Internet rules today’s world, and India is nowhere behind. B.K Syngal connected India with the rest of the world through high-speed digital links. The “Telecom Man” was the sole driving force to initiate the emergence of the Indian Software sector which is now a global player. Leaving behind the luxuries of a foreign state only to return to his motherland in 1991 and provide its people the best telecom service ever witnessed by that generation and laid a strong foundation for future years.
Born in Ambala, Punjab Province during British Raj, Brijendra Kumar (BK) Syngal (1940 – 9 July 2022) was acknowledged as the ‘Father of Internet & Data Services in India’. Graduating from IIT Kharagpur, he was an Indian telecommunications executive whose career for over 5 decades included the honorable position of Chairman and Managing Director of VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam), India’s leading provider of telecommunication services, Chairman of Reliance Telecom, and Vice Chairman of BPL Communications. Apart from his role in India, his foreign affairs included the position of chairman of Commonwealth Telecommunications in London, Governor of INTELSAT Board, Washington DC, and Councilor for the INMARSAT Council in London.
Syngal : A Remarkable Personality
Apart from his career, he had a soul of good and a heart to provide. In the early years of globalization, he didn’t let his home stay behind or fail, instead introduced the service and bridged the digital divide between India and the rest of the world. He is also known for his book authored with Sandipan Deb, “Telecom Man: Leading from the Front in India’s Digital Revolution.”
His role didn’t stop with words. He participated in exposing the 2G Spectrum Scam by pointing out that it must be auctioned.
“I had burnt a lot of midnight oil on this and all the hard work had borne fruit. It is indeed a sad story that ‘coalition dharma’ ruled us—country, industry, and citizen be damned. Is that governance?”
His marking words to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, “Look at the share price of the companies in 2001 and look at them now and do the calculations, and you will get another big number. If you applied the multiples at which the spectrum was sold, it will take you to Rs12,000 crore at least. That was what took us to the highest number, adding up all the circles to Rs1,76,000 crore,” gave shivers around and is still remembered and used.
Unofficial Bulldozer
Due to his strong perceptions and fearlessness to overcome any administrative roadblocks, he was unofficially called the “bulldozer”. The perks of being a bulldozer resulted in the expansion and exponential growth of VSNL from a $125 million company in 1991 to a $1.65 billion communications giant by 1998. Introducing the internet in India around 1995 came with its challenges, one ended up in a technological disaster. He claimed it as his own mistake, “I goofed up big time”. But it also ended up in improvements and the formation of VSNL leading to a successful story henceforth.
Nearing the End
A prolonged illness claimed the life of 82-year-old internet expert, BK Syngal. He would always be honored and remembered by his nation, as every soul praises him while using the fastest internet service he introduced.
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