Dr. A.S.Rao:the father of Indian etectronics industry

PTI FEATURE PEOPLE/ PF-171/2006

VOL No XXII(43)-2006 October 28, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. A. S. Rao: the father of Indian electronics industry

By K.S.Parthasarathy

“If, with all the science and technology at our command and all the bright minds that this country can boast of, we are not in a position to provide a full meal a day for the hundreds of millions of people in this country, supply clothing of any kind to cover themselves with decency or offer shelter to live in dignity, we, the scientists and engineers forming the intellectual core of the society have as much blame to share”.

In 1990, Dr A.S.Rao, who is known as the father of electronics industry in India reminded the participants of the Fifth National Convocation of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineers at New Delhi. His anguished words were a reflection of his own personal experience.

Dr.Ayyagiri Sambasiva Rao was born on September 20, 1914 at Mogallu West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. “Our family was quite poor and it was difficult to provide an environment when we could even eat well, leave alone study and come up”, he remembered later.On October 31 this year, we will be observing the third death anniversary of Dr Rao.

After his B.Sc, he went to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to pursue his M. Sc. studies “neither for money nor for a better job but for the sheer excitement and satisfaction of getting university education”

Short of funds, he returned to Rajamundri to attend a B.Ed degree course. Later, he managed to get a scholarship at BHU. He applied for admission to Stanford University. A letter of recommendation from Dr.S.Radhakrishnan the then Vice Chancellor of BHU and a letter of admission from Professor Skilling enabled him to secure a loan of Rs.7000/- and a gift of Rs.5000/- from the Tata Endowment.

He could depart only after a delay of 9 months as he had difficulty to get a berth due to war. He could join the university only during the second quarter. By then, the war was over. Government offered priority to veterans for admission and financial aid.

Prof. Skilling could not give him the promised funds. Based on a good report on his progress from the Professor, Tata Endowment granted another Rs.4000/-.Rao got the ‘Degree of Engineer’ from the Leland Stanford Junior University on June 15, 1947.

On his return from USA, he met Dr.Homi Bhabha who asked him to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) to assist him in his cosmic ray related project.

Rao, Raja Ramanna, Singhvi and N B Prasad under the able guidance of Dr Bhabha designed and constructed APSARA, a swimming pool reactor at Trombay on August 4, 1956 within 12 months of starting the project. In the project, Dr Rao was responsible for electronics, control systems and health physics.

Later, the Electronics Division of the Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay completed the installation and commissioning of control systems for CIRUS and Zerlina reactors under his guidance.

They designed and fabricated radiation monitors, computers, TV receivers, ultrasonic flaw detectors, various electronic circuits and components, semiconductors, ceramics, carbon and metal film detectors etc.

In 1963, in the aftermath of the Chinese war, Government set up a national committee on electronics with Dr Bhabha as its Chairman and Drs A S Rao, Vikram Sarabhai, S Bhagavantham as members to take stock of existing status of electronics in the country, assess its potential and to prepare a 10 year master plan.

Bhabha Committee report, for which Dr Rao was the Chief Draughtsman, became a blue print for the development of electronics in India.

In 1967, the Government set up the Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL) to convert R & D products into production. Under Dr Rao’s leadership, ECIL grew from strength to strength. Dr.Rao and his team never looked back. The Nation honoured him with Padma Bhushan.

In a commemorative volume published by ECIL on April 11, 2004 (Founder’s Day, ECIL), his colleagues, associates and friends paid glowing tributes to his contributions. Most of them wrote on his role to make the country self reliant in electronics.

They called him one of the pioneers who laid the foundation of Indian nuclear programme, the architect of Bhabha committee report, a man of quiet charm and dignity, an extraordinary individual who could never be ruffled and angered, a dedicated and brilliant scientist, honest to the core and above all a humanist, a man of utter simplicity, an outstanding example of plain living and high thinking,

A close associate recalls that while on the Board of Directors of KELTRON, he preferred to travel by train to Trivandrum in spite of KELTRON’s request that he may travel by air!

Another colleague reveals that he was a real communist at heart; Dr Rao did not believe in God. Dr Rao knew the dignity of labour; an associate recollects that he won a dish washing competition, when he was in USA!

His hallmark dress; white pant, white shirt, red tie and cream colour jacket left an indelible impression on every one. Though he became a total recluse after retirement, many of his associates ran to him for guidance ignoring the “No Visitors” board at his residence. They always found a friend, philosopher and guide in him.

PTI Feature

[Dr. K.S. Parthasarathy is former Secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Mumbai]