Engineers are the new soldiers on modern-day war field: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu at SRM event
Delivering his keynote address, he drew attention to the importance of technological self-reliance in the modern world and said national sovereignty comes down to technology and self-reliance
(From left to right) Aaruush Team Secretariat Harshit Sharma; Dr. Varshini Karthik, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Aaruush, SRMIST; Dr. Leenus Jesu Martin, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRMIST; Dr. S. Ponnusamy, Registrar, SRMIST; Dr. Sridhar Vembu, Founder and Chief Scientist, Zoho Corporation; Dr. T. R. Paarivendhar, Founder Chancellor, SRM Group; Dr. Sivathanu Pillai A., Chair Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRMIST; Mr. Arun Prakash, Founder and CEO, Guvi Geek Networks; Dr. Nitin M Nagarkar, Pro Vice Chancellor (MHS), SRMIST; Aaruush Team Secretariat Rohit Kumar Singh; Aaruush Team Secretariat Aditya Rai
CHENNAI: When wars are not only fought on the battlefield but also in the realm of technology, engineers are the new soldiers, said Sridhar Vembu, founder and chief scientist of Zoho Corporation. He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the 19th edition of Aaruush, the flagship techno-management fest of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, at its Kattankulathur campus on Wednesday.
Delivering his keynote address, he drew attention to the importance of technological self-reliance in the modern world and said national sovereignty comes down to technology and self-reliance. “We cannot depend on GPS, operating systems, or platforms like ChatGPT, which can be taken away in an instant. That is why we must build on our own.
“Wars today are not fought only on the battlefield but in the realm of technology; engineers are the new soldiers,” he said.
It is important to invest to develop technologies like semiconductors, permanent magnets, advanced compilers, and medical devices, Vembu said. “R&D is not expensive, but it is time-intensive; it requires patience, perseverance, and a culture of continuous learning,” he said.
Padma Bhushan Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO of BrahMos Aerospace and a DRDO and ISRO veteran, was among the guests at the event.
Dr TR Paarivendhar, founder-chancellor of SRM Group, recalled that Vembu had studied at the Nightingale School in West Mambalam during the 1970s and highlighted SRMIST’s commitment to nurturing innovators. “Aaruush is conducted to celebrate the research work done by SRMIST. Our management cannot do everything by itself, which is why we rely on the right set of young minds to set a clear vision and carry it forward,” he said.
