Introduction:
In the bustling corridors of IIT Madras, a quiet revolution has been brewing for decades. At its center stands Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a visionary whose relentless pursuit of affordable technology has transformed India’s tech landscape. From pioneering wireless communication systems to championing electric vehicles, Jhunjhunwala’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and mentorship.
The Spark of Innovation
When Ashok Jhunjhunwala returned to India in 1981 after completing his PhD from the University of Maine, he was confronted with a stark reality. In a country where getting a telephone connection could take years, with millions on waiting lists, the dream of widespread connectivity seemed distant. Rather than being discouraged, Jhunjhunwala saw an opportunity to make a difference.
Born into a Marwari family in Kolkata, Jhunjhunwala’s roots in social service ran deep. His grandfather, a Gandhian and close associate of Vinoba Bhave, had instilled in him a sense of responsibility towards society. This background, combined with his technical expertise, would shape Jhunjhunwala’s approach to innovation throughout his career.
“Almost all companies are deep-tech companies,” Jhunjhunwala often says, encapsulating his vision for India’s technological future. This belief would guide his career, leading him to spearhead innovations that would touch millions of lives.
The TeNeT Group and corDECT Revolution
Shortly after joining IIT Madras, Jhunjhunwala founded the Telecommunications and Computer Networks Group (TeNeT). The group’s mission was clear: to develop indigenous technologies that could solve India’s unique challenges in telecommunications and computing.
In the mid-1990s, Jhunjhunwala and his team at TeNeT embarked on an ambitious project. Their goal was to develop an affordable wireless local loop technology that could bring telephony to 100 million households in just 10 years. This was a daunting task in a country where the waiting list for landline connections ran into millions.
The result of their efforts was corDECT, a breakthrough technology that offered a wireless access solution for telecom networks, integrating both voice and internet services. At a time when imported telecom gear cost ₹40,000 per line and required an Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of ₹1,000 for an operator to break even, corDECT presented a home-grown alternative that was not only more affordable but also more suited to India’s climate and infrastructure challenges.
corDECT was considered to be not only the lowest cost wireless system in the late 90s, but its exchange and base station could work at 55°C and needed less than 10 percent of power as compared to other technologies prevalent at the time. This made it particularly suitable for India’s diverse and often challenging environments.
However, the path to success was far from smooth. “There was a lot of opposition from all quarters,” Jhunjhunwala recalls. Many doubted that an Indian-made piece of high-tech equipment could be a world first. The skepticism was not just from competitors but also from potential users and policymakers.
Despite the skepticism, Jhunjhunwala and his team persevered, driven by their belief in the technology’s potential to revolutionize Indian telecommunications. Their persistence paid off as corDECT began to gain traction, proving that indigenous technology could indeed solve India’s unique challenges.
Building an Ecosystem of Innovation: The IIT Madras Research Park
As Jhunjhunwala continued his work with TeNeT, he began to recognize a fundamental challenge in India’s innovation landscape. There was a significant gap between academia and industry, with little collaboration between the two. Industries often preferred to import knowledge and technology rather than invest in indigenous R&D. This resulted in products and services that were often unaffordable for a large section of Indian society.
Recognizing that individual innovations, no matter how groundbreaking, were not enough to drive sustained technological progress, Jhunjhunwala set his sights on a more ambitious goal: creating an ecosystem where industry and academia could collaborate to drive innovation.
This vision led to the conception of the IIT Madras Research Park, a project that faced its own set of challenges. For years, Jhunjhunwala was told there was no land available for such a venture. It seemed that his dream of creating a space for industry-academia collaboration might remain just that – a dream.
However, a chance encounter changed everything. During a flight, Jhunjhunwala found himself seated next to the then chief secretary of the Tamil Nadu state government. This chance meeting led to a brief audience with the then Chief Minister, the late Jayalalithaa. Impressed by Jhunjhunwala’s vision, she granted approval for the land and initial funding for the park.
The journey didn’t end there. Despite changes in the state government, Jhunjhunwala’s persistence ensured that the project moved forward. Today, the IIT Madras Research Park stands as a testament to Jhunjhunwala’s perseverance and vision. Spanning 1.2 million square feet across two phases built on 11.42 acres, the park has incubated about 350 tech startups and facilitated partnerships with some 150 Indian and foreign companies.
The Research Park has become a crucible for deep-tech innovation, nurturing startups that are collectively valued at around ₹45,000 crore. It hosts R&D centers of major corporations like Saint Gobain and Pfizer, creating an environment where industry professionals, academics, and students can interact and innovate together.
Perhaps most impressively, the Research Park has achieved financial sustainability. Despite initial loans and grants, it has paid back every rupee with interest, demonstrating that such collaborative spaces can be both intellectually and financially viable.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Innovators
Throughout his career, Jhunjhunwala has worn many hats – researcher, innovator, entrepreneur – but perhaps his most significant role has been that of a mentor. His approach to mentorship is deeply rooted in his belief in the potential of Indian innovation and the importance of affordability.
Under Jhunjhunwala’s guidance, the IIT Madras ecosystem has produced several successful startups. Uniphore, a conversational AI company that became a unicorn in 2022, and Ather Energy, one of India’s leading electric scooter makers, are just two examples of companies that have benefited from his mentorship.
Jhunjhunwala’s mentorship extends beyond just providing technical guidance. He instills in his mentees the importance of creating solutions that are not just technologically advanced but also affordable and relevant to the Indian context. This philosophy has led to the development of numerous innovations, from low-cost ATMs to affordable electric vehicles.
His impact as a mentor has been so significant that TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) conferred upon him the title of Dronacharya – a nod to the legendary guru from Indian mythology – for his contributions to entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, the IITM Incubation Cell and Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI) have nurtured more than 240 companies.
Driving the Electric Vehicle Revolution
In recent years, Jhunjhunwala has turned his attention to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: sustainable transportation. Since 2016, he has been leading efforts to bring electric vehicles (EVs) to India, mentoring several startups and groups to develop new batteries and EV models.
True to his philosophy of affordability, Jhunjhunwala’s approach to EVs focuses on making them accessible to the masses. He recognized that the high costs of EVs, which often require considerable subsidies to become affordable, were a significant bottleneck for their adoption in India.
To address this challenge, Jhunjhunwala and his team have come up with multiple innovations. His innovations in this field include reducing battery sizes, developing battery swapping technologies, and creating zero-effluent recycling processes for spent Li-ion batteries. These efforts aim to not only make EVs more affordable but also more suitable for Indian conditions and usage patterns.
One of the unique approaches Jhunjhunwala has championed is the use of smaller batteries for EVs. Recognizing that many Indian households consume only about 0.5 to 3kWh of electric energy in a day (compared to 20 to 100 kWh in developed economies), he proposed that EVs could be designed with smaller, swappable batteries. This approach could significantly reduce the upfront cost of EVs, making them more accessible to a broader segment of the population.
Solar DC: Another Game-Changing Innovation
While working on EVs, Jhunjhunwala also turned his attention to another critical area: renewable energy. He invented a solar-DC technology that uses rooftop solar to supplement the grid and directly provide DC power to homes. This innovation was driven by the realization that solar produces DC power, batteries store and release DC power, and most modern appliances (like LEDs, fans, and electronics) use DC power.
By eliminating the need for frequent power conversions, Jhunjhunwala’s solar-DC system achieves higher efficiency – a crucial factor in a country where every watt of power matters. The smaller size and weight of these systems have enabled their deployment in close to 50,000 homes in difficult terrains such as mountains and deserts, where the power grid is either absent or unreliable.
This innovation has played a significant role in supporting the Indian government’s goal of delivering electricity to every home, demonstrating once again how Jhunjhunwala’s work aligns with national priorities and societal needs.
Timeline of Key Events
- 1953: Born in Kolkata
- 1981: Joins IIT Madras as faculty after completing PhD from University of Maine
- 1980s: Establishes the TeNeT (Telecommunications and Computer Networks) Group at IIT Madras
- Mid-1990s: Develops corDECT wireless local loop technology
- 2002: Awarded Padma Shri for his work on Wireless Communication Systems
- 2006: Conception of IIT Madras Research Park
- 2010: Begins focus on solar decentralization and DC power solutions
- 2016: Starts leading efforts in electric vehicle development
- 2017-2018: Serves as Principal Advisor to Minister of Power, MNRE, and Railways, Government of India
- 2022: Uniphore, incubated at IITM Research Park, becomes a unicorn
Lessons in Innovation and Mentorship
Ashok Jhunjhunwala’s journey offers valuable lessons for aspiring innovators and mentors:
1.Focus on affordability: Innovation should not just be about creating cutting-edge technology, but about making it accessible to the masses. Jhunjhunwala’s work consistently demonstrates that affordable solutions can have the most significant impact.
2.Persevere in the face of skepticism: Many of Jhunjhunwala’s most successful projects, from corDECT to the Research Park, faced initial doubts and opposition. His persistence in the face of these challenges was key to their eventual success.
3.Create ecosystems, not just products: Jhunjhunwala’s greatest legacy may be the innovation ecosystem he has helped build at IIT Madras. By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, he has created a platform for sustained innovation.
4.Mentor for impact: Jhunjhunwala’s approach to mentorship goes beyond technical guidance. He encourages his mentees to think about the broader impact of their innovations on society.
5.Align innovation with national priorities: Throughout his career, Jhunjhunwala has focused on challenges that are critical to India’s development, from telecommunications to renewable energy and electric vehicles.
6.Embrace interdisciplinary approaches: Jhunjhunwala’s work spans multiple domains, from telecom to energy to transportation. This interdisciplinary approach has allowed him to bring fresh perspectives to each field.
As India continues its journey towards becoming a global technology hub, the lessons from Ashok Jhunjhunwala’s career serve as a valuable guide. His story reminds us that with vision, perseverance, and a commitment to affordability, it’s possible to drive technological revolutions that benefit millions.
Jhunjhunwala’s journey from a young professor returning to India to a key figure in the country’s technological landscape is a testament to the power of innovation rooted in local needs and contexts. As he continues to mentor the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, his impact on India’s tech ecosystem is set to grow even further, shaping the future of technology not just in India, but potentially across the developing world.
