CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN

 Dear IEEE Bangalore Section Fellow Members,

 Please accept my Greetings.  First of all let me thank the nomination committee chaired by Prof. Rajagopal for suggesting my name for the chairmanship of the IEEE Bangalore Section. I wish to thank the nomination committee and the IEEE Bangalore Section on behalf of myself and the executive committee for reposing faith in us.

 Thanks to the pioneering efforts and guidance by my eminent predecessors and the executive committee members, IEEE Bangalore Section achieved great heights both in terms of all around performance (technical, student and membership development) and also receiving various awards from IEEE including the Best Section Award. It is not the Bangalore Section alone which has won awards; individuals like Prof. Rajagopal have also been honored individually.

 Though IEEE Bangalore Section may not be largest section in India, but on account of its technical and professional activities, it is on the forefront not only in India but may be in the whole of Region 10, commensurate with the reputation of Bangalore city, recognized as IT hub/ technological capital / Silicon Valley of India. I feel privileged to have been chosen as Chairman of the IEEE Bangalore Section for the year 2004. Along with my fellow executive committee members, I wish to assure you that we will do our best to take the Bangalore section to greater heights. I solicit your cooperation and active participation in this effort.

 Any professional society's strength lies in its members and volunteers. We are fortunate to have large number of volunteers, who are prepared to rise to the occasion, to do the needful, as and when occasion arise. We do have an evergreen list of volunteers and advisers which includes Prof. Tathachar, Prof. Rajagopal, Prof. Jenkins, Mr. Parameshwaran, Prof. Sankaran, Dr. Shridhar Mitta, Prof. Patnaik and the master of all big events and ceremonies Prof. Khincha, who had so successfully organized the TENCON-2003, wherein we got only compliments and hardly a single adverse comment. We would like to see many more volunteers, both young and young up to even 80+ years, to come forword and associate themselves with the section's activities.

 Our endeavor will be to make IEEE Bangalore Section a broad based society with collaborative programme with other professional bodies having similar objectives and aims. The student activities and membership development programme will be taken up in an aggressive manner, so that the Section strength goes up and more technical personnel come into our fold. Technical lectures, tutorials, interactive programmes with the industries, R&D and academia will be given priority. Efforts will be made to open more society chapters and student branches. Symposiums and tutorials will get a larger attention. We will also have more family meets.

To honor our volunteers we announced last year the IEEE Outstanding Volunteer Award. The same will be continued and more of such recognitions will be added this year. I assure you that we are open to suggestions and new ideas to enlarge and improve our activities. I welcome volunteers and their suggestions.

 Once again I wish to thank the IEEE Bangalore Section for giving me and Executive Committee-2004, a chance to serve the IEEE fraternity.

S. PAL
Chairman, IEEE Bangalore Section