The Educationalist

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu; Guru Devo Maheshwara,

Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmaya Shree Guruvey Namah

O Holy teacher, thou art dearer to me than the trinity of creator (Brahma),
sustainer (Vishnu) and destroyer (Maheshwara). Accept my salutations o venerated
one!

Since time immemorial, the race of people living on the fertile plains of the
Gangetic delta have carried with them certain traditions and norms which go back
into time like well-worn roots of a Banyan tree. This cultural ethos is what is
often described as Indianess; a thread of rituals and traditions that links us
to the past, even as we embrace and stir towards the future.

Like an earthen pot of knowledge it is handed from generation to generation.
Among the numerous things that lie in the pot, one value or one sentiment stands
out. The respect and adulation for the teacher. Like in the shloka mentioned
above, our ancestors have time and again reminded us to bow in front of the
teacher in veneration. In all the scriptures, the Guru is depicted as the
upholder of truth and proprietary; even when all is in shambles, he is unmoved
and guides his shishya on the righteous path. He is like a beacon that hones in
wayward ships.

So in this momentous year, when Dataquest celebrates 25 years of existence,
we have chosen to honor one of the most respected teachers in modern India, the
effervescent Deepak B Phatak, Subharao M Nilekani chair professor and head,
Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology (KReSIT), IIT Bombay. Prof Phatak,
as he is fondly known, has been the driving light behind the emergence of the
institute as the premier seat of computer science in the nation.

The Man

In over three decades that Prof Phatak has spent at IIT, the stream of
computer science has evolved from being an elective course to a full-fledged
degree. In all these years Prof Phatak has guided scores of students in their
pursuit of academic excellence, first as a lecturer, then going on to be the
head of the computer science department before taking up the current role of
dean at KReSIT.

Even though Prof Phatak has spent almost all his professional life at IIT
Bombay, he has managed to reach out to scores of other colleges and
institutions. He has been deeply involved in development of relevant computer
science curriculum for the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Indian
Universities and colleges and has even advised several Institutes in setting up
their CS Department and laboratories.

Not happy with the pace of change, Prof Phatak has decided to take the
stratospheric route. He is currently engrossed with his distance learning
program Eklavya. Through the means of VSATs and modern communication technology,
Prof Phatak intends to reach out to the very interiors of rural India. The
project had started as means of giving students in rural hinterland a taste of
education as it is at IIT, Bombay. Now the program is co-opting the teachers as
well, not only imparting them with the best teaching practices but also setting
up a platform wherein educators can share their views and techniques and all can
learn at their own pace.

In the past, Prof Phathak has also been associated with the CLASS project
that aimed at introducing computer education in schools. Governments both at
center and the state level have looked at him for guidance on education related
matters. Thus he has been associated with several AICTE and ISTE Committees and
has been also invited to the working group of the National IT Task force on
Human Resource Development,

The Three Principles

It is worth noting that Prof Phatak had become a part of IIT Bombay as an
MTech student in 1969, and joined the institute as a researcher in 1971. From
then on he has stayed put at the institute, calling himself a pampered child.
There is an alternate reason as well. Way back in the 70s Prof Phatak had bound
himself by three principles or oaths. First, he would not leave the shores of
India till he has served an organization for 20 years. Second, not to serve
under a foreign flag, whatever the temptation. And finally, that he will die or
retire from IIT Bombay, whichever comes first.

With these three simple principles I bonded myself to IIT Bombay in a way I
had never imagined. Now this institute is my karmabhoomi, dharmabhoomi and my
kurukshetra, he says, somewhat emotionally.

In fact, in his 37-year long service, he has taken only two sabbaticals from
IIT Bombay: one was in 1984, when at the behest of his mentor SM Dasgupta, he
set up a computer science department at his engineering college SGSITS. It was
my guru dakshina and I am thankful to the heavens above that I got an
opportunity to serve my mentor in such a way, he states.

The second sabbatical came in 2002, when tired and saddened by the quality of
engineers being churned out by private institutes, Prof Phathak, to take the
matter in his own hands, visited as many as 67 cities in a span of one year. He
deliberately chose smaller towns so as to be able to understand the troubles
faced by the not-so-known educational institutes in India. It was one of the
most humbling and happy experiences of my life. When I interacted with students
in far-off places like Sangli and Bastar, I was amazed to discover quite a few
bright students who were almost as good as my own wards at IIT Bombay. It was
then that I discovered that there is no paucity of talent in India, it just
needs the right nurturing, he states emphatically.

The Setting up of KReSIT

Prof Phathaks biggest challenge faced him in 1998. At that time he was the
Dean of Resource Development for IIT Bombay, the first one to be so. It was
during this time that Silicon Valley entrepreneur and IIT Bombay alumna Kanwal
Rekhi decided to give back to his alma mater. Prof Phatak at that time had been
dreaming of setting up an exclusive school of IT that focused more on the
application side than the theoretical. During the deliberations Rekhi agreed to
fund $1 mn (which he subsequently raised to $2 mn) in matching grant.

While the senate backed the whole idea without much hassle, Prof Phatak was
having a torrid time in arranging the other half of the grant, without which he
could not utilize the grant. Through a lucky break, another alumna of IIT
Bombay, Nandan Nilekani, contacted Prof Phathak and much to his relief agreed to
match Rekhi dollar for dollar. The school opened in 1998, and since then has
become one of the leading centers for R&D. Sometime back, the Computer Science
department of the institute was amalgamated with KReSIT.

Without any iota of doubt, KReSIT was by far the biggest feather adorning
Prof Phataks cap. Not only was he able to turn his plan into a reality. It was
also the first time that something on this scale was undertaken by any of the
IITs in India. Not only was Prof. Phathak able to convince Rekhi to pump in $2
mn instead of $1 mn; he was also able to arrange the other half. He has been
able to ensure high quality of research by investing a decent sum in different
banks and using the returns as grants to fund research. He has also been able to
attract a lot of corporates to fund startups at the SINE facility within the
institute. Every year, SINE incubates over a dozen startups, mostly from
graduating students. Some of the companies like TRI and Vegayan have generated a
lot of media interest.

Not surprisingly, when it came to choosing the Dean, he was the obvious
choice. In the Year 2000, he was also appointed to the Subrao Nilekani Chair in
the School. KReSIT is a true symbol of Prof Phataks organizational and
administrative skills. In a short span of time, the school has turned into an
R&D hotspot.

Still a Pragmatist

There are two words that Prof Phatak often talks about and lives by:
shikshak dharma and values. For him, these are not mere words but something
ethereal, as if handed down to him on tablets at Mt Ararat. In almost all
aspects of life, Prof Phatak looks at the just and righteous path and then goes
ahead and takes it. So, be it agreeing to be hosted on junkets or dealing with
his students, he will at all times emphasize on doing the right thing, come what
may.

The unique thing about Prof Phatak is that even though he walks boldly on the
Dharma road, he is still a pragmatist. He understands modern day compulsions and
works around them. Setting up of KReSIT was one such example, the other could be
his views on open-source. Widely regarded as an open source evangelist, Prof
Phatak is quick to mention that everything open-source is not a realistic goal.
We need the incentive-driven proprietary movement as much as we do the hallowed
open source movement. There needs to be a balance between the two, he
emphasizes.

Proud to be Indian

One of the facts that Prof Phatak truly prides on is that he was born in a
nation that was free. I never knew what slavery was as I opened my eyes in
unfettered India, he states smugly. As a keen student of history, he often
talks of how most of the things in life are mere matters of mindset. So, to his
students at SINE, he advises them to take risks and not fear failure. The only
thing that you need to fear is fear itself, else the sky is the limit, he
states.

Going back to his three principles, it becomes pretty evident that one of the
reasons that Prof Phatak bound himself was to safeguard himself from any
temptation in terms of learning opportunities and emoluments. He also talks of
how India could catch up with the world using IT as the springboard. Like all
else, I too can see the seed of change sprouting in India. In the near future,
the HPs, the IBMs and the Googles of the world would come from India, he
states.

Recently, Prof Phatak took on Microsoft head-on, after it accused IIT Bombay
behaving against the national interest by opposing the OOOXML standard. If
someone points a finger at my loyalty to this nation, I wont take it lying
down, whosoever it might be, he states. The Giant from Redmond had to finally
back down.

Gadgety Grandpa

For a man who first came across a computer in 1969 at IIT, that too a 37 bit
one (on which programming was done on paper tape), Prof Phatak is surprisingly
well aware and obsessed with modern day gadgets. His current obsession is the
Apple iPhone, which he is trying to learn. He has four laptops, his current
favorite being Apple Macbook Air, and two Sony Vaios. He is also trying out his
hand at photography and has purchased a Coolpix 5100 camera. His other
indulgence is fountain penshe has a soft spot for Mont Blancs and owns some
half a dozen of them.

According to my wife, the difference between the toys of a grandpa and those
of the grandson is merely the cost, he smiles.

In the end, there are some five years left before Prof Phatak will retire
from his karmabhoomi. Surely in these five years, he will be inspiring a whole
big generation of individuals that are fortunate to work under his tutelage. And
knowing him, retirement or no retirement, it will hardly matter to Prof Phatak,
he will always be around the Powai campus of IIT Bombay, because a guru is
always a guru and we can thank the stars for that.

Shashwat DC

shashwatc@cybermedia.co.in