Birth centenary fete of ECIL Founder MD Dr AS Rao

Ayyagari Sambasiva Rao, popularly known as Dr A S Rao, was a researcher and technocrat par excellence. He played a vital role in India’s efforts to attain self-sufficiency in atomic energy and electronics.

Dr Rao was instrumental in setting up country’s first nuclear reactor – Apsara and proved that the technology developed at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) could be commercially viable by establishing Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) at Hyderabad.

His motto in life was to push India towards self-reliance in advanced technologies and strongly believed that individuals and nations would evoke respect only when they are self-reliant in all fields.

His life is an inspiration to researchers and scientists as he had to face and overcome many a hardship, much early in life. He was born in a poor family on September 20, 1914, in Mogallu village in West Godavari district. With a keen interest in acquisition of knowledge, he excelled in studies. He completed his B Sc in Vizianagaram.

His passion for more knowledge took him to Banarus Hindu University (BHU) where he obtained M Sc in Physics in 1939. BHU environment enriched his life as he came into contact with eminent personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and others during the freedom struggle.

After his studies, Dr Rao thus got to work as a faculty and a researcher for six years at the BHU. Later, with a recommendation letter from Dr S Radhakrishnan, the then vice-chancellor of BHU, Dr Rao secured aid from Tata Endowment to study at Stanford. On his return to India, Dr Rao was invited by well-known scientist Dr Homi J Babha, to conduct experiments on cosmic rays at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bombay. The very first experiment taken up by Dr Rao’s team was successful. Dr Bhabha personally went to Mumbai, congratulated Dr Rao and rewarded him with a job as a reader at TIFR.

Dr Rao was associated with India’s atomic energy programme right from its early stages. In 1953, he joined Atomic Energy Establishment (AEET), Trombay, (later renamed as BARC), and was entrusted with the task of designing and building control and monitoring systems for the first nuclear reactor – Apsara.

It went critical on August 4, 1956, within 12 months from the start of the project. Speaking of his experience at AEET, Rao said: “It was one of the successes that independent India achieved in science and technology to the surprise of many Western nations.”

During his tenure as Director of the Electronics Group at BARC, Dr Rao set up a production facility and was instrumental in motivating nearly 1,600 scientists, engineers and technicians to come out with products in advanced areas of electronics to achieve self-reliance for the country.

Following the Chinese aggression, a national committee set up to develop electronics for defence and atomic energy, with Dr Bhabha as its chairman, and Dr Sarabhai, Dr Bhagavantam and Dr Rao as its members.

The Bhabha Committee report became India’s first blueprint for the development of the electronics industry and it bears Rao’s imprint of practical experience. The publication of the report prepared the ground to establish the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).

With Sarabhai as Chairman and Dr Rao as Managing Director, ECIL was incorporated as a public sector company on April 11, 1967.

The decision to create ECIL called for a tremendous amount of courage and self-confidence, and demanded considerable hard work. It was in such a hostile environment that Dr Rao set out with a small but devoted band of colleagues to disprove that Indian technology would not be able to deliver the goods in the field of professional electronics. The hard and dedicated teamwork that the group had put in saw ECIL develop year after year a host of technologies that more than vindicated Dr Rao’s faith in indigenous technology. Dr Rao served as its managing director from its inception in 1967 up to May 31, 1978.

Dr Rao represented India at many international fora and also served as the chairman of Central Electronics Limited and on the board of Bharat Electronics and KELTRON. He was on the editorial and advisory boards of several journals of high repute.

Recognising his meritorious service to the country, Dr Rao was bestowed with several awards. The Government of India conferred Padma Shri on him in 1960, and the Padma Bhushan in 1972. He was presented the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Memorial Award in 1965. The Andhra University awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Science in 1969.

Rao evolved a methodology which was in sharp contrast with the way other technological organisations were built.

It was his conviction that electronics technology, with its pervasive influence on several spheres of national activity, can be built, sustained and endured only with a strong indigenous base of know-how and expertise.

His words stand true to this day. “If we install the spirit of self-reliance among our countrymen and if we generate confidence in our scientists and engineers, we can accomplish much more than what any another country has ever achieved.”