2nd 'Admiral RL Pereira Memorial lecture' held
Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff delivering the keynote address
The 2nd Admiral RL Pereira Memorial lecture was delivered today 10 Jan 15 by Commodore A Paulraj (Retd), VSM, Padma Bhusan, presently an Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, USA at Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Kalakshetra Auditorium, Bharat Electronics Ltd. Complex, Jalahalli, Bengaluru. Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC Chief of the Naval Staff presided over the function and delivered the keynote address.
Professor Paulraj delivering his lecture
In his lecture titled ‘Accelearting Technology Change and National Security’, Professor Paulraj highlighted the existing asymmetry in the rate of advance of military versus civil technology and how the military needed to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating technology in the areas of biology, robotics, information, nanotechnology and energy. He reiterated that technology would be the key to military preparedness for India in the coming years, especially in the current security environment, which was rapidly degrading due to rise in asymmetric threats.
Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff felicitating other dignitaries
Background
Navy Foundation (NF) is an organization of retired naval officers with the Chief of the Naval Staff as its President. The 15 branches of NF pan India, apart from networking the veterans’ community to harness their efforts towards nation building, also undertake a lot of philanthropic work and conduct activities to generate awareness on maritime issues. Towards this, the Navy Foundation Bengaluru Chapter conducts an annual lecture by eminent speakers in memory of late Admiral RL Pereira who had settled down in Bengaluru after his retirement and worked tirelessly for the cause of Ex-servicemen before he passed away on 14 Oct 1993.
Admiral RL Pereira, the 7th Indian Chief of the Naval Staff (28 Feb 1979 to 28 Feb 1982) is widely admired and much loved for his uncompromising integrity, courage and support for technological self-reliance. AdmiThe 2nd Admiral RL Pereira Memorial lectureral Pereira is one of the architects of the modern Indian Navy. As commandant of the National Defence College, and Deputy Commandant of the National Defence Academy, he not only earned the lasting love and admiration of naval personnel, but also left an everlasting impression on an incredible number of Army and Air Force personnel and continues to be a leader of iconic status for them.
About Professor Paul Raj
Professor Paulraj taking questions of the audience
Professor Paulraj, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1965 and rose to the rank of Commodore before seeking premature retirement in 1990. In his illustrious career spanning two and half decades, he had many significant achievements. He is the architect of the indigenously designed SONAR APSOH, founder of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at DRDO and the Central Research Laboratories, Bharat Electronics. He also co-founded the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Department of Electronics.
Post retirement, he devoted himself to Academics and Research. He joined the faculty at Stanford University, USA as an Emeritus Professor, in 1993. He has to his credit the world’s two top honours for pioneers in telecommunications technology viz. the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal in 2011 and the prestigious Marconi Prize and Fellowship for 2014, which is considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the field of Information Technology. Dr Paulraj is known as the father of MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output); the idea of using multiple antennas at both the transmitting and receiving stations that is at the heart of high speed WiFi and 4G mobile systems – and has revolutionized high speed wireless delivery of multimedia service for billions of people across the globe. Professor Paulraj is an elected fellow of seven scientific academics including the US National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2010.
