Greetings from IITM Pravartak, a Technology Innovation Hub founded by IIT Madras with funding from the Department of Science and Technology. We have the pleasure of announcing a new program that teachers and students can participate in, both online in the first stage and in an on-campus blended mode in the next stage. Details of the programme and the biodata of its creator are given below.
Approximately 12 to 15 sessions of about 2 hours each to be delivered online, twice a week during the Summer Holiday period (between April 08 and May 17, 2024). Interaction with students will be moderated.
Speaker: Padma Bhushan Dr. Sivathanu Pillai (wikipedia), distinguished scientist (ISRO and DRDO) and also the architect of the BrahMos missile and Founder CEO and MD of BrahMos AeroSpace. He is an Adjunct Faculty in IIT Madras.
Period of Lecture Delivery: Between April 08, 2024 and May 15, 2024 two 2 hour sessions each week.
To ensure that maximum benefit is derived for participants,
we request you to register to participate in the program. A participation certificate will be issued to all students and teachers who attend ALL lectures.
IITM Pravartak offers the program for the benefit of bright young children and will announce similar programs in other fields soon.
As a research hub it is also responsible for developing skills in entrepreneurship, identify potential start-up projects and offering state-of-the-art technology exposure to school students and skills. It plans to offer several out-of-the box thinking initiatives in the future This program is free of charge and all lectures will be made public and simultaneously broadcast in DTH Swayam Prabha Channel, created by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
An archive will be created in Pravartak web site and the lectures will be made available for all those who cannot attend the sessions live.
Please note the students and the teachers who join the session will have the privilege of interacting with the participants live and therefore, the number of such online seats is limited due to logistics of interactions.
Our response may be received on or before the date. The registration will be closed on midnight 11:59 p.m., March 31,2024.
Dr. A Sivathanu Pillai, PhD, D.Sc. Founder CEO & MD BrahMos Aerospace (1995-2014) Former Hon’ Distinguished Professor, ISRO (2015-18) Former Chief Controller (R&D), DRDO (1996-2014) Hon’ Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (2015-2016) Visiting Prof. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (2014-15) Former Chairman BOG, NIT, Kurukshetra DRDO Dr. DS Kothari Chair, Research & Innovation Centre, IIT Madras (2018-20) President, Project Management Associates, India Member BOG, MS Ramaiah University Member BOG, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Adjunct Faculty, IIT(Madras).
Born on 15 July 1947, Dr. Pillai graduated in Electrical Engineering from Madras University in 1969, underwent Management Programme at Harvard Business School, 1991 and obtained PhD from Pune University (1996) and D.Sc. from Tumkur University (2012). Dr. Pillai’s fifty years of experience in ISRO and DRDO under the great visionary leaders Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and long association with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam made him a Technology Leader in the field of Satellite Launch Vehicles, Guided Missiles and Aerospace Systems.
Dr. Pillai’s contributions to the successful development of SLV-3 as a core team member and evolution of PSLV configuration for ISRO have been remarkable. His skills in networking multiple institutions for the development of critical missile technologies overcoming technology denial regimes imposed by developed nations, and innovative Program Management techniques enabled realization of Agni, Prithvi, Nag and Akash missiles under the IGMDP, as its Program Director and Chief Controller R&D of DRDO.
BrahMos Aerospace is a unique Joint Venture, first of its kind between India and Russia to design, develop, produce and market the most advanced supersonic cruise missile. His outstanding leadership qualities, as CEO & MD of Brahmos Aerospace, made India proud to possess the fastest, highly precise and the most potent missile BRAHMOS which is now inducted in multiple platforms, in all the three services of Indian Armed Forces. BRAHMOS is a world leader in the family of Cruise Missile surpassing those in the developed countries.
As the Architect and Founder CEO&MD of the Joint Venture, Dr. Pillai is regarded as the “Father of BrahMos” which has become a role model for establishing joint ventures between India and any other country. Presently Dr Pillai’s specific interest is in promoting development of Green Hydrogen and other renewable energy projects for achieving net zero carbon, and also of youth with knowledge
Well-known as a defence technologist in the world, Dr. Pillai has been recognized by many prestigious engineering and management institutions with fellowships. He has received Honorary Doctorates from fifteen reputed Universities of India and Russia. The Moscow University of Security, Defence and law Enforcement honoured Dr. Pillai with the “Order of Peter the Great” and the Academician of the University. Dr. Pillai has published more than one hundred papers in the international and national journals and Conference Proceedings, Keynote addresses and chaired many technical and strategic management sessions
Dr. Pillai has written eleven books including The Path Unexplored-Success Mantra of BrahMos, 40 years with Abdul Kalam-Untold stories, Revolution in Leadership, Introduction to Rocket Science and Space Exploration, Nano Science and Nano Technology for Engineering and Ocean Warfare. He co-authored with Dr. Kalam, the books (a) Envisioning an Empowered Nation and (b) ‘Thoughts for Change – We can do it’
Dr. Pillai is a recipient of various prestigious awards including Technology Leadership Award, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Research Award, OISCA – Organization for Industrial, spiritual & Cultural Advancement, International Award from Japan, Raja Rammohan Puraskar, Lokamanya Tilak Award, Performance Excellence Award from Institution of Industrial Engineering, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award by the President of India and most importantly Padma Shri (2002) & Padma Bhushan (2013) by the Govt. of India for his contribution to Aerospace, Missile and Defence Technologies and “ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP” by the Govt. of Russian Federation, the highest Russian Award for foreign citizens.