Indian IT industry pioneer Hemant Sonawala passes away

Hemant Sonawala, one of the founders of the country's IT industry and chairman of Hinditron Group, passed away on May 30 at the age of 78.
Sonawala was one of the founders of the domestic IT industry, having started Hinditron way back in 1966 and its computer division in 1971.
He was also the founder of Digital Equipment India, which later became a part of HP India in 1988.
Digital Equipment India was the first technology IPO in India.
According to a statement from his office issued today, he died last Saturday (May 30). The statement, however, did not specify the reason for his death.

A visionary, he helped lay the foundations on which the industry grew and subsequently had a meteoric rise.
Sonawala was associated with the Computer Society of India, the IEEE, Nasscom, Indo American Chamber of Commerce and Ficci.
The Hinditron Group is engaged in IT, scientific instrumentation and tele-communication services.