Decades before India made a name for itself in the field of education, the tiny princely State of Travancore aimed high in higher education and even made an unsuccessful bid to enlist the services of great physicist Albert Einstein as Vice-Chancellor of its fledgling university for a monthly pay of Rs. 6,000.
The Nobel prize winning scientist, considered the founder of modern physics and one who developed the theory of general relativity, politely declined the invitation saying he wanted to join Princeton University in the United States.
Set up in 1937, Travancore University was renamed University of Kerala later, and is planning year-long celebrations to mark its Platinum Jubilee this year.
