
Indians aspiring to make an impact in engineering, academia, or social work
My key advice to young Indians aspiring to
make an impact in engineering, academia, or social work is to build strong
fundamentals, remain curious, and commit to lifelong learning. Technical
knowledge is important, but true impact comes from the ability to apply that
knowledge ethically and practically to real societal problems.
I strongly encourage young professionals to
connect classroom learning with ground realities—through fieldwork, research,
innovation, and community engagement. Develop interdisciplinary skills, embrace
emerging technologies, and at the same time, remain rooted in human values and
social responsibility.
Most
importantly, choose a path driven by purpose rather than quick recognition.
When expertise is combined with integrity, perseverance, and service to
society, meaningful impact follows naturally—both professionally and
personally.
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