Great men leave a mark in terms of leadership in technologies, Institutions built and people led

That KPP Nambiar led on all fronts is not an accident . It is because of a single minded pursuit , some may call it ruthless pursuit of goals he himself set !

There are shining examples of institutions built very much valid in those times and some of them making mark internationally. His initiatives are wide ranging from the Super computing initiative of CDAC to the materials technology initiative through CMET along with ER&DCs set up in the four corners of the country.

The Technopark which celebrated its silver jubilee is an example of how Mr Nambiar crafted every opinion towards the goal by organizing a conference and presenting a case to Govt. to implement , making it even easier Govt. to cross political barriers that confound every project !

The CDAC initiative of Mr Nambiar , under Dr Bhatkar with a core team built out of ER&DC achieved the goals set and has spread its wings far and wide.

Probably the earliest R&D initiative while setting up KELTRON was ER&DC Trivandrum. Even today albeit with a different name ER&DC is a standing example of excellence which Nambiar brought to his initiatives.

My own interaction with him started when he took over as the Chairman and Managing director of ITI. Though I was part of Naini away from Hq , the very first visit where he spent considerable time knowing what we did and what we were planning to do , gave me a chance to interact with him closely . Being in R&D with the pedigree of a PhD , Indian Institute of Science background and an added beard a la a Keralite surely must have helped ! So when ITI looked for a replacement of the outgoing Senior DOT officer Muthuswamy , the choice fell on me ! It was an opportunity and challenge that meant a lot of learnings for me.

Mr Nambiar moved on very quickly from ITI to GOI as Secretary of Dept. of Electronics. Again when DOE was taking over ER&DC TVM as a DOE entity and were looking for Director the choice fell on me. For a lot of people the presence of a very senior Technologist /leader looking over their shoulder could be pretty disconcerting. Fortunately for me I was totally free of those concerns or interference. The most remarkable part was the trust he placed without a quid pro quo !

That is the sign of great men .

When they lead, the persons who work along them feel empowered by the trust so reposed ! When they lead they allow the people to flower their own way !

As with all great men there was a blind spot. That was CDOT, a great institution.

But he remains a true great son of Kerala, a true technologist who believed in doing things, and a hero to many whose lives he touched. The institutions he built remain there for all to see !

|| om tat sat ||

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