SCIENCEIS RECIPROCATING

"When you wish upon a star,

Makes nodifference who youare
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you"
Iam delighted to participate in the 14th Convocation of IT Guwahati. I
congratulate the graduating students for their academic performance and the
faculty members for shaping the young minds. My greetings to all of you. Iam
happy that IIT Guwahati has been empowering the students with quality technical
knowledge, skill and ability and inculcates in them the right attitude and holistic
values. Dear friends, today I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the
topic "Science is reciprocating".
Important Technological Achievements in 2012
As youare aware, the nation is going through a difficult economic situation due
to the international economic ambience. In spite of this, India has the potential to
come out of this difficult situation because of its inherent strength. They are;
purchasing power of 400 million citizens in the middle class category and 600
million youth who are willing to take up challenging missions. In this connection,
we can see how during the last few months, we have succeeded in realizing major
technological milestones. The scientists and technologists of Defence Research
and Development Organization have successfully launched the Agni system with
5000 kms range. Agni missile system has world-class control and guidance system
and advanced composite technologies and a robust multistage propulsion system.
The second technological achievement is the design and development of RISAT
with indigenous technologies and launched by well-proven Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (19). Ihad an opportunity to see the high-resolution RISAT pictures. The
third event is the first flight of the Naval Light Combat Aircraft, which has been
built with unique technologies needed for take-off and landing in an aircraft
carrier. In the health sector, recently we had a break through in the development,
production and deployment of drug for treatment of Malaria in a shorter time and
shorter dosage by Ranbaxy, in partnership with Department of Science and
Technology.Our agriculture farmers and scientists indeed have worked hard and
had produced a record 250 million tons of food grains this year which is 18 million
tones more than last year. All this has been accomplished as national mission by
our scientists, technologists, technicians, farmers and researchers. Iam sure; the
graduating students from IIT Guwahati will set more challenging goals to be
achieved by our scientific research and production organizations.
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Convergence of Technologies
The information technology and communication technology have already
converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Information Technology combined with biotechnology has led to bio-informatics.
Similarly, Photonics is grown out from the labs to converge with classical
Electronics and Microelectronics to bring in new high speed options in consumer
products. Flexible and unbreakable displays using thin layer of film on transparent
polymers have emerged as new symbols of entertainment and media tools. Now,
nanotechnology has come in. It is the field of the future that will replace
microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the
areas of medicine, electronics and material science.
When Nano technology and ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics,
photonics are born and it can be said that material convergence willhappen. With
material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent
Bioscience will be born which would lead to a disease free, happy and more
intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities.
Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to the development of nano
robots.
Nano robots when they are injected into apatient, my expert friends say, it
will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then
the nano-robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product. Isaw the product
sample in one of the labs in South Korea where best of minds with multiple
technology work with a target of finding out of the bOx solution.
Science is reciprocating: Let me give an example. Recently, Iwas in the
Harvard University where Ivisited laboratories of many eminent professors from
the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Irecall, how Professor
Hongkun Park, showed me his invention of nano needles, which can pierce and
deliver content into individual targeted cells. That's how nano particle sciences is
shaping the bio sciences. Then I met Professor Vinod Manoharan, who showed on
the other hand bio sciences are in turn shaping nano material science as well. He is
using DNA material to design self assembling particles. When particular type of
DNA is applied on a particle at the atomic level, he is able to generate a prefixed
behavior and automatic assembly from them. This could be our answer to self
assembly of devices and colonies in deep space without human intervention as
envisioned by Dr KErik Drexler. Thus, within a single research building, Isaw how
two different sciences are shaping each other without any iron curtain between
the technologists. This reciprocating contribution of sciences to one another is
going to shape our future and industry needs to be ready for it. Friends are you
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ready to bring down the iron curtain existing between various technological
groups.
Now, a new trend is emerging. The aspect being introduced is that of
Ecology. Globally, the demand is shifting towards development of sustainable
systems which are technologicaly superior. This is the new dimension of the 21*
century knowledge society, where science, technology and environment will have
to go together. Thus, the new age model would be a four dimensional bio-nano
info-eco based. Iam sure the education system in IIT Guwahati is concentrating to
build the curriculum which will emphasis the convergence of technologies and
remove the inter-disciplinary barriers.
Friends, during my education,an important milestone was the final year
project. Iwould like to narrate the technique used by my professor to inject
necessity in completing our task in time.
Learning integrated system design
Iwas assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with
six other colleagues. I was given the responsibility of system design and system
integration by integrating the team members. Also, I was responsible for
aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five of my team took
up the design of propulsion, control,guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the
aircraft. My design teacher Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, was our
guide. He reviewed the project and declared my work to be gloomy and
disappointing. He didn't lend an ear to my difficulties in bringing together data
base from multiple designers. Iasked for a month's time to complete the task, since
Ihad to get the inputs from five of my colleagues without which Icannot complete
the system design. Prof. Srinivasan told me "Look, young man, today is Friday
afternoon. Igive you three days time. By Monday morning, if I don't get the
configuration design, your scholarship will be stopped." I had a jolt in my life, as
scholarship was my lifeline, without which I cannot continue with my studies.
There was no other way out but to finish the task. My team felt the need for
working together round the clock. We didn't sleep that night, working on the
drawing board skipping our dinner. On Saturday, Itook just an hour's break. On
Sunday morning, I was near completion, when Ifelt someone's presence in my
laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying my progress. After looking at my work,
he patted and hugged me affectionately. He had words of appreciation: "I knew I
was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You
have done greatjob in system design".
Through this review mechanism Prof Srinivasan, really injected the
necessity of understanding the value of time by each team member and brought
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out engineering education has to lead system design, system integration and
system management. Irealized that if something is at stake, the human minds get
ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. That's what exactly
happened. This is one of the techniques of building talent. The message is that
young in the organization, whatever is their specialization, be trained to systems
approach and projects, which will prepare them for new products, innovation and
undertaking higher organizational responsibilities.
Friends, you should get ready to acquire knowledge in an integrated way
for using multiple disciplines towards product development and its management,
right from the undergraduate engineering programme. Iam sure lIT Guwahati is
facilitating such inter-disciplinary projects experience to all the students. The
programme on entrepreneurship generation, hydropower, making north eastern
states carbon neutral can all become inter-disciplinary projects for future batches.
Now, let me describe my visualization of the distinctive profile of India by 2020.
Distinctive Profile of India by 2020
1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line.
2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to
energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in
symphony.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious
candidates because of societal or economic discrimination.
5. A Nation, which is the best destination for the most talented scholars,
scientists, and investors.
6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
7. ANation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.
8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and
crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels
alienated.
9 ANation that is prosperous, healthy,secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful and
happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership.

Integrated Action for developed India

To achieve the distinctive profile of India, we have the mission of
transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where
India has a core competence for integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food
processing (2) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport and
Infrastructure for all parts of the country. (3) Education and Healthcare (4)
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Information and Communication Technology (5) Self-reliance in critical
technologies. These five areas are closely inter-related and if progressed in a
coordinated way, will lead to food, economic and national security.
PURA asa sustainable development system
One of the key requirements towards achieving the distinctive profile of
the nation would be the creation of sustainable enterprise driven models at the
rural levels. One such system which Isuggest is PURA (Providing Urban Amenities
in Rural Areas). It is the creation of Physical, Electronic, Knowledge connectivities
leading to the Economic Connectivity of the rural region. With this combined and
planned intervention of infrastructure, digital technology, information and
enterprise, we can select a cluster of about 20 to 50 villages, which share core
competencies and empower those using local enterprises. I would like to suggest
here, that the IIT Guwahati may like to pursue the implementation of one such
PURA Complex covering around 50 to 100 villages on the outskirts of Guwahati
utilizing the potential of the youth of ITG PURA institutions. This PURA will be
called as ITG PURA which would empower local villages in this region. IITG PURA
will facilitate faculty, Students an intensive programme in societal transformation
entrepreneurship.
Employment generation through entrepreneurship
In present context, the education system has to be designed to see that
we generate large number of employment generators and not employment
seekers. For this, a three pronged strategy is needed to make education more
attractive, make it skill imparting and simultaneously create employment potential
- how do we do that?
Firstly, the educational system should highlight the importance of
entrepreneurship and prepare the students to get oriented towards setting up of
enterprises which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate
wealth. Diversity of skills, ability to handle difficult situations and sheer
perseverance in work makes an entrepreneur. It should be taught to all the
students. The T curriculum should emphasis on the importance of
entrepreneurship so that some of the students after graduation can create their
own industries which will provide large scale employment to skilled and semi
skilled technicians.
Secondly, the banking system should provide venture capital to the
graduates who have the aptitude and keenness to create their own new
enterprises. When Istudied the performance of ICICI Venture,Ifound few
entrepreneurs have increased their profitability many times in less than seven
years generating thousands of direct jobs and tens of thousands of indirect jobs.
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We need a large number of such venture capital institutions who can share the risk
and promote entrepreneurs, especially with the investment in micro financing
band. The IIT placement services can bring out the success stories in the form of
document highlighting venture capital funding and employment generation
opportunities across the nation and the world.
Thirdly, entrepreneurs have to produce the competitive products for
becomingsuccessful in their missions. The IT Curriculum should provide market
research support for selection of right products and hold the hand of the
entrepreneur during the incubation period till they can stand on their own legs. IT
Technology Incubation Centre can also enrich the product of the enterprise through
feed back of research results.

Conclusion
Finally, Iwould like to ask you, what would you like to be remembered for?
You have to evolve yourself and shape your life. You should write it on a page. That
page may be a very important page in the book of human history. And you will be
remembered for creating that one page in the history of the nation - whether that
page is the page of invention, the page of innovation or the page of discovery or
the page of creating societal change or a page of removing the poverty or the page
of fighting injustice or planning and executing mission of networking of rivers.
l am sure, you would like to do something different- out ofbox missions, what
are they?
1 Willyou be remembered for a visionary action for the nation, like Prof. Vikram
Sarabhai or Homi Bhabha, Prof Satish Dhawan or Dr.DS Kothari in the field of
space science, nuclear science and Defence Science?
2 Will you be remembered for introducing new industrial system product, which
represents a convergence of technologies for low cost high efficiency products like
bionic eye?
3 Will yoube remembered for creating a company which finds a place in the top 100
of the Fortune 500 companies from India?
4 Willyou be remembered for facilitating the creation of PURA Complexes (Providing
Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) in the neighbourhood ofyour work place?
5 Willyou be remembered for working and creating a validated system for the
production of 340 million tonnes of food grains and value addition through food
processing by the year 2020?
6 Will you be remembered for modernization of SME's through application of new
technology and innovation?
7 Will you be remembered asadiscoverer or inventor of new phenomena in basic
sCiences?

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 Will you be remembered for promoting energy independence for the nation
through the development of renewable energy system?
9 Will you be remembered for the action oriented "Clean home, clean
environment, clean state and clean nation"
10 Will you be remembered for evolving for smart waterway for the whole country,
linking the major rivers?
Once again, let me congratulate all the graduating students. My best
wishes to all the members of IT Guwahati for success in the mission of developing
quality technological human resource for the nation.
May God bless you.
Oath for Graduating Students
1. Engineering and Technology is a life time mission. Iwill work, work and work
and succeed.
2. Wherever Iam, a thought will always come to my mind. That is what process
or productI can innovate, invent or discover.
3. Iwill always remember that "Let not my winged days, be spent in vain".
4. Irealize Ihave to set a great technological goal that will lead me to think high,
work and persevere to realize the goal.
5. My greatest friends will be great scientific and technological minds, good
teachers and good books.
6. Ifirmly believe that no problem can defeat me; I will become the captain of
the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.
7 Iwill work and work for removing the problems faced by planet earth in the
areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management and enironment through
the application of engineering and technology.
8. I will work for making the city or town, where Iwork as a carbon neutral city or
town.

9. My National Flag flies in my heart and Iwill bring glory to my nation.

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