Prof Bhat is a civil engineer by education and further trained under Ford Foundation and Queen Elizabeth fellowship in Corporate Management specializing in Public Policy and Development Strategies.

He Researched, Taught, and Consulted while working as Professor at Administrative Staff College of India, Institute of Public Enterprises, Osmania University, Hyderabad for over 4 decades and was visiting Fellow in the UK.

After retirement in 1998, he settled in Bengaluru with his wife leading an active life as an activist, social and environmental entrepreneur. He is pursuing his cherished dream of sculpturing ecological architecture through not-for-profit organizations. Rejuvenation of the dying Sarakki Lake in association with like-minded people has been his pet project during the past 10 years.