DATE OF BIRTH 14.9.1953
larger photo, 145 KB
1975: Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering (First Class with Distinction), IIT Delhi
1976: MS in Computer Science (equivalent of 4.0 GPA), State University of New York
1987: Doctorate in Applied Control Theory, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
LANGUAGES
Hindi, English, German fluent, French fair (I wrote my PhD thesis in German)
COUNTRIES OF WORK EXPERIENCE USA, Germany, India
1975-76: Teaching Assistant, State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA. Taught Pascal to undergraduates.
1976-79: Project Engineer Trainee, Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany. Designed and tested automation equipment for steel rolling mills. I engineered projects using conventional electrical equipment, hard-wired electronic controls (both analog and digital), programmable controllers and process computers. I underwent extensive training using the latest methods in each of these areas.
1979-82: Project Engineer, Siemens India Ltd., Bombay, India. Marketed and designed, with independent charge, automation systems for many industrial areas, including hydro and thermal power, steel, cement, food, chemical, machine tool and earth-moving.
1982-86: Fellow of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Bochum, Germany. Taught undergraduates and worked on a doctorate.
1987 Managing Director, Indata Private Ltd., New Delhi, India. The company specializes in training, consultancy and software for education, factory automation, online MIS systems and the Internet.
1989-91: President, Indian Section of Amnesty International. I participated in decision-making at an international level, and organized a leadership training workshop and other training programmes for the section.
2000: During the startup phase of the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, I served as honorary director in charge of the IT programme. I was responsible for the design of the curriculum, selection of faculty and some teaching as well.
I am the Chief Technical Officer in Net Radiophony India Private Limited, a company launched in 2000 to promote innovative solutions in rural communications and technology for those with disabilities.
In 1989-91, I was part of Amnesty International's Computer Communications Working Group which set up an international e-mail network, taking into particular account problems related to poor communications networks and lack of resources in developing countries.
I have intensively used the Internet since 1991, and been an active participant (time permitting) in many on-line discussions, such as cpsr-global, the World Bank's INFOCONF, the Internet Society's Internet Societal Task Force (ISTF), the Global Knowledge for Development mailing list, and the Global Learn Day organising team set up by the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Distance Education. I moderate several discussions on the Internet relating to Internet development, and its spread in developing countries.
The discussion lists I moderate include:
In 1994, I was a founder of FREE, the Forum for Rights to Electronic Expression, a telecom watchdog in India ), which was the first attempt in India to run a virtual membership organisation: it only existed as a discussion forum on Fidonet, the countrywide network of electronic bulletin boards around the country. I am currently the President of the Society for Telecommunications Empowerment, which seeks to bring the benefits of modern telecommunications to the poor through technology showcasing, training and policy interventions.
Since the first Global Learn Day webcast in 1997, I have every year organised the Indian portion of this programme. I delivered a keynote address at this event on October 6, 2000.
I have 30 years of experience in designing industrial automation systems, writing software on a variety of platforms, systems analysis, and the management of software projects relating to systems and application programming and software packages. My doctoral project involved the speeding up of a large grab crane, which required me to program an on-line crane simulator, as well as a sophisticated controller for time-optimal control of a fifth-order non-linear system.
Of all the software I have written, pride of place must go to GO! (Graphic Overview) which involved the design and implementation of a programming language that significantly simplifies the hooking up of a PC to any intelligent machine, and the automation of associated tasks, including interface management, data filtering, dynamic graphic displays, alarm annunciation, trend curves, archiving and virtual control desk design. This software was written about in Byte (US, October 1990), Laboratory Equipment Digest (UK, May 1991). PC Quest (India, August 1990) gave it a detailed and highly positive review.
I have serviced a variety of large and small companies and some voluntary agencies with a view to improving their ability to use Information Technology, involving planning, design and implementation of software and automation systems, training and maintenance. My current focus is on the use of the Internet as a strategic resource.
Specifically pertaining to education, I was a leading member of the team in Industrial Development Services that undertook, on behalf of the British Council, a review of eight Regional Engineering Colleges, examining how best these institutes might best introduce interdisciplinary programmes in Information Technology, materials, energy and design, and finance ongoing upgradation. In a GTZ project on behalf of the Union Labour Ministry, I undertook a World-Bank funded study, which, in consultation with the industry, proposed a set of courses for vocational training for women as part of the syllabus of the National Vocational Training Institutes. I also prepared a detailed syllabus and project report for these courses. iN 1999-2000, I assisted Cyber Media (India) Limited through the pre-investment phase in setting up an institute for the training of cyber-journalists.
I have been involved with curriculum development and planning at institutions of computer education, and have taught several courses on advanced techniques in computer programming, particularly relating to ObjectOriented methodologies.
As chairman of the IT Committee of the Delhi Management Association, I organised and sometimes conducted training programmes in IT for all levels of manager and staff. The most successful programmes were an advanced computer literacy course for secretaries and PAs, and an introductory seminar on the Internet for young entrepreneurs.
1976-77 Design of electrical and automation systems for the Blooming and slabbing mill at Kaavian, Iran. It gave me an overview of electrical systems from high-tension to electronic controls.
1978-79 Design of control systems for loopers and strip cooling for the modernisation of the hot strip mill at Rourkela. In this, I further developed my expertise in the use of analog and digital hard-wired controls to solve industrial problems.
1979-82 Marketing of automation systems for the Indian manufacturing and process industries. Typically, this required fairly detailed design of the solution, in order to be able to cost the project accurately, and exposed me to the diverse needs of a variety of industries.
1982-86 Design, implementation and commissioning of a time-optimal controller for a 35ton grab crane at Hamburg, Germany. This work, which formed the basis of my doctoral thesis, involved time-optimisation of a fifth-order non-linear equation and optimal path selection so that the grab does not hit the ship or any equipment on shore.
1987 Consultancy for the Tata Iron and Steel Company on how to effectively employ a process computer for the LD steelmaking shop. The computer was unreliable in accurately predicting the mix raw-material mix that would produce a certain grade of steel. We suggested how modifications in the system to automate data capture from the process would help.
1988 Software for the management of unstructured data, i.e. articles from back issues, for Dataquest, the leading Indian computer magazine.
1988-89 Consultancy relating to market for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in India for Istel, UK, as part of a team at Industrial Development Services.
1989-90 Software development for tank-farm management at Madras Refineries Limited. This involved extensive data communications over a wide area and its on-line processing, graphic display, trending and archiving.
1989-90 I developed the software package GO! (Graphic Overview), for which I wrote over 10,000 lines of object-oriented code. It consists of a group of objects that can be used to automate the on-line acquisition of data from machines or processes, display it with dynamic graphics, archive it, generate alarms and reports. This software was written about in international magazines including PC-Quest and Byte.
1991 Tieup for European marketing of GO! with Kyle Electronic Design, UK.
1991-92 Consultancy project for the British Council on how to help Regional Engineering Colleges modernise, come closer to industry and increase resources, particularly in the area of Information Technology.
1992-93 Computerisation and integration of inventory management, accounts and production scheduling at JayYuhshin Ltd., Gurgaon, a manufacturer of complex automotive parts.
1992- 95 Software and consultancy for database management, quality control and communications for the Centre for Ageing Research, India. This involved the design and implementation of software that would ensure zero-defects in data, and the setting up of electronic communications via the Internet between the Indian centre and their counterparts at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.
1993 Consultancy on optimal usage of Information Technology for the WorldWide Fund for Nature (formerly the World Wildlife Fund), India.
1995 Live transmission of the Pinnacle Awards (equivalent to the American Emmys) and interviews with the winners via Internet Relay Chat.
1995-96 Consultancy to Blue Information Private Limited, who, under contract to UNIDO, developed an expert system for finding optimal competitive strategies for firms.
1996 Developed curricula and designed a project for vocational training for women for the labour ministry as part of a GTZ team on a World Bank funded project.
1997-99 Consultancy for Uncle Chipps on factory automation and ERP
1997 Consultancy to St. Columba's School in the introduction of C++ into the curriculum and in preparation for the Virtual Classroom project.
1998-99 Software for Byte Communications Private Limited for railway schedule displays at railway stations
1998-99 Conceptualized, moderated electronic discussion and conducted a 4-day workshop at Dhaka on "The Internet in South Asia: Opportunities and Realities". An outcome of this workshop was a set of four papers in the Economic and Political Weekly, November 20, 1999.
1998-99 Study on Internet-based community radio in developing countries
1998-99 Participated in the Mosaic Group "Global Diffusion of the Internet Project", handling India and Pakistan.
1999 Consultancy for Cyber Media India Ltd. on setting up a training institute for media professionals in an information age.
2000-2001 Consultancy for Kaleidoscope India, the producers of films such as Bandit Queen and Fire, and TV serials such as Rajdhani, in strategy for entering the field of radio.
Six advanced-level courses conducted at International Informatics Solutions, for their programmers and systems analysts.
A one-semester course conducted at Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, for the students and faculty of the Masters of Computer Applications program.
Four advanced-level courses conducted at Adobe Systems, New Delhi.
A course was conducted at Oberoi Software for their programmers.
Several courses on how to use the Internet, as well as on advanced computer literacy, for the Delhi Management Association
In 1999, I conceptualized and conducted a workshop at Dhaka with invited Internet experts from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan on "The Internet in South Asia: Opportunities and Realities." An electronic discussion preceded and followed this, which was used for identifying issues, circulating and discussing country papers, etc. Several projects to help promote the Net in South Asia emanated from this workshop.
Technology and Competitiveness: The case of Brazilian and Indian Machine Tools , co-authored, Sage Publications, 1993.
1. Industrial Application of time optimal ore-unloader control, World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control, Munich, 1987 (coauthored).
2. Zur Online-Ermittlung von Pendelwinkel und Winkelgeschwindigkeit eines Greiferkrans, Foerdern and Heben, Vol.37, No.6, 1987 (coauthored).
3. Zeitoptimale Steuerung und Regelung eines Greiferkrans, Doctoral Thesis, Ruhr Universitat Bochum, FRG, 1988.
4. Management of Technological Change In Machine Tools - The Case Of PMT Machine Tool Automatics Ltd., UNIDO-ICRIER Workshop, May 1988 (coauthored).
5. Streamlining Manufacturing Through Computers, Dataquest, June 1988.
6. Cutting Down On Energy Costs Using Position Control, Dataquest, July 1988.
7. Computers In Machine Tool Industry, Dataquest, August 1988 (coauthored).
8. Rapid Motion Of People And Goods, Dataquest, September 1988.
9. An Argument For Pascal And Modula-2, Dataquest, September 1988.
10. PLCs And Distributed Digital Control, Dataquest, December 1988.
11. How India Missed The CNC Tools Bus, Business World, December. 7-20, 1988 (coauthored).
12. CNC Systems: How To Catch Up, Business World, December 21, 1988-January 3, 1989 (coauthored).
13. Is FMS suited to India?, Business World, February 1-14, 1989.
14. Competitive Strategies in the international machine tool market, ICPE-HMT seminar, April 26-28, 1989 (coauthored).
15. Managing Hi-Tech in a Developing Country: The Case of Ace Designers and PMT Machine Tool Automatics, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Management of Technology, Miami, USA, March 1990 (coauthored).
16. Technical Animation, PCQuest, July 1990.
17. Object-Oriented Programming with Turbo Pascal 5.5, PCQuest, August 1990.
18. Personal Computers and the Manager, Management Review, Vol,18, 1991-92.
19. Object-Oriented Programming, Dataquest, December 1992.
20. Software Design: Shifting to the Graphic Mode, Dataquest, January 1993.
21. DoT monopoly a threat to electronic media, Pioneer, May 9, 1994.
22. IPRs are out of place in the information age, Pioneer, August 31, 1994.
23. Internetworking: New problems ahead, Economic Times, January 11, 1995.
24. Automatic Monitoring of CNC productivity via PC, presented at the seminar on Productivity Enhancement through Management of CNC Machine Tools at the Indian Machine Tool Exhibition (IMTEX), 1995.
25. The Multimedia PC in a Total Quality Manufacturing Environment, Proceedings of the 5th World Congress on Total Quality, New Delhi, 1995.
26. Radio Free Usenet, Byte, July 1995.http://www.byte.com/art/9507/sec14/sec14.htm
27. Satellite Banking, Wired, March 1996. http://www.hotwired.com/wired/4.03/idees.fortes/banking.html
28. Why India won't sign the Test Ban Treaty, American Reporter, September 24, '96. http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/ctbt.htm
29. With a little bit of intelligence, Financial Express, October 12, 1996. http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/tv_vs_pc.htm
30. Pitching in with the Net, Financial Express, October 26, 1996. http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/cricket.htm
31. Guarding "Pretty Good Privacy", Financial Express, November 16, 1996.
32. Freaks, Geeks and Wierdos on the Net, Financial Express, January 23, 1997.
33. Ringing in the Old -- Is VSNL's ban on Net telephony acceptable?, Business India, October 5-18, 1998.
34. Promoting the Internet in South Asia, Economic and Political Weekly, November 20, 1999.
35. Through an Indian engineer's eyes, Dawn Magazine, November 28, 1999.
36. Combining radio with cable and the Internet, Voices for Change, December 1999.
37. Combining Satellite Broadcasting with the Internet for Community Radio in India, Proceedings of Commsphere 2000, March 2000
38. Convergence -- A Regulatory Headache, Spider (cover story), May 2000.
39. Telecom, Alternative Economic Survey, June 2000.
40. IT in the future of South Asia, Dawn, January 23, 2001.
41. Can I get a foothold in IT?, Hindustan Times Careers (lead article), February 1, 2001.
1. Internet for the masses?, Rakesh Kapoor, Humanscape, June 1999.
2. Dr. Arun Mehta --Technocrat of a high order, S.A. Iqbal, Star Weekend, November 20, 1999.
3. Floating on Sound Waves, Anis Zuberi, The Review, Dawn, Nov 25-Dec 1, 1999.
4. Cable Network set to give a facelift to radio broadcasting for rural India, Frederick Noronha, Financial Express, April 14, 2000.
5. Call for cyber activism, Radhika Sachdev, Hindustan Times, January 17, 2001.
I have have been interview several times in IT-related programmes of different stations, most frequently on "India Talks", a CNBC daily current-affairs programme, and ‘’IT India Tomorrow’’, which is shown on BBC. Since May 2000, on Saturday nights at 10pm, I answer questions from Jain TV's viewers relating to IT. On the same channel Monday nights, I answer such questions in Hindi.
