“As I lived it” by Pramode Verma: A Book Review

This is an autobiography of a pioneering telecom engineer, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science, and of the Indian Telecommunication Service (ITS), earlier known as the Telegraph Engineering Service. Interest in great ideas in telecom, particularly that of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) and Digitalization of telephone networks, took him to universities in Canada and USA and to a job at the Bell Labs of AT&T before the days of the breakup of AT&T. Careful career planning, and the employee-friendly practices of Bell Labs made sure that he could earn a Management Degree from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Pramode Verma continued working with new ideas all through his career – adding to his interests computer networks and the use of techniques based on quantum theory to provide secure communication. He created a Telecommunication Program at the Tulsa campus of the University of Oklahoma, and ran it till his retirement at about the age of 75.

This book is his autobiography beginning with his birth in rural Bihar. He had decided to arrive while his parents were traveling from Salehpur to Bettiah on a bullock cart with a canopy on top. The book covers a lot: growing up in the towns and cities of Bihar, engineering education at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, acing the TES examination, working with PCM, moving to Canada and then to the U.S. Any professional of Indian origin who lived through the second half of the twentieth century would find a lot in common with Pramode and his experience: tremendous growth in technology, new ideas and new technology, new opportunities, the exhilarating experience of spending some time abroad, preservation of family bonds and family values, the warmth of the Indian communities everywhere, seeing children and grandchildren grow up to match or surpass oneself!

It is a common belief that all engineers are poor writers. Pramode Verma is an excellent counterexample. His autobiography reads very well. He is socially very sensitive, and his values are very modern. His wife, Gita is given full credit for her abilities as a working professional, an able mother, and an able support to Pramode Verma as he deals with a demanding career.   

The author has travelled widely and his comments on life in the Soviet Union and China in the eighties are interesting. His comments on life in India are particularly interesting to Indian readers. His comments on people he has worked with, organizations he has worked for, and the hotels he has stayed in, etc., are insightful and relevant to every manager.

I read the Kindle edition of the book.

Srinivasan Ramani
14-Jun-2022

Kris Gopalakrishnan’s gift for the creation of a Centre for Brain Research

Kris Gopalakrishnan’s gift of Rs 225 Crores (say about US$35 million) for the creation of a Centre for Brain Research is an important development in India. Not merely because some of the profits from a technology based industry are made available for advanced research, but also because of the excellent choice of the subject. There are many in this country who can throw money at some field or the other of their choice, but few have the penetrating vision that selects the science whose time has come. Naturally, a philanthropist would be guided by advisors in making such a choice.  If this decision was steered by his advisors, I must congratulate Kris Gopalakrishnan for having chosen obviously excellent advisors. The choice of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) as a partner in this effort is also a very good choice. The fact that IISc has already invested in a Centre for Neuroscience is a promising indication of IISc’s interests and capabilities.

Better understanding of the nature of knowledge and information, and understanding the brain that understands all that, – these are two big challenges in front of humanity today. Investing on these is the privilege of visionaries. The decision will have a significant impact on the scientific and economic future of India.

There is yet another reason why Gopalakrishnan’s contribution is very important; it demonstrates that there are Indians willing to make significantly large donations to promote education and research without looking for a profit. It is a common to see some panelist or other on TV discussions argue for the idea that education should be as open a sector as selling any other commodity or service! There is a profit motive in mind of the companies that sell their products and services, right? Why don’t you let them sell education as well? I think that such an argument is foolish.

I believe that private organizations should be free to provide educational services. However, if they are to confer degrees and qualify for tax-exemption, they should be not-for-profit institutions. I am sure that India has a large enough body of donors, who over the years would endow a thousand universities. They will structure these institutions such that they will administer themselves, and keep out the corrupt and the incompetent. Society should ensure that educational institutions should meet high standards and are managed in academic matters by their own faculties with the cooperation of a small set of eminent persons of high standing. That an institution should have high standards surely does not mean that it should obey every little instruction coming from the Govt. It is possible to create and run accreditation mechanisms that are free of exploitation or micro-management by Govt.

Equally, Society should allow contributions to universities at different stages of development to be deducted from the income tax of the contributor, as long as it is below a certain (say 50%) percentage of the total income tax payable by him that year. 

History shows that private donors have played a great role over the centuries in creating universities of great reputation. India needs to make sure that Indian donors are not turned away from doing great service to society by mindless control of politicians and bureaucrats.

Srinivasan Ramani