Dr Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar (born 11 October 1946) is an IT computer scientist from India. He is best known as an architect of the PARAM series of Supercomputers, GIST multilingual technology and Education-To-Home [1] mission. He is widely recognized for his noteworthy contributions in bringing ICT to the masses through a series of path-breaking initiatives. He is also credited with the creation of several national institutions, notably amongst them being the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, – India’s national initiative in Supercomputing; the Electronics Research & Development Centre (ER&DC), Trivandrum – India’s largest R&D Centre in application oriented R&D in electronics; the ETH Research Laboratory, Pune for launching Education-To-Home mission; the International Institute of Information Technology I2IT, Pune – India’s largest Post-Graduate Institute for advanced education in IT; and the India International Multiversity (IIMv) – an educational initiative for promoting the concept of integral education.
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Bhatkar was born on 11 October 1946 at Muramba, Akola, Maharashtra . He obtained his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Nagpur University in 1965, his Master of Engineering in from M.S. University, Baroda, in 1968, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi IIT Delhi , in 1972.
He has served as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet of Government of India Government of India. He was also a Member of several IT Task Forcesconstituted by the Prime Minister in 1998 to propel India as IT superpower. He was invited to address The Royal Society Royal society in 2003. He led the Indian delegation to South Africa to formulate Indo-SA initiative in Advanced Computing. He is a member of the Indo-Russian Long Term Programme (ILTP) in Science & Technology. He has also been a member of Indo-Hungarian and Indo-French Joint Commissions.
Presently he is the Chairman of the ETH Research Lab with ‘Education To Home’ (ETH) Mission of bringing education to millions of homes transcending the barriers of geographies, economic levels and languages, using advances in information technologies. He is concurrently the Chairman of DishnetDSL Ltd., India’s leading national ISP which redefined the Internet industry and pioneered Broadband Internet in India.
Bhatkar is the founder Executive Director of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) which is India’s national initiative in Supercomputing where he led the development of PARAM Supercomputers, GIST language technology and C-DAC’s well-known Advanced Computing Training School (ACTS). Concurrently with C-DAC, he held the position of Advisor in the Department of Electronics (now Ministry of Information Technology), Government of India. He was the National Project Director of the UNDP assisted projects – Appropriate Automation Promotion Programme, Knowledge based Computer System Programme, and Fibre Optic System and Applications Promotion Programme.
Post Param propelled India into the select five nations who possessed this strategic technology. Based on PARAM series of supercomputers, Dr Bhatkar built the National Param Supercomputing Facility (NPSF) which is one of the largest supercomputing facilities of Asia. At NPSF, he led the development of several high-performance computing applications in collaboration with national as well as international user agencies.
Simultaneously, in a multilingual country of 1 billion people, where only 7 percent speak English, Bhatkar launched a mission for developing multilingual technology encompassing all languages of India. In this mission, the celebrated GIST multilingual technology was developed which made possible the use and co-existence of all Indian languages along with English on standard computers, dissolving the language barrier on computers once for all.
Faced with the challenge of creating a large number of software professionals in a shortest possible time, Bhatkar founded the Advanced Computing Training School (ACTS) in C-DAC which over the years has provided 10,000 software professionals to the IT industry and many of them have made both impact and name for themselves in US and other advanced countries.
Prior to this in 1987 he was Vice President of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). which is India’s largest software enterprise. He was the Director of Electronics Research and Development Centre (ER&DC), Trivandrum from 1980-87 which, under his direction, emerged as India’s largest R&D Centre in electronics. At ER&DC, he led the development of several new products and systems leading to large-scale commercialization. Concurrently, he was the Executive Director of KELTRON, India’s first state electronics development corporation which inspired a chain of such state corporations in different states of India. At KELTRON, he implemented some of the largest projects in electronics and IT in the 80’s, such as computerization of Calcutta Metro, security systems for government, simulators for defence, and, most importantly, distributed computer control systems for large power grids, power plants and process industries of India.
For transforming education, he advented the concept of integral education and founded the India International Multiversity (IIMV) of which he is presently the Founder Chancellor. The IIMV is a multi-campus university founded on Indian knowledge system addressed to aspiring learners across the world Through IIMV, he is implementing several path-breaking projects relating to transformation of pilgrimage places into knowledge pilgrimage places through IT, and bringing IT to the masses through e-governance and e-services. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.
Bhatkar also envisioned and created the International Institute of Information Technology (I2IT) for advanced education and research in IT. I2IT is planned as India’s largest high-end education institute with post-graduate education and research facilities for over 1000 students. I2IT was dedicated to the nation by the President of India on 28 May 2003. He is also a member of the Governing Board of Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Trivandrum promoted by Government of Kerala.
Bhatkar has authored / edited 8 books and over 80 research publications in supercomputing, artificial intelligence and distributed computer control, optimal control and variational theory. His contribution in nonlocal optimal control and nonlocal variational theory based on his doctoral research have been acclaimed and his books on distributed computer control and artificial intelligence published by Marcel Dekker, New York have been used as graduate level text books in the US and Indian universities. He has recently edited over 75 web-based tutorials in engineering for India International Multiversity. He has addressed several convocations of Indian universities and delivered keynote addresses in several national and international conferences and seminars.
Bhatkar is a Fellow of the Computer Society of India, Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, New Delhi, Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Science, Pune, Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, Delhi, Senior Member of the IEEE, USA, Member of the New York Academy of Sciences, New York, and also several leading national and international professional societies and task forces, holding active positions in many of them.
For his contributions to IT in India, he was conferred with the PADMASHRI award in 2000, one of the highest civilian recognitions by the Government of India, the Maharashtra Bhushan Award 1999-2000, the highest recognition of Government of Maharashtra. He is also a recipient of several prestigious national awards, notably amongst them being, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., (PGCIL) Award 2001 for Excellence in Information Technology, Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation Award 2000 in Electronics & Information Technology, Priyadarshni Award 2000 for contributions in the field of Information Technology, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) Award for Excellence in Engineering & Technology 1999, Lokmanya Tilak Award 1999, Rotary Excellence Award 1997, Pune’s Pride Award for Excellence in the World of Education for the year 1996, the H.K. Firodia Award for life-time achievements in science and technology 1995-96, Distinguished Alumni Award 1994 of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Vivdhlaxi Audyogik Samshodhan Vikas Kendra (VASVIK) Award for 1993, Ramlal Wadhwa Gold Medal Award 1992 by the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE), , National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) Award (1984–85), Electronics Man of the Year 1992 Award by Electronics Component Industries Association (ELCINA)), Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Award to ER&DC for excellence in Research & Development in Electronics (1983), and Gold Medal Award of Indian Geo-technical Society (1976). He is also conferred with several social and spiritual awards, amongst them being Saraswati Award, Vidarbha Gaurav Award, Pune Citadel Award, Vidarbha Bhushan Award, Punya-Bhushan Award, and Gratitude Award. He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (2009).[1]
1972-1980
Ph.D. from IIT Delhi in 1972.
Internationally acknowledged research in Nonlocal Systems; Modelling, Simulation and Optimal Control. Research Monographs with Prof. DGB Edelen, Lehigh University, USA
Member of the core group of Electronics Commission which initiated the Electronics revolution in India. Setting Up of Appropriate Automation Promotion Laboratory (AAPL) for promoting right kind of automation in Indian process and manufacturing industries. Catalysis and promotion of automation in Indian industries from pneumatic control to modern distributed computer control systems.
Wide-scale introduction and promotion of microprocessor education in India
1980-1987
Director of Electronics Research & Development Centre (ER&DC) & Keltron, Trivandrum.
Indigenous development of electronic products & systems, several firsts in India, such as CTV, CCTVs, Traffic Control Systems, microprocessor based industrial Control Systems, Industrial drivers, Defence Simulators, Automation of large power plants & process industries states. Automation of Calcutta Metro.
ER&DC emerged as India’s largest centre for application oriented R&D in Electronics and KELTRON as India’s leading State Electronics Development Corporation to be emulated by other States of India ushering Electronics Revolution in India in the 80’s.
1988-1998
Launched Indian national initiative in Supercomputing. Creation of C-DAC. Design, Development and Delivery of PARAM 8000 in 1991 & PARAM 10000 in 1998. India becomes world’s third nation to develop supercomputers. PARAM Supercomputers exported to Russia, Singapore, Germany and Canada.
Development of GIST multilingual technology covering 16 major languages with 10 different scripts Language barrier on computers vanishes in India.
Launch of ACTS for fastest creation of IT professionals. Over 10000 professionals created for India’s IT industry in the 90s.
Creating Kerala Infotech Park in Trivandrum, one of the finest IT parks of India.
1998–present
Creation of Education-To-Home (ETH) Research Laboratory and subsequently Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) for bringing computer literacy & education to millions of learners transacting the barriers of distance, languages and economic levels.
Launch of DishnetDSL, which redefined the Internet industry and pioneered broadband revolution through DSL technology. Contributed to the development of world leading broadband technology to provide 10mbps connectivity to homes for triple play services covering voice, data, and video, at lowest per port cost.
Launch of International Institute of Information Technology (I2IT) which has emerged as India’s leading and largest post-graduate educational institute for Advanced IT education and research. I2IT goes international by setting up centres in Russia, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.
Launched India International Multiversity (IIMv) for integral education and transformational education. Initiated the mission of transforming India’s pilgrimage places into knowledge pilgrimage places. Contribution to bringing India’s spiritual & cultural heritage on Internet. Initiation of several projects for bringing the far-reaching impact of ICT to the masses
ICT and S&T Awards
• 2003 Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Award (the highest award of Indian IT Industry)
Annasaheb Chirmule Memorial Award for Contributions to IT
• 2002 Visweswariya Memorial Award, Kolhapur
• 2001 Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) Award for Excellence in Information Technology
• 2000 Padmashree Award by Government of India (one of the highest civilian awards of Government of India)
Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation Award in Electronics & Information Technology
Priyadarshni Award for Contributions in the field of Information Technology
• 1999- 2000 Maharashtra Bhushan Award by Government of Maharashtra (the highest award conferred by Govt. of Maharashtra)
• 1999 Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FICCI) Award for Excellence in Engineering & Technology
Lokmanya Tilak Award
• 1998 e-Biz Innovation Contest Award, Dubai Internet City (for best innovation amongst 1325 entries from 35 countries)
• 1997 Rotary Excellence Award
Pune’s Pride Award for Excellence in the World of Education
• 1995-96 H. K. Firodia Award for Life-time Achievements in Science & Technology
• 1995 Vividhlaxi Audyogik Samshodhan Vikas Kentra (VASVIK) Award
• 1994 Distinguished Alumni Award of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• 1992 Electronics Man of the Year Award by Electronics Component Industries Association (ELCINA)
• 1983 Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FICCI) Award to ER&DC for excellence in Research &Development in Electronics