Sam Pitroda

Sam PitrodaFamous As Entrepreneur, Policy Maker and Inventor Born On 4 May 1942 Born In Titlagarh, Orissa, India Nationality Indian

Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda a.k.a Sam Pitroda, the telephone maverick who revolutionized the state of telecommunications in India, is indeed a name to reckon with. Yes, it was mainly because of the efforts of this inventor, technocrat, and social thinker that telecom revolution started in India. Better feted as "The father of India's communication revolution," his contributions in the domain of telecommunications not just in India but globally, have been gargantuan. With his groundbreaking innovations and novel visions, he introduced many revolutionary ideas that changed the face of telecommunication and information technology. Along with being a pioneer in telecom, Sam Pitroda has made strong case for food, clean water, and adequate shelter for the unprivileged section. Through his efforts, he has brought telephones to the rural parts of India and some of the most isolated regions in the world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to tag Sam Pitroda as the 'telecom whiz'.

Early Life

Sam Pitroda was born on May 4, 1942 in Titlagarh, Orissa, India. His parents were originally from Gujarat, but were settled in Orissa. Inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, his parents send him and his brother to Gujarat to learn more about the philosophy and teachings of the great political leader. Sam Pitroda completed his schooling from Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat and pursued Masters in Physics and Electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara. After completing his studies in India he went to US to obtain his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology from Chicago. 

Career

All through 1960s and 1970s, Sam Pitroda was involved in making cutting-edge inventions that were to be the new face of technology later. He is the first person to introduce microprocessor in telephone and is known for his invention of first Electronic Diary. In 1974, he founded his own company called Wescom Switching. Later Rockwell international acquired Wescom and Sam Pitroda became the Vice-President of the company. During his stay in the company, Pitroda brought about numerous changes in telecommunications industry, which eventually earned him humungous recognition as telecom maverick. With more than 100 patents in his name, Sam Pitroda became one of the leading names in telecommunications and information technology. The computer-themed card game called Comp cards invented in 1983, made him even more famous in the technological world.

Sam Pitroda India Return

After his return to India, he established the Centre for Developments of Telematics (C-DOT), which served as an autonomous telecom and R&D organization. In 1987, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed Pitroda as advisor in Indian foreign and domestic telecommunication policies. Pitroda is considered as the main hand behind Indian revolutionary telecom industry and On Public Call Offices (PCO) which brought affordable call rates for both local and international calls. In July 2009, he became the advisor to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh in the field of Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations. With his global leadership, vision and knowledge, he is known as one of the noted entrepreneur and advisor that India will be always proud of.

Art by Sam Pitroda

Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations

Sam Pitroda is an inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India’s communications revolution. As Advisor, he will be looking into creating information infrastructure for enhancing delivery of services to the citizens in various areas and will also be working on creating a roadmap for a ‘Decade of Innovation’ in India.

He has served as Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (2005–2008), a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, set up to give policy recommendations for improving knowledge related institutions and infrastructure in the country. During its term, the National Knowledge Commission submitted around 300 recommendations on 27 focus areas covering a range of aspects of the knowledge paradigm. Mr. Pitroda holds around 100 key technology patents, has been involved in several start ups, and lectures extensively around the world.

 

He is also the founder & CEO of C-SAM, Inc. The company maintains its headquarters in Chicago with offices in London, Tokyo , Mumbai and Vadodara. Following the development of core technologies in the U.S. and Europe, C-SAM's development centers in India now focus on innovation, customization and cost effective deployment for its customers. 

He has also served as an advisor to the United Nations and in 1992, his biography Sam Pitroda: A Biography was published and became the bestseller on the The Economic Times list for five weeks.

As technology Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984s, Mr. Pitroda not only heralded the telecom revolution in India, but also made a strong case for using technology for the benefit and betterment of society through several missions on telecommunications, literacy, dairy, water, immunization, oilseeds etc.. He has continued to redefine the role technology can play in a society like India by linking it to better delivery of services for the underprivileged in the country.

Mr Pitroda has lived mainly in Chicago, Illinois since 1964 with his wife and two children. 

Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s Sam Pitroda was involved in cutting edge technology research work in telecommunications and hand-held computing. He is widely regarded as one of the earliest pioneers of hand-held computing because of his invention of the Electronic Diary in 1975.

Electronic Diary

An electronic diary having combined clock-calendar means and diary storage means is provided wherein a random access memory is employed in a diary mode of operation for the storage and readout of preselected daily schedule and message events keyed for visual display in response to equal time comparisons with real time of day TOD as generated by the clock-calendar means. The electronic diary is capable of being added to present state-of-the-art electronic calculators for facilitating economy of parts through commonality of keyboard, power supply and visual display features. The electronic diary is comprised of a keyboard selector panel, power supply means, a message storage and control unit, a clock and calendar unit, display control logic, time comparison logic, audible alarm, and visual display means. Optionally, the electronic diary is comprised of a keyboard selector panel, power supply means, memory, micro-processor circuit, and visual display means.

Public Information Infrastructure

In 1974, Sam Pitroda founded a company, Wescom Switching which was one of the first digital switching companies in the world. He developed a revolutionary new system called 580 DSS switch, which he spent nearly four years perfecting. Thus, in 1978, it was released to the world and it became an instant hit becoming one of the most successful systems in the market. Wescom was eventually acquired by Rockwell International, where Pitroda became the Vice President. During his four decades as an engineer, Mr. Pitroda has filed scores of patents in telecommunications. The latest set of patents relate to mobile phone based transaction technology which cover the entire spectrum of transactions, both financial and non-financial, via mobile phones.

In 1983, he also designed his own computer-themed card game called Compucards which used binary numbers instead of decimal (1, 2, 4, 8...) had a computer bug as the joker. The equivalent of a king in a regular deck of cards was the 'Programmer' that bore an uncanny resemblance to Pitroda himself. Through the 1990s Mr. Pitroda explored the world of mobile phone transaction technology and telecom developments in emerging markets.

A widely traveled man, Mr. Pitroda is a much sought after speaker at top international events. Mr. Pitroda divides his time between Chicago and Delhi..

Achievements and Awards

The knowledge and dedication of Sam Pitroda has

brought him number of awards from around the world. Some of the recognized awards given to him are the Dataquest IT Lifetime Achievement Award (2002), Skoch Challenger Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 Rajiv Gandhi Global India award in 2009 Padma Bhushan award by Indian government in 2009. Pitroda was elected as World Prominent Leader by the World Network of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs WNYLE in 2008.

Sam Pitroda Getting Lifetime Achievement Award

Timeline1942: Sam Pitroda was born.1974: Founded a company called Wescom.1983: Invented the popular Compucards, which created revolution in information technology.1987: He worked under the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as advisor in the field of foreign and domestic telecommunication policies. 1992: His biography, 'Sam Pitroda: A Biography' was published.1993: Established foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT) near Bangalore, India2009: Became the advisor to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh in Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovations.

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