It is my utmost pleasure to have been handed the mantle of leading a truly vibrant institution like C-DAC from my predecessor, Shri S Ramakrishnan following his superannuation. The responsibility and sincerity with which Shri Ramakrishnan had rendered his services to C-DAC has certainly left a vacuum that I hope to fill, with the same zeal and enthusiasm to the best of my abilities.

A large part of the good work has already been done by Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Shri R K Arora and Shri S Ramakrishnan, in building this institution and taking it to great heights. I sincerely wish to follow their footsteps, and live up to the expectations of our clients, collaborators, stakeholders and well-wishers.

C-DAC, today stands at a very exciting phase of its evolution, wherein it has created a niche space for itself in a number of technology domains like High Performance Computing and Grid Computing, Multilingual and Heritage Computing, Software technologies (including Open Source Software), Professional Electronics (including VLSI and Embedded Systems), Cyber Security and Cyber Forensics, Health Informatics and Education & Training. Unlike others, C-DAC has always focussed on the technology challenges thereby enabling it to create a vast base of experience in these areas. What is important here is to exploit our inherent experiences to strengthen our capabilities and consolidate our standing as a leader in the R&D arena.

What remains a fact, however is that an organization can only be as good as its people, and I am thankful for the vast pool of talent that C-DAC can rest its initiatives on. The dynamic nature of technology makes it obvious that the challenges around the corner will continue to test our mettle. At the same time, there is no iota of doubt that we shall overcome them with the same resilience that has made C-DAC a leader among its peers.

At the same time, we cannot forget our legacy and mandate to keep the best interests of the society and the country at heart in our endeavours. Our history dictates our commitment to the common man, and our initiatives must be tuned to enable technologies that can be deployed at the grassroots level. The digital divide in the country must be bridged if technology is to play its destined role in the progressive reality of our times.

While a number of plans may be in the pipeline, we will always require the support of the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, as well as other agencies and collaborators to take them forward. There is a large amount of goodwill and faith that C-DAC has garnered over the years, and it is imperative that we as an institution continue to enhance its stature and reputation.

I look forward to the future with your support, and know that it cannot be anything but bright. Over the days, we will be interacting together for the challenges that lie ahead and I welcome each one of you to come up with suggestions / inputs that can help us evolve further as a unified R&D entity. I reiterate again, my office will always remain open for you.


   Rajan T Joseph