From cracking IED codes in Kashmir to leading India’s defence-tech revolution — Maj Gen Indrabalan on indigenisation, Kargil, and 2047.
In a gripping conversation at Swarajya Conclave, retired Major General Indrabalan (IIT Kharagpur alumnus and Kargil war veteran) recounts how he led India’s first indigenous Counter Remote-Control IED system in 1996–98 — solving the problem by manually cracking 10-digit codes from captured devices without any startup ecosystem to support him. This origin story becomes the frame for a larger argument: that India’s tech sovereignty by 2047 requires embedding military problem-solvers with entrepreneurs, building defence-tech pipelines from within, and trusting indigenous innovation even under combat pressure. A rare blend of battlefield memoir and technology policy thinking.

About the Speakers:
Maj Gen (Retd.) Indrabalan is a Kargil War veteran and a pioneer in counter-remote control IED technology. A decorated military leader and innovator, he also successfully circumnavigated the globe in a yacht without the aid of GPS. He serves as Military Technology Advisor at Amber Wings and is a Trustee Board Member at Unifi Mutual Fund. He holds an MBA from VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur, and a B.Tech from the College of Military Engineering.

Duke Vashisht of Next Leap Consulting specializes in diversification strategies for family businesses, focusing on emerging sectors such as space, digital transformation, and clean energy. He is also a strong advocate for applying the timeless wisdom of ancient Bharat to address the modern global sustainability crisis.