Reviews from Distinguished Professionals
“In the early part of my career, when I worked for the GEC Research Laboratories at Wembley and was on the Electronics Goup of the UK Institute of Physics, I studied helical slow-wave structures for travelling-wave tubes. 20 years later this early pioneering work was taken up by Baidyanath Basu. I was privileged to correspond with him and to meet him in London for technical discussions and in due course he became a world expert on the subject. It has been a pleasure to know him and to follow his career as he has achieved eminence in the field of vacuum electronic devices both in India and around the world.”
“Professor B.N. Basu, whose academic and research credentials need no introduction or testimonials, has been more a family member than a colleague and friend to me for four decades now. His contribution, in particular, to the Department of Electronics Engineering at IIT-BHU and to the Microwave Engineering community of India, in general, is exemplary which is manifested in many awards, laurels and accolades he has received from time to time during his active career and even after. Professor Basu, I recall, joined our Department taking lien from Regional Institute of Technology (RIT) (now known as National Institute of Technology), Jamshedpur to serve a DOE-sponsored R&D project on basic research and development of high power microwave tubes. He sincerely worked for the cause of the project, and Professor R.K. Jha of the Department pursued the Government of Bihar to extend his lien though for a limited period of time. I persuaded Professor Basu to stay back at BHU leaving his lien at RIT and I am happy that he did it and served BHU till his retirement. I wish Professor Basu long healthy life enabling him continue contributing to his fraternity.”
“Professor Baidyanath Basu, has been truly an educator in the area of the vacuum electronic devices community during his entire life. One can not talk about education in vacuum electronics without mentioning him.” “I’ve known him since the year of 1999 serving as a technical committee member of vacuum electronics in IEEE Electron Devices Society together. As a younger professor I always ask various issues on teaching next generation. I had a strong impression that he has committed himself to it. He has a heart.” “As a Conference Chair of International Vacuum Electronics Conference (IVEC), held in Korea in the year of 2003, of course, I invited him as a distinguished lecturer for mini-course organized right after IVEC2003. He did an excellent job to deliver a lecture on traveling-wave tube to graduate students and researchers. After the conference, I invited him again to Seoul National University as a visiting professor for a month for lectures. I learned a lot from him not only for the attitude of educator but also a way of teaching that time. I also was so much impressed his ability to be patient with students and detailized the writing with students.” “One can find out his efforts to motivate the students finding his textbook titled ‘Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics’ (World Scientific; Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong; 1996). (Full text available by searching “B. N. Basu” in Google search). I am sure this thoroughly written textbook will be read by students and researchers around the world. One can find many books written for the researchers but rarely find the textbook for students like this. I can read Professor Basu’s mindset to education by the book he wrote, titled ‘Technical Writing’.”
“It is a proud privilege for me to remain associated with Professor B.N. Basu for about five decades and this association started at CSIR-CEERI, Pilani when he joined the team TWT of CEERI which I was leading under the guidance of Dr. S.S.S. Agarwala. He was a member of our team credited for developing the first ever TWT in India. Later on, Professor Basu joined Banaras Hindu University. Professor Basu is internationally renowned for his immense contribution to the area of electromagnetics. He has been the key figure in electromagnetic analysis of slow-wave and fast-wave interaction structures, and his analysis has helped a lot in the design and development of various vacuum electron devices in India and abroad. In addition, in the first ever Indian gyrotron developed in India, he played a key role. He also had a major role in establishing various international collaborations in the development of vacuum electron devices in India. Professor Basu is a great motivator and I express my best wishes to him in his endeavours in enthusing young researchers.”
“I am very familiar with the major scientific achievements of Prof. Basu. He is the author of a leading book in the field of vacuum electronics, Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics, published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Inc., Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong (1996). This book was based on Prof. Basu’s lectures at the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. The book is a remarkable and very clear explanation of the physical principles of vacuum electron devices approached from a fundamental physics point of view. This book shows that Prof. Basu has achieved a very deep understanding of vacuum electron devices. This deep understanding must have been conveyed directly to the students who both benefited from the books content and helped to contribute to such a masterful work.” “Prof. Basu’s record of publications in the field should be considered as a remarkable achievement. Prof. Basu and coworkers / students wrote a series of papers during the 1980s and 1990s that added greatly to our knowledge and understanding of vacuum electronics. In the 1980s when I served as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, I received an exceptionally well written and interesting paper from Prof. Basu about every six months. Looking over Prof. Basu’s publication record, I would conclude that he has written the largest number and most important papers on slow wave vacuum electron devices in the past two decades. I know that under Prof. Basu’s leadership, Banaras Hindu University became one of the leading centers in the world for education and research on vacuum electronics.”
“My real introduction with the personality of Prof. B N Basu was through his overflowing affection towards me when he was the first person to send his words of appreciation regarding my humble book entitled "Microwave Engineering--Fundamentals Design and Applications; published in 2016 by Universities Press. Prof. Basu was a classmate of our revered microwave teacher Prof. P K Saha at the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta. I met personally Prof. Basu in AKTU, Lucknow in June 2019 in connection with the Faculty Development Program on Advances in Microwave Engineering . His broad-heartedness, depth of knowledge and his fatherly behavior to everyone made me his disciple.”
“It is my proud privilege to be associated with Prof. BN Basu professionally and personally for a period of over four decades. His eminence as a great scholar and teacher in the area of vacuum electron devices (VEDs) and electromagnetics is well known. He is revered as the ultimate Guru by a large number of scientists, engineers, researchers and academicians in India and abroad alike. I had a wonderful opportunity to be with him at Lancaster University, UK as visiting Scientist fellow in 1993. The experience gave me a chance to get acquainted to other dimensions of his personality which includes great love for literature and fine arts, ability to forge friendship in a very short time with people irrespective of age, gender and nationality and immense care for the people around him. I remember him being specially invited by Prof. DT Swift-Hook, another pioneer in VEDs, for a personal meeting at London during this visit. I was fortunate to have him as my mentor during my doctoral work at IIT-BHU as an external researcher from CSIR-CEERI, Pilani.”
“On looking behind towards my professional career, I find my research temperament and achievements are only due to Professor B. N. Basu. He not only motivated me but also nurtured in me a love and joy for doing good work with positive mindset. He is solely responsible for mentoring and shaping my career which I could achieve today. His continuous selfless effort, hard work and dedication always inspire me and provide a lot of energy to do more good for academics. I sincerely and deep from my heart pay my gratitude for his constant guidance and motivation.”
“Professor B.N. Basu is a well known stalwart from Banaras Hindu University and a distinguished fatherly figure in the area of Microwave Tubes in India. He is an excellent teacher, researcher, mentor, motivator, and so on. I am privileged to be his first PhD student-still maintaining both personal and professional interactions with him. His guidance for a first-time researcher is unique in that it goes long way in motivating the researcher to become a true researcher and scientific leader in life. I have lifetime experience of writing with him a good number of research papers in reputed journals. Down to earth, polite in nature, and ever ready to help others in their pursuits, Professor Basu is a good human being.”
“I feel too short of dictum to express my sense of gratitude to my teacher and Guru, Professor BN Basu. He taught me the basics of field theory. His two technical reports on helix TWTs ((i) CSIR-CEERI-IR-01/VT/78: B. N. Basu and S. N. Joshi: Equivalent circuit analysis of a helix in free space; and (ii) CSIR-CEERI-IR-02/VT/78: B. N. Basu: Field analysis of dielectric supported and shielded sheath helix) are very much useful for beginners in the subject. I did these derivations diligently before starting my field theory analyses during my initial days at CEERI, Pilani. I am immensely benefited through his teachings. I owe a lot to him.”
“I began my professional career at CSIR-CEERI, Pilani with Professor B.N. Basu whilst he was there though for short stint. His two internal reports [(i) CSIR-CEERI-IR-01/VT/78: B. N. Basu and S. N. Joshi: Equivalent circuit analysis of a helix in free space; and (ii) CSIR-CEERI-IR-02/VT/78: B. N. Basu: Field analysis of dielectric supported and shielded sheath helix] inspired me to work further with him. The basics of the analysis of helical structure uncovered in these reports, to me, are substantial enough and very much helpful in the development of any theory on helix TWTs. Subsequently, I interacted with Professor Basu during his frequent visits to CEERI as CSIR Distinguished Visiting Scientist on broadbanding aspects of helix TWTs for electronic warfare applications. My work under his able guidance involved the characterisation of helical structure with respect to its dispersion and interaction impedance versus frequency characteristics. This interaction not only strengthened my mathematical skills but motivated me to become the progenitor of four publications in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices with him as my guiding co-author. In my opinion, Professor Basu is not only my guru but also the International Microwave Guru. Even though I have been mostly working in the area of electron emitters for vacuum electron devices, I still have the zeal to work with Professor Basu-even though I am retired from CEERI now-to enrich my knowledge in microwave devices and analytical techniques for their understanding.”
“Prof. B.N. Basu – a simple, unique and down-to-earth person – has been a torch bearer for me since my early days of Doctoral research. His is an ideal teacher who greatly emphasized on moral principles to shape my life academically and socially. I still remember his words – I want to see a series of independent publications from you – during my days spent in the Department of Electronics Engineering, Institute of Technology (presently IIT), Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi, India). Those words, indeed, motivated me a lot for making more and more contributions to the research community.”
“During my long association over last 30 years with Professor BN Basu since my post-graduation days at the Banaras Hindu University, I learnt from him several topics of electromagnetics, artof-writing and above all the art-of-living. I was fortunate to learn from a great Karmayogi like him (दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः वीतरागभयक्रोध:) the art of performing the duties as assigned to me (यथा नियुक्त: अस्मि तथा करोमि). An ardent follower of the philosophy of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda, he strongly believed that “education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man” and practised it thoroughly in his teaching towards un-wrapping the talents in his students. Teaching of abstract topics of electromagnetics has been so natural to him that we started understanding and loving it, making his teaching ‘non-solenoidal’ in true sense by shaping us as ‘negative-divergence systems’ during the student phase of our life and slowly graduating towards ‘positive-divergence systems’ during performing phase of our life – without our knowledge he first converted us to ‘sinks’ and then transformed us to effective ‘sources’. This is the natural phenomenon as to how a galactic star is born. He has been instrumental in grooming a whole galaxy of MVED-Stars in India and abroad (तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति). He has transformed many of us from ‘point-form’ to ‘integral-form’ over an in-homogeneous medium of personal, professional and social life with his teachings of morale and values bridging the ‘continuity’, and has been motivating and guiding us in practising ‘sinking and sourcing in continuum’ in order to enrich the scientific heritage and social fabric of our motherland. Many thanks and gratitude to Professor Basu, my PhD mentor, for his constant motivation and guidance. I feel proud and privileged to be having the opportunity of learning under his tutelage”
“It gives me immense pleasure in writing about a legendary in the field of vacuum electronic devices (VEDs)¾Professor B.N. Basu¾whom I have known for more than a decade. Professor Basu is the most easy going and approachable person of eminence I have come across. He has devoted his life to the society of VED and has been still active and contributing significantly contributing to the society. In recent years, for the benefit of the VED community, Professor Basu has authored a book titled "High Power Microwave Tubes, Vols-I & II", with Dr. Vishal Kesari as his co-author. He has also to his credit in recent years numerous technical papers including those in IEEE Transactions. One of the members of the editorial board of Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications (JEMWA), Professor Basu guest-edited Special Issue on Microwave Tubes and Applications of JEMWA (Issue 17, Vol. 31, 2017; Taylor and Francis). He is indeed a source of inspiration in academics for the younger generation.”
“I have the fortune of being associated with Professor B.N. Basu since 2005. My close interaction with him, however, happened in the year 2013 at Seoul, where I was working on my Ph. D thesis at Seoul National University (SNU) as a sponsored candidate from CSIR-CEERI, Pilani. In fact, Professor Basu endorsed my application for admission into the doctoral programme at SNU. His depth of knowledge, teaching methodology and, above all, his humble and helping nature is exemplary. He continues to encourage and motivate us with his positive attitude. His keen interest in recent trends in vacuum electronic devices (VEDs) and thrust for developing the relevant concepts, even today at his advanced age, is indeed very encouraging. I believe that he, as a great researcher and teacher, has contributed immensely to building intellectual asset for VED Society as well as the nation. Thanks to Professor Basu for always showing us the right direction and motivating us!.”
“I am remembering my golden days as a postgraduate student in 2004 at Electronics Department in IIT-BHU, when I got the chance to attend the classes of Professor B. N. Basu, and came to know about the extending horizon of microwave tubes encompassing fast-wave tubes. He is the person who inspired, guided and shaped me to decide my carrier as a ‘researcher’. Since my joining CSIR-CEERI, Pilani in 2005, Professor Basu has been constantly motivating, guiding and mentoring me and our ‘team plasma’ at CEERI to successfully develop plasma assisted microwave tubes and their parts-in particular, plasma cathode electron gun in 2007 and 'PASOTRON' in 2012. Professor Basu nurtures students like his own children. His inspiring and touching words inspire one and all and to me they are like "Srimadbhagwatgeeta"! He has not only mentored me in my research but also guided my family to support me in my research like a father would do. Whatever we are today in the domain of research would not have been possible but for his valuable guidance and monitoring.”
“An internationally renowned figure in the field of electromagnetics and microwave engineering and a man with extremely positive and amicable personality. I personally feel blessed because of the opportunity of association with this great personality.”
“Professor B. N. Basu: My memories of Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea because, I could attain lecture of Prof. B N Basu as a guest faculty at SNU. The courses he taught—electron beam dynamic— which is in many respects the most technically complex compared to any part of the microwave active devices. He is exceptionally articulate, able to express in clear, plain language even the most erudite and complex notions accounting for the formulations in the mathematical derivations. He is sympathetic towards his students, able to diagnose the reasons for difficulties they had in understanding the subject. A good teacher helps you pass your exams and a great teacher influences who you become. I must say he is a great teacher.”
“Prof. B. N. Basu, an ideal teacher, a complete researcher, a musicophile of Indian classical music, is an institution of himself. He is an inspiration of generations of Indian researchers working in the field of Vacuum Electron Devices.”
“I did not come across within my limited purview any other academician who is as helpful as Professor Basu is in motivating us to do research and writing its fallout in the form of research papers.”
“It is really very surprising to see how Professor Basu (sir) even in his advanced age has been so active in his academic and research work and travelling so much for the cause. It is even more surprising to see that he makes constant effort to fully update himself in latest happenings in the area of his research. He taught me the art of doing good work and paying attention to its finer details. I am wondering if someone among us should take initiative in writing a memoir on his biography.”
“Prof BN Basu is an expert of microwave technology. He has earned world fame through his keen research and given immense contribution in the field of microwaves specially in TWTs. He has guided lots of students, enlightened them to be a good researcher and helped them in paving their paths to success. He is a pure gem who worked dedicately and truly for his entire life and imparts his knowledge to others. He is always friendly, supportive and encouraging to their students. Despite of being such a huge personality, his politeness inspires us to become not only a good researcher but also a good human being also. We are all grateful to God to have him in our lives.”
“One of the finest teachers in the world, a philosopher, a well wisher for everyone, a man of symbol of integrity, a proprietor of great sense of humour, a music lover ― a telegraphic introduction of Professor B. N. Basu (TWT man of India). His mentoring truly had a positive impact in my academic and personal life. I would like to thank almighty for giving me a chance to get contiguity of sir.”
“Professor BN Basu is a renowned name in the field of electromagnetic field theory and vacuum elctron devices. He has contributed so much to the research institutes and universities as a professor, mentor and researcher. He is a perfect blend of pure mind and soul. He has achieved a lot in his research career and guided his juniors or students to become better researchers. He connects very easily with people of all ages because of his humble nature. He is a perfect example of a person having immense knowledge and sparkling personality and an inspiration to everyone.”
“Prof. B. N. Basu is known to every researcher in the field of vacuum electron devices because of his book “Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics (World Scientific, Singapore/New Jersey/London/Hong Kong, 1996)”. This book is a reflection of Prof. Basu’s erudition and his innate ability to explain every concept from first principles. I have consulted Prof. Basu’s book on numerous occasions in my research career and will continue to do so. However, apart from the book, I also got the privilege to learn and consult from Prof. Basu in person on the subject matter related to electromagnetics. In my opinion, he is one of the rare educators who can actually make study of electromagnetics enjoyable. Due to this, Prof. Basu is considered an authority in the field of vacuum electronics and one of the most sought after teacher, not just in India but across the world. Prof. Basu dedicated his life to the exploration of scientific principles and encouraged and motivated numerous students to work in the field of vacuum electronics. He has been able to affect so many lives in his career because Prof. Basu, apart from being an eloquent educator is also a very compassionate person. He is one of those rare personalities who not just teaches but also cares whether one has learned or not. I congratulate Prof. Basu for his glorious achievements and thank him for allowing me to be an insignificant part of his extraordinary pedagogical journey.”
“It is my great pleasure to get acquainted with a world famous scientist and great teacher Professor B.N. Basu. I met him first in the year 2016 during the celebration of Durga Puja (worship of the Goddess Durga) at CSIR-CEERI, Pilani, where I had been carrying out my M. Tech dissertation work and he happened to visit as an examiner of a Ph.D viva-voce examination. Following this, I got an opportunity to visit nature’s playground Darjeeling for sightseeing, accompanied by Professor Basu and his wife whom, in the mean time, I started calling as ‘Jethima’ (wife of elder brother of one’s father). That was most memorable a trip for me giving me an occasion to see the various facets of ‘B.N. Basu’ outside the regime of electromagnetic theory, TWT, pasotron or gyrotron. I am lucky that I got this opportunity which would perhaps very a few would get. Professor Basu as well as Jethima was so warm, kind and energetic that made me comfortable all the way in this trip. While interacting with Professor basu in connection with the creation of this Website, I became astonished by seeing his energy and fervour towards work, always available to help whether it was 2 AM or 6 AM. I enjoyed working with him and learnt many a thing from him! Thank you very much, Professor Basu, for your eagerness to help and support me always whether it is a trip for sightseeing or my journey through the various lanes of research.”
“I corresponded with Dr. Basu on a number of occasions during my service as an Editor of Trans ED from 1994 to 1999. Dr. Basu was a frequent contributor to Trans ED in that period and one of my most dependable reviewers. This is all the more remarkable, considering that this took place before the widespread use, internationally, of electronic mail. Manuscripts frequently arrived in plastic bags containing the salvaged remnants of the original envelopes. However, the dog eared pages always contained Dr. Basu’s thoughtful comments and timely advice to the authors. In late 1997 I was asked by EDS to organize the Technical Committee on Vacuum Devices. Because of his service as a reviewer and being aware of his technical contributions to our field, I invited Dr. Basu to become a charter member of the committee. He served in that capacity from 1998 to 2003. During that period, the Technical Committee organized IVEC, which has become the premier international conference in the field of vacuum devices. Dr. Basu was the first person to advocate in 2003 that IVEC be sited in India..... Dr. Basu’s has over the span of his career produced a considerable body of published work. His contributions to the analysis and design of vacuum electron devices are frequently cited in the literature.”
“Professor B. N. Basu is an internationally acclaimed eminent scientist whose pioneering contributions have enriched the vast field of Vacuum Electronics and High-Power Microwaves. He continues to be remarkably active as a researcher as well as an author of excellent books. He has mentored innumerable students and mobilised many R&D projects in various institutions in India. I am both fortunate and proud to be his friend for more than 50 years.”
“I have been fortunate to have Professor Baidyanath Basu as one of my juniors in the Radiophysics and Electronics Alumni Community. Although I came to know him only when he was an established expert in microwave tubes, our bond grew so rapidly that I feel I have known him for ever! Besides being an authority in his subject, Baidyanath, whom I fondly call 'Baidyi', is a great human being, with all the good qualities that a human being can aspire for. I wish him long life, contributing to the field, and acting as an inspiring mentor to his students and all who come in contact with him.”
“Professor Basu is an eminent professor in the field of electromagnetics and electron beam-wave interaction in vacuum electron devices. I interacted with him on various occasions as a co-professional and also with some of his students. I had the opportunity to hear him addressing his peers and professionals. I could recognise his command as a teacher in imparting knowledge to his students. I understand that he taught the abstract topic of electromagnetics in such a clear and understandable way that the topic seemed very interesting and enthused students to explore further. I had chances to evaluate some doctoral theses of his PhD students, which reflected his skill of teaching. His book Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics, (World Scientific 1996), that embodies a life-time experience in teaching and research in electromagnetics and beam-wave interaction in slow-wave and fast-wave electron-beam devices, is highly useful to students and researchers.”
“Professor Basu has made a tremendous impact towards education in vacuum electronic devices. His fundamental textbook Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics (World Scientific, Singapore, 1996) has made a tremendous impact in the curricula in vacuum electronics in universities across the globe. He has strived to establish linkages with universities and institutes in India and all over the world. Many of his graduates have established themselves in prominent laboratories in the West.”
“I consider myself privileged to have known Prof. B.N. Basu, with whom I have shared a relation of mutual professional regard and exchanges on national technological issues and humane concerns. We joined CSIR-CEERI in the same batch. Though Prof. Basu’s stay at CSIR-CEERI was quite short, but his deep scientific and technological engagement with the Microwave Devices Division of CSIR-CEERI continued with full vigour and with a rare sense of belonging for his “former’ organization. Prof. Basu strengthened the design culture of Microwave Tubes in CSIR-CEERI, and contributed to its taking deep roots in the country by guiding many Ph.D. students and professionals and mentoring and encouraging many practicing professionals in this area from across the spectrum of research, academic and industrial institutions in the country. His contributions have manifested in the development of a range of TWTs for ISRO and DRDO, through CSIR-CEERI and MTRDC, and the development of the first Gyrotron in the country. His work has been globally recognized through his more than one hundred excellent research publications, multiple international visiting invitations, his role as a reviewer of leading journals and through his four books. He really stands among the tallest in his field in his generation. Equally important are his humane concerns and the loving and motivational relationship he has maintained with younger scientists across institutions. I personally know that Prof. Basu’s visits to CSIR-CEERI and interactions with him used to be eagerly awaited by one and all. That is why I consider myself truly privileged to have him as a friend.”
“I (Zhaoyun Duan) contacted Professor B. N. Basu who is a world-class scientist in the vacuum electronics in 2005 via email when I was an Assistant Professor at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC). I clearly remembered that Professor B. N. Basu was very zealous for me, a foreign young man. He motivated and guided me to accurately analyze the helix slow-wave structure with an attenuator using the tape model based on his pioneering work: P. K. Jain and B. N. Basu, ‘A theory of the attenuator-coated helical slow- wave structure of a traveling-wave tube’ , IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 35, no. 10, pp. 1750–1757, Oct. 1988. Thus, I published my first IEEE Trans. Electron Devices paper, co-authored by him, in 2006. It was my great honor to invite Professor B. N. Basu to teach a short course for our graduate students at UESTC in 2018. His lectures greatly benefited the students. Now, we are collaborating to explore the emerging metamaterial-inspired vacuum electron devices and have already published three IEEE Trans. papers together.”
“I got to know Professor Basu over the publication of his book, Engineering Electromagnetics Essentials. His ability to guide the narrative so that the reader always gets the larger picture in spite of the complexities of the finer details is a testimony to the intense connect he has with his students and teaching profession. I found his almost reverential regard for the power of language in ‘communicating right’ infectious and motivating. So too his proud and happy acknowledgement of the achievements his students—unstintingly provided—and his disarming way of considering even somewhat incongruous suggestions with humility and emerging with winning solutions!.”
“Professor B. N. Basu has made extremely important contributions to education and research in the area of electromagnetics, especially as applied to the topic of vacuum electron devices. His contributions span more than five decades of dedicated and inspiring work. During this period, he has taught thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students, run a Master’s program at BHU (Benaras Hindu University), supervised scores of Ph.D. and Master’s students, and delivered numerous lectures and talks, both in and outside India. He has written an internationally acclaimed book, ‘EM Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics’. Since my research is also in the field of vacuum electron devices, I am personally aware of how valuable his book has been, since its publication in 1995, to students and researchers in this field. He has closely collaborated with research labs, both in and outside India, working in this field. Although the field of vacuum electron devices is very important for defense and airborne applications, it faces a shortage of trained manpower and innovative scientists. In view of this, his multi-pronged contributions in this field are even more significant. It is very inspiring that he continues to advise students and scientists to this day. I wish him many more years of scientific contributions and guidance to the research community.”
“I know him (Professor Basu) for more than 30 years since my masters’ days in Department of Electronics Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. I feel proud to be one of the members of the august group that was fortunate to have a personality like Professor Basu as the teacher. I did my masters dissertation and doctoral work under his tutelage.” “Professor Basu, an ardent lover of Indian classical music, always compared electromagnetic formulation with a musical composition. He taught us to realize that electromagnetics is not just a subject, it is rather a language for composition like music and one can always compose eternal themes with it.” “Professor Basu has a unique way of teaching which made him a teacher par excellence. He was so simple and easy in explaining the most difficult concepts of electromagnetics, electron dynamics and beam-wave interaction that it never occurred to us that we were learning some advanced and abstract topics, rather we started understanding and loving it. His book “Electromagnetic Theory and Applications in Beam-Wave Electronics” is the embodiment of his depth and simplicity.” “He also has taught us as to how a technical material is to be documented for effective dissemination of the idea / concept. His skill and knowledge in technical writing is well appreciated by IEEE itself by including his name in the golden list of IEEE-ED for his contribution in reviewing manuscripts for IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. His life-long experience in technical writing and editing is reflected in his book entitled "Technical Writing" (published by Prentice-Hall of India) written with the aim of educating young students, scientists and engineers about how to write theses and papers. As an MVED professional today, hardly I can resist myself to express that the command in the subject he acquired in the MVEDs has contributed greatly in grooming a whole generation of MVED experts in India and abroad.” “The most encouraging part of his teaching, what we still try to imbibe in ourselves, is that he still sits before us as a student with his unquenchable thirst for knowledge. This makes us to think and improve further.”
“Professor B.N. Basu is one of my esteemed long-time friends, whom I met at the start of my career as a Scientist at CEERI, Pilani. Our common background in plasma devices was the icebreaker. Though his stint at CEERI was short, he continued his research on travelling-wave tubes and other devices. During his subsequent visits to CEERI as CSIR Distinguished Scientist, I collaborated with him on modelling of broadband helix slow-wave structures and other topics. His support as a reviewer to my projects on the first Indian: Ceramic-Metal Pulsed Helix TWT and Mini Helix TWT were indeed valuable. Later, when I moved to MTRDC, our association grew further as he was invited for reviews, lectures, research collaborations and to guide colleagues in shaping their research into useful publications. Professor Basu occupies a distinct position among the global vacuum electronics fraternity. He has taught the subject at IIT-BHU and other institutions for several decades and guided or collaborated with a large number of engineers from many of the premier research and academic institutions in India and abroad. Many of his students occupy prominent positions in scientific, academic and other walks of life. He has directly/indirectly influenced many of the developments in vacuum electronics in India over the last four decades. He is highly acclaimed internationally through his collaborative work with institutions in UK, Korea and China, high quality publications and books, and as a member of IEEE EDS TC on VED. His book on Beam-Wave Electronics is regarded as a classic and the latest book on High Power Microwave Devices (in 2 volumes) provides a quick overview of the latest developments in the area. His knack in technical writing also led to his book on the subject. I have been deeply impressed by his original thinking, rigorous theoretical approach, humbleness and modesty. He has a distinct quality of bringing out the best from a person. It is amazing to see his enthusiasm energy and zest for taking up challenging activities in vacuum electronics even today. I wish Professor Basu all happiness and good health.”
“Prof. B.N. Basu is an outstanding researcher, a teacher par excellence and above all a very nice human being. I have rarely come across such a friendly teacher who is loved alike by his colleagues and students. He dedicated his entire career for building students who are serving the mankind all over the globe. His long association with Banaras Hindu University gave me an opportunity to grow professionally under his tutelage. I wonder, how he manages to contribute so much academically even after superannuation from active service of the University. It’s simply amazing. I wish the new-generation teachers try to emulate him.”
“मुझे यह जानकर अत्यंत प्रसन्नता हो रही है कि प्रोफेसर बसु की एक अपनी वैबसाइट आरंभ होने जा रही है | प्रोफेसर बसु एक अत्यंत मृदुभाषी,सरल स्वभाव वाले व्यक्ति हैं | वे मेरे भी प्रेरणास्रोत रहे हैं अतः इस पावन अवसर पर उनके व्यक्तित्व के बारे में मैं एक अनुभव लिखना अपना कर्तब्य समझता हूँ | उनसे मेरी पहली मुलाक़ात लगभग 25 वर्ष पहले दिल्ली हवाई अड्डे पर हुई थी जब मैं उन्हें लेने के लिए गया था | वे हमारे संस्थान सीरी,पिलानी में आयोजित रिसर्च कमेटी की बैठक में सम्मिलित होने के लिए एक विशेषज्ञ के रूप में वाराणसी से आए थे | दिल्ली से पिलानी के रास्ते में उनसे तमाम विषयों पर सामान्य चर्चा होती रही | अपनी पहली ही मुलाक़ात में उनकी उदारता एवं सहृदयता से मैं काफ़ी प्रभावित हुआ और मैंने उन्हें अपने घर पर सादर आमंत्रित किया | अपने अत्यंत व्यस्त कार्यक्रम से समय निकालकर वे मेरे घर पर पधारे और मेरे परिवार से मिलकर सभी को अपना आशीर्वाद दिया | समय के साथ उनसे मेरा संपर्क निरंतर बना रहा | जब भी वे पिलानी आते थे तो मैं उनसे अवश्य मिलता रहता था | यद्यपि मैं वैज्ञानिक नहीं हूँ तथापि अपनी सेवा के दौरान मैं सामान्य काम-काज़ के साथ-साथ मैं किसी न किसी रूप से वैज्ञानिक लेखन से जुड़ा हुआ था | एक मुलाक़ात के दौरान डॉ. बसु सर ने मुझे लोकप्रिय विज्ञान लेखन की प्रेरणा दी और इस ओर कार्य आरंभ करने के लिए निरंतर प्रोत्साहित किया | मैंने उनकी सलाह का सम्मान करते हुए अनुकूलित लेखन की श्रेणी के अंतर्गत लोकप्रिय विज्ञान लेखन का कार्य काफी संकोच के साथ शुरू किया | लगभग 10 वर्ष पूर्व जब मैंने अपनी पहली प्रकाशित पुस्तक भेंट की तो वे बहुत प्रसन्न हुए और इस पुस्तक की काफी प्रशंसा की | साथ-साथ यह कार्य निरंतर जारी रखने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया | उनकी इसी प्रेरणा के परिणामस्वरूप अब तक अलग-अलग विषयों पर मेरी कई पुस्तकें प्रकाशित हो चुकी हैं | अपने प्रेरणास्रोत बहुआयामी व्यक्तित्व को सादर अभिनंदन एवं वंदन |”
“I came in contact with Professor B.N. Basu when I joined the Electronics Engineering Department, IIT-BHU during 1992 for my doctoral work. A newborn baby just sees the light after first opening eyes but cannot fully realize the depth and beauty of light which the baby would eventually realize with time. Similarly, I saw Professor Basu in 1992 and then realized the vast ocean and God in him. I am fortunate to receive research guidance in the area of travelling-wave tubes (TWTs) from Professor Basu who himself was a member of the team responsible for the development of the first ever TWT in India. I have never seen Professor Basu getting tired while doing research, formulating problems for students, or editing the manuscripts of their papers and theses. He did a sort of ‘slow-poisoning’ me by injecting in me the rigorous analytical techniques for studying helix TWTs thereby enabling me to take a few drops from the vast ocean. Whatever I am today in the scenario of R&D in TWTs is only due to his tireless guidance, scolding mixed with parental affection. I have received tremendous affection from not only Professor Basu but also Mrs. Basu (Aunty) (wife of Professor Basu) and his sons (Indraneel and Priyoneel). They never allowed me to feel homesick during the tenure of my stay at IIT-BHU, Varanasi while I am far away from my home. I wish I could take on Professor Basu’s affectionate personality to treat all my juniors equally and always supporting and helping them tackle their societal and professional problems.”
“I started my M. Tech (Microwave Engineering) journey under the kind guidance of Professor B.N. Basu at Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU). I found him as a great motivator and helping fatherly figure, who could easily understand our problems without asking. On technical/academic front I never come across such a straightforward and absolutely honest person as he is. The biggest lesson I learnt from him is that we are all capable of contributing to the organisations we serve as well as our society, and for this what we only need is to identify our respective natural strong areas. Yet another big thing I learnt from him is that as a team manager/mentor I should never take myself the credit of success, rather distribute it among my team members which would obviously bind them together. I remember during my M. Tech project (1994-95) how he identified and exploited my inherent practical implementation capabilities, and made me work in the workshop floor to mechaniclly fabricate a periodic fast-wave cylindrical waveguide, and measure its dispersion characteristics using the non-resonant perturbation technique on a microwave test bench. The work yielded my first research paper in a peer-reviewed journal. He also helped us to respect our interests as I saw that in my case he motivated me to accept the job offer from C-DOT in the sector of telecommunication in which I had developed my interest by that time, in lieu of another job offer from DRDO in the area aligned with my M. Tech project work which he had mentored. I always find what Professor Basu had taught us so useful even today in binding my team members cohesively for project implementation.”
“You are the teacher who is like a candle that consumes itself to light the way for others.Your words provide us with a bundle of motivation, inspiration and also urge us to enjoy the simpler things in life.”
“Professor Basu is the one who infused the desire in me to pursue the career in the area of vacuum electronic devices (VEDs). Being in the VED community for around eighteen years, I noticed that it was not only me but also many others who have been inspired by Professor Basu. Anyone will feel proud to find him as his/her teacher. He is a true teacher, who always motivates his students to come up with flying colours. I particularly learnt a lot from him, not only the basic concepts of electromagnetic theory and applications thereof in vacuum electronic devices but also the art of technical writing. I am proud that he trusted me to edit and document the draft of his book: Engineering Electromagnetics Essentials and interact with Ms. Srelatha Menon of Universities Press, Hyderabad for the production of the book on his behalf. I enjoyed co-authoring with him and my doctoral supervisor Professor P. K. Jain numerous research papers in international journals. I also co-authored with him a book entitled High Power Microwave Tubes: Basics and Trends (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2), Morgan & Claypool Publishers, California, USA with IOP Publishing, Bristol, UK 2018).”
“Prof. B. N. Basu has inspired a myriad of students and researchers to work on interesting topics in microwave engineering, especially, microwave tubes. I feel fortunate to have been one of them. He has a flair for bringing together the abstract mathematical equations with the physical concepts. His book on basic electromagnetic theory with emphasis on traveling wave tubes continues to be a Bible for microwave tubes community. His pedagogy is so elegant and effective that anyone will be able to grasp even the seemingly complex concepts effortlessly. He has motivated several researchers like me to find the courage to work on problem statements out of our comfort zones. The various interactions I have had with him have always helped me develop critical and original thinking and I am truly thankful to him for that. Therefore, it is no wonder that he is admired by students and scientists across the globe. It wouldn’t be an embellishment to say that the Indian microwave tubes research community is well-known in the world because of Prof. B. N. Basu.”
“Thank you so much for being my teacher, 'words will not be enough'. You are 'Microwave Guru' of India. You have played a very key role in my life. Really, I am fortunate enough to have a teacher, mentor, motivator (especially for Pasotron). Your encouragement and motivation has always helped me and others in setting new challenges and goals.”
“Well, getting an opportunity to write on you is worthwhile...You are a great person with ethics full of enthusiasm... Helping nature and down to earth.. These are the keys with which you can make the bond with everyone whom you meet.”
“I was not a direct student of Prof BN Basu but I have always benefitted from his help and guidance including academic as well as professional aspects. I first met him in a technical review meeting in 1993 where he was an external technical expert. Since then I regard him as a technical guru due to his prowess in Microwave Engineering and his mentoring and grooming nature.”
“RESPECT is something that cannot be given AUTOMATICALLY. It must be EARNED and the best earning for all GURU’s is that their students remember them lifelong and desire to meet them always...Prof. B.N. Basu is one of the GURU’s who has EARNED the RESPECT from his colleagues, students and friends. He is the “MICROWAVE TUBE MAN OF INDIA.”
“Sometimes there is shortage of words to express someone’s achievements as I feel while referring to Professor B.N. Basu to describe his greatness, humbleness and kindness altogether in few words or sentences. There is a saying that “it is not necessary to purchase scent to get its fragrance, but one can even experience it from its close vicinity”. I am experiencing the same for over one and half decades after associating with Professor Basu in 2002. His highly sophisticated technical research articles on vacuum electronic devices, book chapters and books are the real assets and beneficial not only for research organisations, research scholars, students, industry and institutions of our country but also for the entire academic and research organizations worldwide. Besides his own area of research in the area of vacuum electron devices, Professor Basu has emphasized on the topic of ‘technical writing’ for book writing and delivering talks for the benefit of students and young researchers. Professor Basu is not only a great teacher, scientist and philanthropist but also in himself an institution. I feel honoured to get an opportunity to pen through a few words about him.”
“One of my favorite quote, " The mediocre teacher tells, The good teacher explains, The superior teacher demonstrates, The great teacher inspires" nd, Prof. BN Basu is one of the few teachers that always inspire me and many others towards qualitative research activities. Prof. BN Basu sir is a well-known name in the Vacuum Electron Device field in India. One can understand the level of his passion and devotion towards VED by just observing his visiting card. He is VED-MAN of India.”
