Closely associated with the development of computer science education and research in India in the early stages, Dr Narasimhan completed his degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Madras University in 1947. He went on to study in the US, getting an MS in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a PhD in Mathematics from Indiana University.

Closely associated with the development of computer science education and research in India in the early stages, Dr Narasimhan completed his degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Madras University in 1947. He went on to study in the US, getting an MS in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a PhD in Mathematics from Indiana University.

An early pioneer

He joined TIFR in 1954 and retired in 1990 as a Professor of Eminence. From 1954 to 1960, he was a senior member of the team that designed and built TIFRAC, India's first operational electronic digital computer. From 1961 to 1964, he was a visiting scientist at the Digital Computer Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana, in the US. Dr Homi J Bhabha and Prof R Narasimhan showing TIFRAC to foreign dignitaries.

In the late '60s, the Electronics Committee (precursor to the Electronics Commission and the Department of Electronics) headed by Dr Vikram Sarabhai appointed a three-man panel headed by Dr Narasimhan to look into the operations of IBM and ICL in India, and determine modalities for enforcing the FERA rules for these companies. The committee concluded that IBM was not willing to Indianise its equity, and was also unwilling to stay on in India merely to sell its equipment, if it was not allowed to provide support services.

Meanwhile, the Electronics Commission and the Department of Electronics were set up, with Prof M G K Menon heading both. The department set up a computer division headed by Maj Gen A Balasubramanian (then Brigadier) to establish a corporation in the public sector that could provide maintenance and support services for imported mainframe computers, so that computer availability in India could be free from dependence on IBM and ICL.

Setting up CMC

TIFRAC, the first indegeneous computer to be developed in India

In 1964, the first large mainframe computer in the country was installed at TIFR, maintained and supported totally through local efforts. When the Computer Maintenance Corporation (CMC) was finally launched in December 1975, Dr Narasimhan became its first chairman, having had almost a decade of experience in local maintenance and support of a mainframe system at the TIFR computer unit. In August 1977, it was converted into a public limited company.

Around half of the members of CMC's first board of directors- including Dr P P Gupta, CMC's first MD - were computer professionals who had worked together for a decade or more on various projects before the company was founded, and consequently had common ideas and aspirations, generating the synergy required to develop a strong indigenous base for computer technology in India. This helped the fledgling company to move forward purposefully and effectively.

When IBM finally closed down its operations in India, in 1978, most of its senior technical staff joined CMC, which took over the maintenance of IBM installations at over 800 locations around India. Though Dr Narasimhan's three-year term as chairman of CMC concluded in September 1979, he continued his close association with the corporation, since he had been personally involved in setting it up and knew most of the senior staff.

The take-off stage

Within its first 10 years of existence, CMC firmly established its credibility in the Indian computer scene and demonstrated convincingly that indigenous efforts in high technology could be profitable as business ventures, while at the same time providing innovative and path-breaking solutions to meet national priorities.

Dr Narasimhan continued with his own research into conceptual and theorising information-processing frameworks, as well as computer simulations in the field of behavioural studies, particularly cognitive sciences and neurosciences. In this, he was associated with a number of individuals and groups from the Humanities Department and the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Powai as well as the Speech Pathology Unit of Nair Hospital, both in Mumbai; the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, and the Central Institute of Indian Languages, both in Mysore; the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts in New Delhi; as well as the Centre for Applied Cognitive Science at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, Canada.

First among peers

He was a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences (India) and the Computer Society of India. Apart from numerous articles in refereed journals and edited volumes, he has written four books: Modelling Language Behaviour (Springer-Verlag, 1981), Language Behaviour: Acquisition and Evolutionary History (Sage, 1998), Characterising Literacy: A Study of Western and Indian Literacy Experiences (Sage, 2004), and Artificial Intelligence and Study of Agentive Behaviour (Tata-McGraw Hill, 2004).

He has been conferred many awards, including the Padma Shree in 1976, the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for 1971-73, the UGC's Homi J Bhabha Award in 1976, the Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation Award in 1988, and the Dataquest Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1994.

PPG was initially appointed Managing Director of CMC on 6 October 1976, and remained with the company till 31 December 1981. On 28 May 1984, the Government of India once more, appointed him as Chairman & Managing Director, and PPG served the company till his superannuation on 31 July 1992.

PPG was a man with exceptional good vision as far as CMC was concerned. He was the first to have the vision of stepping into the international market and acquired a Delaware Company in USA, Baton Rouge International (now known as CMC Americas, Inc.). He brought the shift from just infrastructure maintenance to all verticals in the IT solutions area.

He had a deep insight into, and recognized the value of real estate, and the company invested in substantial property. During his tenure, CMC House at Mumbai came into existence, - and was aptly named as India’s first ‘intelligent building’. Due to his untiring efforts, CMC was also able to acquire a huge plot of land in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, from the Government of Andhra Pradesh. He saw the great need for R&D in the IT sector and started the R&D Centre in Hyderabad from where some of CMC’s greatest solutions and products emerged.

Some of the projects of national importance implemented during his tenure are IMPRESS (Railway Passenger Reservation System) in 1985, MACH (Marine and Container Handling System) at JNPT, Mumbai, in 1989, Super Computing Facility at National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting for Department of Science and Technology in 1989. CMC was also one of the first organizations to have its own wide area network called INDONET, in 1986.

During his tenure, the company saw the implementation of the best of policies in the interest of employees such as merit scholarships for children of employees, sabbatical leave, interest subsidy, etc. He was one person who encouraged and brought in the value system followed in CMC, like open office and trust.

Staff morale was high and all CMCites were proud to be members of the CMC family. On every CMC Day celebration, PPG introduced at least two new policies in the interest of CMCites. Tirtha’, a book on the treasury of Indian expressions, was published by CMC during his tenure.

One of PPG’s great contributions to CMC was inculcating a love of art and also initiating its enviable art collection in CMC. Many art camps were held at various CMC locations, where renowned artists were invited to participate as well as conduct them.

We will never forget this giant of a man for the actions and initiatives taken by him in the interest of the company.

May his departed soul rest in peace.