Dewang Mehta
Encyclopedia
Dewang Mehta was the head of NASSCOM
from 1991 to 2001. He is credited with a large portion of India's momentous rise as a "software giant".
Dewang was an alumnus of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Mehta Vidiyalaya, New Delhi of 1976 science batch.
He was a Chartered Accountant
by 1984, though it was clearly not his only calling. Right through his student years, Mehta dabbled in an assortment of work, adding to his skills and professional credentials. Apart from a brief flirtation with journalism and a long-time affair with writing, he also participated in politics. Another passion was computer graphics
and he learnt about this emerging hi-tech segment at the Imperial College London
, where he also had his first encounter with movie and ad film making.
His interest in film making went back to 1977, when on a vacation in his village he was introduced to celebrated director of the “art cinema genre,” Shyam Benegal
. For two months, Mehta worked with Benegal as a spot boy, absorbing the finer nuances of film making and getting a feel of the action behind the camera.
industry veteran Harish Mehta
offered him charge of Nasscom
, an association dedicated to the needs of the fledgling Indian software industry
. Mehta accepted a part-time assignment with the organization that allowed him to pursue his other interests.
The period between 1991-2001 was one of transformation and growth, for both Nasscom and Mehta. Each drew sustenance from the other. As Mehta grew in stature, gaining respect within the Indian ICT sector as an industry leader, Nasscom too began to evolve into an association of substance.
, his cooperative stance with IT-related departments such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the VSNL and more recently, the Ministry of Information Technology, enabled him to gain concessions while other industries struggled.
Recognizing the potential of the software and services segment as a major foreign exchange earner, Mehta launched the India Inc. crusade, where he personally presented the country’s software industry to the world. Today, the software sector has set before itself an enormous ambition of $50 billion worth of software exports by 2008.
Mehta played the role of the guru, to central and state governments, guiding them along the path towards IT-fication. He helped at least 19 state Governments draft their IT policies, and create the requisite infrastructure to aid the cause of software within their realms.
Besides a dream for the software industry, Mehta had a blueprint for the IT industry and how it could be used effectively to change the lives of India’s teeming millions. He wanted the benefits of IT to make its way down to the grass root levels and his favorite slogan, “roti, kapada, makan, bijli and bandwidth” epitomized the needs of the emerging, 21st century Indian.
Mehta died due to heart attack
on 12 April 2001 in a Sydney hotel.
NASSCOM
The National Association of Software and Services Companies of IT software and services related activities for use of both the software developers as well as interested companies overseas....
from 1991 to 2001. He is credited with a large portion of India's momentous rise as a "software giant".
Biography
Dewang Mehta was born on August 10, 1960, in a sleepy hamlet called Umreth, in the interiors of Gujarat, India.Dewang was an alumnus of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Mehta Vidiyalaya, New Delhi of 1976 science batch.
He was a Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
by 1984, though it was clearly not his only calling. Right through his student years, Mehta dabbled in an assortment of work, adding to his skills and professional credentials. Apart from a brief flirtation with journalism and a long-time affair with writing, he also participated in politics. Another passion was computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and he learnt about this emerging hi-tech segment at the Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, where he also had his first encounter with movie and ad film making.
His interest in film making went back to 1977, when on a vacation in his village he was introduced to celebrated director of the “art cinema genre,” Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
. For two months, Mehta worked with Benegal as a spot boy, absorbing the finer nuances of film making and getting a feel of the action behind the camera.
Nasscom Association
The turning point in Dewang Mehta’s life came in 1991 when an old time friend and Information TechnologyInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
industry veteran Harish Mehta
Harish Mehta
Harish Mehta is a journalist, specialist author on Southeast Asian affairs, and historian of American Foreign Relations.- Books :Dr. Mehta has written three books on Cambodia: Hun Sen: Strongman of Cambodia is based on several hours of interviews with Prime Minister Hun Sen, whom the authors have...
offered him charge of Nasscom
NASSCOM
The National Association of Software and Services Companies of IT software and services related activities for use of both the software developers as well as interested companies overseas....
, an association dedicated to the needs of the fledgling Indian software industry
Software industry
The software industry includes businesses involved in the development, maintenance and publication of computer software using any business model...
. Mehta accepted a part-time assignment with the organization that allowed him to pursue his other interests.
The period between 1991-2001 was one of transformation and growth, for both Nasscom and Mehta. Each drew sustenance from the other. As Mehta grew in stature, gaining respect within the Indian ICT sector as an industry leader, Nasscom too began to evolve into an association of substance.
Software Industry Development
Dewang Mehta played an important role in lobbying the Government on behalf of the fledgling Indian software industry. Mehta’s knowledge of the correct people to lobbyLobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
, his cooperative stance with IT-related departments such as the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the VSNL and more recently, the Ministry of Information Technology, enabled him to gain concessions while other industries struggled.
Recognizing the potential of the software and services segment as a major foreign exchange earner, Mehta launched the India Inc. crusade, where he personally presented the country’s software industry to the world. Today, the software sector has set before itself an enormous ambition of $50 billion worth of software exports by 2008.
Mehta played the role of the guru, to central and state governments, guiding them along the path towards IT-fication. He helped at least 19 state Governments draft their IT policies, and create the requisite infrastructure to aid the cause of software within their realms.
Besides a dream for the software industry, Mehta had a blueprint for the IT industry and how it could be used effectively to change the lives of India’s teeming millions. He wanted the benefits of IT to make its way down to the grass root levels and his favorite slogan, “roti, kapada, makan, bijli and bandwidth” epitomized the needs of the emerging, 21st century Indian.
Mehta died due to heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 12 April 2001 in a Sydney hotel.