Everyone who has come to this mortal world has to leave it one day but only few leave this world with distinguishable and remember able deeds and Prof. Hira is one of such personality who left this world on 01.02.2022 after doing a great service to overall academic fraternity in general and for Punjab in particular. He will always be in the hearts of people, students and colleagues who have been associated with this honest, hardworking and thorough gentleman.

As Prof. Hira was  a great motivator to his students ever since he took to teaching profession. Prof. Hira left his distinguished mark of presence in various capacities as teacher and academic administrator of different academic institutions and academic societies. Prof. Dilbagh Singh Hira, obtained his primary education from the village school and walked a distance of around 10 KM daily for matriculation, where he topped the list of successful candidates of his school. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College of Punjab University, he joined as Assistant Prof. in the same college. He took study leave from the college and obtained Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh and then earned Ph. D from University of Roorkee. He remained in teaching profession throughout and has served in various positions like Asstt. Prof, Assoc. Prof and Professor in Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana; as Principal of Giani Zail Singh Engineering College, Bathinda; as Dean Academic Affairs, Sant Longowal Institute of Technology, Longowal, Director-Principal Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib and Director of SUS Group of Institutions, Tangori. He also served as Vice Chancellor Guru Kashi University Talwandi Sabo.

He has been actively participating in the management of various Universities and has worked on a large number of administrative and academic bodies. While he was the Member of the first Board of Governors of Punjab Technical University, he also remained the Member of the Board of Governors, SLIET, Longowal and of TIET, Patiala and was AICTE nominee on Governing Body of Guru Ram Das Khalsa Institute of Science & Engineering, New Delhi. Dr. Hira has worked as Dean, Faculty of Engineering of Punjabi University Patiala and of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. He was a member of the Academic Council of Punjab Technical University, Faculty of Engineering of Punjab University and of Punjabi University for a number of years. Under his stewardship SUS won ISTE Best Chapter Award, ISTE Best Students Chapter Awards, while BBSB Engineering College won the Best Performing Engineering College of the Country award. In recognition of his services in the field of Technical Education, ISTE has conferred on him the coveted Honorary Fellowship of the Society.

Dr. Hira took keen interest in professional activities and was elected three times, from the Punjab, Himachal, J&K and Chandigarh section, as member of National Executive Council of Indian Society for Technical Education. He was elected as Senior Vice President of ISTE for the term 2009 to 2012. He also remained as the Chairman of the Punjab, Himachal, J&K and Chandigarh section of ISTE. He was Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, India; Life member of many professional bodies like the Indian Society for Technical Education, Punjab Science Congress and System Society of India.

Dr. Hira has published more than 50 research papers in National and International journals and conferences and has guided a large number of scholars for their M.Tech. Thesis. He has attended a large number of International Conferences and has visited Australia, England, Scotland, Thailand, Singapore, China and Nepal in connection with academic activities. Prof. Hira was among the first few to apply the Computer simulation technique for the analysis of manufacturing systems. 'Operations Research' and 'System Simulation' are his fields of interest and he has published 5 books on these subjects which are being prescribed as text books to students of Engineering and Management, in a large number of Universities in many countries. Thus, Prof. D.S. Hira will always be remembered as a distinguished academician and academic administrator. Author has the opportunity to work with Prof. Hira during his tenure as Dean Academic Affairs at SLIET Longowal.