V.V.R. Sastry, executive director of the Centre for Development of Telematics

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An R&D man to the core, V.V.R. Sastry, executive director of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), is determined to lead the organisation to even greater heights?

As India moves from 3G to 4G, V.V.R. Sastry?s task as executive director of C-DOT is mammoth because he has to help steer the transition. As head of the C-DOT board, he oversees R&D work in strategic telecommunication areas such as the development of terabit routers, wireless secure networks, gigabit passive optical networks (GPONs), next-generation networks (NGNs) and 4G wireless networks.

As he points out, the shift to 4G entails a number of questions. For example, an appropriate technology platform has to be looked at and how it can best be used. Another challenge is in the area of optic fibre. ?In this context, we are developing the GPON network. These are the two main concentration points that we have. The third very challenging and interesting area is NGNs. How to make existing landline exchanges compatible with internet traffic and internet protocol networks is a major challenge,? he says.

On the last issue, C-DOT, which is an autonomous R&D organisation under the Department of Telecommunications, has taken its concept to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the next step will be to ensure that it is migrated from one platform to another. For C-DOT, this is a great opportunity, but the challenge is to implement it across BSNL?s 60,000 exchanges spread across the country.

In dealing with a behemoth like BSNL, Sastry has plenty of experience as he was CMD of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) from 2007 to 2009. In fact, he had been with BEL since he graduated, rising from the position of probationary engineer to CMD. As director, marketing just before becoming CMD of the company, he took several initiatives to bring in a marketing orientation and give a strong thrust to exports.

A graduate from Andhra University, Sastry has two degrees ? one in science and the other in electronics and communication engineering. He joined BEL in Bengaluru in 1969 and remained in Karnataka until he moved to Delhi to take up his current post. During his long career with BEL, he also headed its New York office for three years, during which he had extensive interactions with the US Department of Commerce and State.

Sastry is a senior assessor for the CII-EXIM Bank Business Excellence Model. He was given the prestigious ELCIN-Dun & Bradstreet Electronics Man of the Year Award by the ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of India for 2007-08. He is also a fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

His retirement from BEL in 2009 proved to be premature because the government chose him to head C-DOT. For Sastry, it was a perfect fit given that R&D has been his core strength throughout his career. With more than 40 years? experience in diverse areas such as development and engineering, manufacturing, quality management project management, technology management and marketing, and a rich experience in telecom and defence electronics in areas such as military communication, electronic warfare, and strategic components, Sastry brings a lot to the table in his current post. That?s why he is not worried about meeting multiple targets and deadlines.

?Some are around a 12-month time frame, while others are around a 24-month time frame. They have to be worked out along with customers, especially for long term evolution (LTE) advanced technology. We have earmarked a two-year time period for this. In a year?s time, we want to launch the first lab prototype model and then, within two years, we want to identify the working pieces and then manufacture it on our own,? he says.

This, he says, will help in the uptake of landline and broadband connectivity. C-DOT has pinned its hopes on GPON technology. ?The government is implementing the National Optical Fibre Network where we expect GPON to serve as the backbone and are ready with the technology. In fact, we have already handed over our technology to seven manufacturers. The challenge here is connecting the 600,000 village panchayats to a broadband network,? he says.

In terms of future telecom trends, he expects LTE advanced technology to take off in a big way, which is why C-DOT is focusing its efforts in this area. On optic fibre, he feels that the capacity will increase in the next two years. As for routers and switches, C-DOT finds that the challenge is developing indigenous routers and switches so that the networks are well protected.

Sastry does not believe that the current uncertainty in the sector will impact his plans adversely because the government is looking to boost local IP creation, R&D and manufacturing, which suits C-DOT perfectly.

If Sastry remained with BEL for his entire career, it is mainly because the management there never let him stagnate or get bored. They constantly encouraged him to take up new responsibilities. What it meant for Sastry was that he kept on deepening his knowledge of R&D, from production to delivering it to the end-customer. New technologies have always excited him and still do.

At BEL, he recalls several memorable assignments, which were both challenging and educational. One was for the armed forces and involved creating command control systems and crucial applications. Another was the time when the company was awarded navratna status. ?Taking the company to that category was very exciting,? he says.

His goal is to take C-DOT forward by building on its superb reputation. He points out that, even during the liberalisation of the economy, when every bit of technology was being sourced from outside, C-DOT managed to hold its own and continued to promote indigenous manufacturing.

?Thereafter, there was a lull in the demand for such products and solutions, but now we find that there is a revival of interest in indigenous equipment and technology. That is the real challenge and that keeps me excited,? he says.

In this context, Sastry is pleased with TRAI?s paper on promoting indigenous manufacturing. This is crucial he says, for, in the next five years, the import bill for telecommunication equipment will be higher than the country?s oil import bill. ?We have the consumer base and once we are able to design our own products and consume our own products, why should this not be done as an intermediary process in the country? In this case, there is outgo of foreign exchange and untapped opportunities, which is a waste of national talent,? he says.

Sastry is very appreciative of C-DOT?s ?open culture?. ?The real strength is the company?s manpower. There are around 800 people working here. Of them, around 700 are young engineers, highly professional and very well educated. And all these people are from prestigious colleges. We take people only from the National Institutes of Technology. To keep this manpower motivated is the real important goal,? he says.

His own method for motivating staff so that they deliver cutting-edge technologies is to give them room to experiment. He is aware that, as a government organisation, the salaries it can offer may not be as thrilling as those in the private sector. But he compensates for this disparity by providing a nurturing and free environment where people can make a contribution and where they are encouraged to look at a project in its totality, that is, scrutinise every aspect carefully rather than being preoccupied with one aspect alone.

?I like to lead from the front. Wherever there are issues, I like to understand and try to solve them. Whenever an employee does good work, we make it a point to appreciate it. I wish that the workday had more hours so that a lot more could be achieved within that time. I am not a workaholic but am work interested,? he says.

Sastry is guilty of some understatement here because a typical work day for him is 12 hours. He starts his day at 4.30 a.m. His day is divided between taking care of paperwork and meetings on group and project reviews. ?We discuss various issues related to fieldwork and how to develop the business. Since our primary aim is to take technology to the field, I interact considerably with telecom vendors and operators, and various factions of the armed forces,? he says.

He is so happily absorbed in his work that, when asked what he likes to do for relaxation, he replies that ?listening to one?s customers can be a certain type of relaxation?.

Work apart, he enjoys listening to classical music and doing his Vedantic studies through which he aims to understand the relationship between metaphysics and spirituality. He applies his knowledge in his day-to-day life and at the workplace. ?The idea is to undertake every task with full vigour and leave the results to someone else,? he says.

The interest in spirituality developed in him over time. ?People say you have to do karma without which spirituality has no value. So, in my context, promoting technology is a job given to me and I had better deliver on what I am expected to. Your free will is linked to what you are expected to deliver. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand,? he says.

When he retires in 2014, he plans to spend time playing with his grandchildren.