Cultural expectations surrounding the elderly are being challenged today, and with good reason!
While it was the norm to slow down and retreat into a quieter life post-retirement, more men and women are finding purpose and joy in doing the opposite.
WisdomCircle honours such men and women by shining light on their journey through an inspiring series called “Wisdom Stories”. These people have successfully smashed stereotypes, and their stories remind us that life should be lived to the fullest, no matter what age or stage.
I was born in Madhepura, a small town in Bihar. My father was exceptionally intelligent with mystifying math skills but became a victim to our family tradition of running a business. I was deeply inspired by him and grew to love mathematics. A lot of what happened to me is divine intervention. My father decided to live his own dream in me by supporting my higher education and discouraging my business involvement.
As we did not have electricity, I studied under the lantern right through school, which was a modest Hindi medium institution. Mr. Bhuvaneshwari Prasad Mandal was the principal and an English scholar. He saw something in me that even I did not and personally tutored me to make me proficient in English. I am deeply indebted to his vision and generosity.
In 8th Grade, I wrote a solutions manual for advanced mathematics (in candlelight, no less!). However, the publisher wasn’t sold on the idea as I was a mere student. This disappointment fueled my passion to be a published author one day.
I appeared for IIT entrance exams without much thought or preparation and was delighted to get through IIT Kanpur, the biggest turning point in my life. Professor Suhas Patankar, who taught fluid mechanics and heat transfer, sparked my lifelong interest in this area, gaining a deep understanding of complex concepts and eventually earning a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
I joined DRDL Hyderabad and played a lead role in developing a liquid rocket engine, which is currently used in Prithvi Missile. Upon joining the team, I developed a Fortran program that reduced the time of rocket cooling analysis (hitherto performed manually) from a month to less than a day.
I did my master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras while at DRDL. I developed a rapport with Professor VMK Sastri, who recommended that I do my PhD in the US. I took the decision to travel when my daughter was 3 and my son was 15 days old. My wife, who deserves rich credit for our journey together, held the fort while I navigated the next steps. This transformative decision led me to three decades in the gas turbine industry in the US, where I worked in and led technical teams at several organizations, including Allison Gas Turbines (now Rolls-Royce), GE Aircraft Engines (now GE Aerospace), GE Power Generation (now GE Vernova), and Siemens Energy.
A common thread in my career success was to question status-quo. I wanted to make a difference with my knowledge by solving complex problems in a creative manner. At GE, I first learned a lot about gas turbine heat transfer and secondary air system design methods and tools that have been used for over fifty years. With the full support and encouragement of my manager (Mr. Ernest Elovic) and Chief Engineer (Mr. Larry Plemmons), I changed them into physics-based methodologies and developed several critical design tools, widely used till date. I remain grateful to Mr. Alan Walker, who supported my GE-sponsored Executive MBA program at the Lally School of Management and Technology.
As a firm believer in simplicity and humility, I focus my energy on trying to improve the lives of people around me. Those who constantly focus on their own happiness are often rather unhappy.
I was an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida, where I taught graduate-level courses in turbomachinery and fluid mechanics for 10 years both before and after my retirement. With the publication of my first book Fluid Mechanics: An Intermediate Approach in 2015, I finally realized my childhood dream, including Gas Turbines: Internal Flow Systems Modeling (2018); Logan’s Turbomachinery: Flowpath Design and Performance Fundamentals (2019) and Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery: Problems and Solutions (2021), and others.
After I retired, I founded Takaniki Communications, LLC, providing high-impact technical training programs for corporate engineering teams. Today my wife Bimla and I live an active life centered around purpose, family, health and community. I enjoy cooking, a skill that has come handy to win over my wife many times. I continue to write, the latest textbook being published on 27 January 2025 on graduate-level fluid mechanics.
God has charted out a beautiful life for me, and I will continue to show my gratitude by giving back.
– Bijay K. Sultanian
