Did you know Einstein was offered post of Travancore varsity Vice-Chancellor???

Surprised right???? Yeaaaa you read it right!!! Long ago before India was leasing in the education sector, the tiny princely state of Travancore aimed higher than thought and even tried to hire great physicist Albert Einstein as Vice-Chancellor of its flourishing university, now one of the best for a monthly pay of Rs. 6,000.

The great physicist with all his humbleness and good-natured declined the offer saying he wanted to join Princeton University in the United States.

Travancore University was setup in 1937 and was renamed as University of Kerala in 1957.

In the history of the University, authored by late historian, Prof. A Sreedhara Menon, he mentions that asking for Einstein's help was the then Diwan (Prime Minister) of Travancore Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar's idea. Sir C.P. thought the prestige and status of the university would get elevated if a great scientist like Einstein agreed to head it and he advised the reigning prince, Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma, the last Maharaja of Travancore, to invite Einstein for the post.