It is with profound sorrow that we note the peaceful passing away of Prof B S Sonde on Saturday, the 9 Nov 2019. He was in good health and spirits till the moment of his passing.
Present and past members of Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (ESE) met to condole his passing and remembered various aspects of his life and paid tribute to his graceful and gentle personality, his leadership, his eye for detail, his outstanding teaching, and his great contributions to technical education in India. He is respectfully remembered as the one of the two founders of the department. His vision for creating such a durable entity in the Institute was revered and appreciated.
Prof Sonde was a brilliant student in his early studies and during his research at the Institute. After his PhD, he joined the ECE department and rose quickly to become a full professor. He served IISc in exemplary manner till 1997; as a professor, department chair of CEDT and ECE, chairman of the then Electrical Sciences Division, and the Dean, Engineering. He then served as the vice chancellor of Goa University till 2002. Subsequently, he headed many organizations such as NBA. Apart from many research publications, he published 10 books (including a monograph series of six books) that served as foundation for many courses in Electronics across the country, setting a standard for the curriculum of many universities. He contributed to the management and administration of higher education by writing, guiding, and reviewing the statutes, regulations and other policies of many universities. He guided many students who in turn contributed to the growth of electronics education and industry in the country.
He is fondly remembered and revered for founding the Centre for Electronics Design and Technology (CEDT, renamed later as the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering),in collaboration with the Swiss Government (through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC). His seminal contributions towards Electronics and allied engineering education in India is well known and highly regarded. His enthusiasm for education was such that he took these ideas beyond the shores of India to countries like Thailand.
He is survived by his extremely supportive wife Ms Padma Sonde and his dear daughter Ms Sakura, a practicing architect.
He will be sorely missed by all those whose lives he touched.
