By Kritagya Regmi
Long before smartphones, social media, and streaming platforms became part of everyday life, student life at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) had its own rhythm.
Every week, students gathered in the auditorium for movie nights, sports, music, and conversations that often stretched late into the evening.
For Dr. K. E. Seetha Ram, who came to AIT from India in the mid-1980s to pursue his Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Management, those moments are amongst his most vivid memories.
“AIT was like a mini United Nations,” he recalled.
It was a place where students did not only study together. They lived together, learned from one another, built friendships, and developed a wider view of the world.
Dr. Seetha Ram graduated from AIT in 1986 as the Most Outstanding Student, beginning a journey that would later take him across Asia and beyond through leadership roles in development, infrastructure, transportation, and public policy.
Today, he is an internationally recognized development professional with more than three decades of experience at institutions including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is concurrently a Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Visiting Professor at The University of Tokyo and Special Advisor to East Japan Railway Company for the India High Speed Rail. His work has contributed significantly to infrastructure development, transportation systems, water policy, and sustainable development across Asia and beyond. He is also a Fellow of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Tokyo and an Associate Member of The Club of Rome.
When reflecting on his journey, he told me many of the foundations were built at AIT.
A Campus That Opened the World
When Dr. Seetha Ram first arrived at AIT, what struck him most was the diversity of the campus community.
“At that time, AIT was one of the leading destinations for higher education in the region,” he said. “We had classmates from Singapore, Japan, Korea, the United States, and many other countries.”
Students and faculty members came from across Asia, Europe, and North America, creating an environment that exposed students to different cultures, perspectives, and ways of thinking.
“AIT gave me confidence,” he says. “We were constantly interacting with people from different countries and backgrounds.”
Those interactions not only broadened his perspective but also created professional networks that lasted long after graduation. Many of his classmates later became leaders in government, academia, development organizations, and industry across Asia. Some eventually became colleagues in institutions such as ADB.
“That is the power of AIT,” he said. “It nurtured professional relationships across countries.”
Dr. Seetha Ram studied at AIT on a scholarship funded by the Government of France. He recalls that during that period, nearly all students received full scholarships.
He said “Although it was just 20 months, the memories and friendships at AIT campus have lasted a very long time.”
Unlike many international universities where graduates often settled abroad permanently, Dr. Seetha Ram believes AIT fostered a different mindset.
“AIT gave us the confidence and responsibility to bring knowledge back to our countries,” he said. “Many graduates returned home and contributed through government, academia, and industry.”
Leadership and Life Before the Internet
Beyond academics, AIT also became an early training ground for leadership.
Dr. Seetha Ram served as Student Union President for two terms. He mentioned that AIT Student Union played a highly active role in campus life. With new students arriving and graduation ceremonies held several times a year under AIT’s trimester system, the campus remained vibrant and dynamic.
The Student Union organized orientation activities, graduation events, cultural programs, movie screenings, and social gatherings that brought the community together.
“It may be hard to imagine now because mobile phones and the internet were not available in those days, how people spent their free time,” he reflects. “But we enjoyed it a lot because everything was in-person without the internet.”
AIT’s residential campus created a close-knit community where students shared classrooms, dormitories, sports facilities, and social spaces that encouraged interaction beyond academics.
“We studied together, played together, and built friendships that have lasted decades,” he said.
His leadership role also gave him opportunities to engage with distinguished international visitors. One of his memorable experiences during this period was witnessing the visit of then United States President Jimmy Carter to AIT in 1987.
AIT also encouraged students to engage directly with institutional leaders and international organizations. During his studies, representatives from ADB visited the campus as part of a young professionals recruitment initiative.
“I remember ADB’s young professionals recruitment team coming to AIT. That was probably the first seed.” he said. “ At that time, I was advised I should gain more experience before applying.”
After graduation, Dr. Seetha Ram briefly worked at the AIT Continuous Education Center with Dr. Nicanor Austriaco and later in the Transportation Engineering Program with Prof. Kazuaki Miyamoto. He later pursued a PhD at The University of Tokyo before embarking on a distinguished international career spanning development finance, infrastructure, transportation, water policy, and sustainable development.
Infrastructure Beyond Engineering
For Dr. Seetha Ram, one of AIT’s most lasting influences was the way it shaped his understanding of infrastructure and development.
“AIT taught me to look at infrastructure not only as engineering, but as a tool for improving people’s lives,” he said.
This systems-oriented perspective later guided much of his work in transportation, water, sanitation, and public policy. Through his experiences at ADB and NUS, he came to see Asia’s development challenges as deeply interconnected.
“Urbanization, climate change, water, sanitation, and infrastructure must be addressed together,” he explains.
He believes solving complex challenges requires collaboration among governments, academia, development institutions, and the private sector.
“We need systems thinking,” he says. “That means combining sound policy, institutional design, finance, and technology.”
As Special Advisor to East Japan Railway Company for India’s high-speed rail initiatives, he sees transportation as more than mobility.
“When planned carefully, high-speed rail can become a catalyst for economic growth, skills development, and sustainable urbanization,” he said.
He also emphasizes the growing importance of mobilizing private finance and philanthropy to support Asia’s infrastructure needs while ensuring public value and inclusion remain protected.
AIT’s Continuing Role in Asia
Reflecting on AIT’s future, Dr. Seetha Ram believes the Institute’s original mission remains highly relevant today.
“AIT was always known for solving real problems,” he said.
He believes institutions like AIT should continue focusing on interdisciplinary education, executive training, practitioner-oriented research, and programs that respond directly to emerging development challenges.
“There are many unsolved problems for which policymakers and practitioners are looking for solutions,” he said. “AIT can contribute through research that is relevant, useful, and valuable.”
According to him, institutions should move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and focus more on frontier challenges that combine technology, policy, sustainability, and development.
He also sees strong value in short-term professional and certificate programs for government officials, technocrats, and practitioners seeking cutting-edge applied knowledge.
“AIT always had the reputation of delivering programs that were closely linked to real-world needs,” he said.
Optimism for Asia’s Future
Despite the scale of climate and development challenges facing the region, Dr. Seetha Ram remains optimistic about Asia’s future.
He pointed to Asia’s strong human capital, growing innovation, and increasing commitment to sustainable development. Beyond economics and technology, he believes Asia’s long civilizational history and philosophical traditions also offer important lessons for the world.
“AIT was not just located in Asia,” he reflects. “It also brought the Asian spirit together.”
For current students and young professionals, his advice is simple: build strong technical skills, remain curious, understand people and institutions, and focus on solutions that improve lives.
Nearly four decades after graduating, Dr. Seetha Ram still sees AIT as an important part of his personal and professional journey – a place that opened doors, built lifelong friendships, shaped values, and strengthened his commitment to Asia’s development.
The memories remain vivid: international classrooms, an active Student Union, friendships across borders, and evenings spent watching movies on a campus that felt, in his words, “like a mini United Nations.”
For him, AIT was more than an academic institution. It was where the foundations of a lifelong journey began.
