Engineering the Future

The man responsible for telecommunication revolution in the country, Sam Pitroda, was in the city last week to talk on his pet topic – predictions about the future. A man who dreamt big and in great detail to ensure that remote areas of the country get phone connectivity.

Pitroda, during his talk, spoke about the days of the rotary dial systems (when calls dropped every three minutes), about how one had to book a lightning call in order to be able to talk, and of a time when phone calls were very expensive and it took years to book a phone. In sharp contrast, he dreamt of quick, cheap and reliable connectivity for one and all. He reminisced about how every time he travelled on a flight, he would be stopped to sign a telephone grant, how people would do homework to find out when he is travelling and board the same flight so as to have him sign for their telephone connection. Telephone was akin to a licence and all political leaders had a restricted number of telephone connections to sanction in their constituencies. Most of them collected party funds in lieu of them! But even such high-level connections would take three months to become operational.

One would imagine that a man with such vision, an inventor considered a policymaker for India, would have a smooth ride. But when political equations changed, Pitroda realised that he would need some economic sustainability to get on with his future. Sam Pitroda today has 100 patents to his credit. His faith in patents, perhaps, grew when he returned from the US to restart his life here.

He had found out  that all major US companies were using digital diaries – a product that he has once filed a patent for. He sued all of them. These made headway in lower courts, which eventually led to companies offering an out-of-court settlement. Pitroda believes that biotechnology will revolutionise the coming decade. He talks about hybrid fruits and how biotech will lead to longer lifespan. Organ replacements, too, will be common just like we have with automobiles today.

If he is anything to go by, this prediction might just come true. He has had two quad bypass surgeries and has survived cancer. Today at 71, he is hale and hearty, leading a full life like a modern-day executive. Catching a flight at 5am, talking to students, attending inaugurations, visiting universities and attending business dinners… All in a day’s work.

Today, his work with the knowledge commission and networking of universities is much talked about, but his role in telecom revolution is so immense and significant that it has resulted in India being one of the largest markets in the world for cellphones.

For Pitroda to top that performance perhaps will be his biggest competition.

The writer is  an entrepreneur and an educationist