Bangalore, Dec 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday paid tribute to M.C. Puri, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi professor who was killed in a terror attack in the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus Dec 29, 2005.

On his first visit to the country's premier institute to inaugurate its centenary celebrations at J.N. Tata Auditorium, the venue where Puri was killed and four people were injured, Singh said the terror attack symbolised the nefarious designs of the enemies of India and its billion-strong people.

'They (terrorists) chose the IISc as their target because this great institution and this vibrant city have come to represent the spirit of a resurgent India,' Singh told about 1,000 scientists, research scholars and students on the centenary occasion.

'No coward, no terrorist, no enemy of our secular and democratic republic will ever succeed in destroying the unity of our country, the journey of our people towards a better life and the spirit of nation,' he declared.

Recalling the genesis of the institute, the prime minister said though the IISc was born in the cradle of the country's national movement, it had become a symbol of a new India's search for a new destiny, as a modern economy and a knowledge-based society.

'I salute the memory of all those great scientists and patriots who built and ran this great institution,' Singh said in his 20-minute address.

Expressing a special debt of gratitude to the institute's founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the prime minister hoped the present business leaders would derive inspiration from the great visionary to invest more in constructive philanthropy with which the institute was established way back in 1909.

'Jamsetji Tata used the term constructive philanthropy to distinguish it from ordinary charity. Though charity is equally important, it could not contribute to nation-building. Jamsetji believed that industry and science would serve as two pillars of the modern Indian nation. Like a true pioneer, he contributed to the growth of both,' Singh pointed out.

Terming the completion of 100 years a major milestone in the history of any institution, the prime minister said the IISc was the most visible symbol of India's presence in the arena of basic research in science and engineering.

'On every count, the institute has served the nation admirably,' he added, drawing a thunderous applause from the jam-packed auditorium.