Our next honoree's name means "pre-dawn light from the
morning star," and indeed, she has blazed a brilliant path,
not only as a founder of one of the first Indian high tech companies
in Silicon Valley, but as the first Indian woman entrepreneur
in the Valley.
These days, though, Talat Hasan is parlaying her success in
the tech world toward a cultural mission--- connecting Indians
here with the heritage they left behind and providing a place
where they can come together as a community--- no easy task
considering India comprises 26 states, 15 languages and 120
dialects with all major religions represented.
But choosing an easy road has never been Talat's way despite
her illustrious background.
She was born in West Bengal, India, the descendant of a noble
and cultured family. Her great grandfather was ruler of the
state of Rampur. As Nawab, he was the Muslim equivalent of "maharaja"
and was well known for his love and patronage of the arts. Her
grandfather was also Nawab of Rampur until 1949 when India's
states relinquished sovereignty in favor of unification.
Talat spent her summers as a girl at her grandfather's palace
where master artists were invited to perform. Her father carried
on the tradition of patronizing the arts as governor of West
Bengal and Minister of Education in the cabinet of Prime Minister
Indira Ghandi.
Talat got her bachelor's degree in physics at Aligarh Muslim
University and a master's in Solid State Physics at Oxford.
She returned to India and worked at a physics lab for three
years.
In 1977, she moved to California with just $20 in her pocket
and no family to fall back on. She had just married Kamil Hasan
who was teaching structural engineering at Stanford. Back then,
India had a foreign exchange shortage, so that anyone leaving
the country could only take $20 with them.
Little did she know that she was in for years of being in debt
as she undertook the LAST thing her father had envisioned for
his daughter--- starting a company.
Truth be known, it wasn't something she had envisioned for
herself either.
Talat was working as a scientist at Signetics Corporation/Philips
Research Labs in Sunnyvale, conducting research in semiconductor
manufacturing.
When she and two co-workers noticed they were getting a lot
of inquiries about their new technology, in an area known as
characterization and process control, they went back to their
company and pitched the idea of spinning off and commercializing
this technology.
All Talat and her two colleagues wanted was for the company
to pay their salaries as they did this. But the company wasn't
interested.
So the three started their own company in 1983. Looking back,
Talat said "We had no clue how to do this. But if you think
too hard about certain things, you'll never do it. I just followed
my heart. We were determined that the world get this technology
and use it."
They took second mortgages on their homes and borrowed on their
credit cards. They were, as she put it, "up to our eyeballs
in debt."
And thus Prometrix was born in 1983… the same year Talat's
first baby was born. Talat survived on three hours of sleep
a night, giving new meaning to her name "Pre-dawn light
from the Morning Star."
"It was the craziest time of my life," she recalled.
Meanwhile, her father was absolutely horrified. He had raised
his daughter to be a scientist and an intellectual. The family
had a proud lineage of judges, professors, scientists, and patrons
of the arts. Business was considered the lowest profession,
involving the pursuit of money.
Well, Talat's father did not have to worry about his daughter
being awash in money for a long time.
The financial struggle of starting and running a company lasted
many years. "We were in such deep trouble," Talat
said. "But it never crossed my mind to give up."
But there were bright spots along the way. One year after Prometrix
started, Talat and her co-founders went to Japan to introduce
their products. She was asked in advance to present a technical
paper. Her name gave no clue to the event's organizers as to
her gender. Since she had given presentations all her life,
it was no big deal for her. But as she was presenting that paper
in Japan, she looked around and noticed that in the audience
of some 1000, there was not a single woman.
After the session, the press made a rush in her direction.
She wondered who they wanted to talk to. Turned out it was Talat
they wanted to talk to. Turned out she was the first woman to
present a technical paper in Japan. Turned out she had made
history. The next day, the headline in the local press declared
"Techno Lady!"
In 1993, ten years after Prometrix started and became the leading
supplier of thin-film measurement tools, it merged with Tencor
Instruments, bringing those years of debt to an end for Talat.
During the merger, the money at stake was the least of Talat's
concerns. She was MORE concerned about what would happen to
the product, the technology and the staff after the sale. Her
focus during the transaction was negotiating what would happen
to every single person who was working for Prometrix.
At about this time, Talat Hasan became involved in community
work, becoming a charter member of TiE, a non-profit that supports
entrepreneurship among South Asians. "I had no mentors.
I did it the hard way," she said, "so I wanted to
be part of an organization to help the next generation of entrepreneurs,
to open doors for them and guide them in building a company
and drawing up a business plan." She is also active with
Indian Business and Professional Women.
She has since founded another company Sensys Instruments to
market products for the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
Sensys was later acquired by Therma-Wave, where Talat currently
serves on its board.
But business success alone is not enough for a balanced existence.
Indians have done exceptionally well in Silicon Valley. Financially,
they are the most successful immigrant group in the United States,
in terms of per capita income.
But Talat and her husband Kamil Hasan believe strongly in balancing
prowess in the tech world with an appreciation and understanding
of one's own heritage.
To this end, they have endowed two chairs in classical Indian
music at UC Santa Cruz, one of which brought world renowned
musician Ali Akbar Khan to the campus.
"Classical music is such an important part of our heritage,"
the Hasans said."We would like to see that heritage preserved
and enhanced in this country for future generations."
But culture is more than art and music. Talat is now working
full-time on getting the new India Community Center or ICC in
Milpitas off the ground. It is already the largest Indian Center
in the U.S. Think of a Jewish Community Center in your neighborhood
and you get the idea what the ICC is all about.
People taking yoga classes from lifelong masters, kids playing
table tennis, students doing homework and research at computer
workstations, a dance studio, workout room, lessons in Indian
music, languages and dance, social programs for seniors as well
as subsidized lunches, and an open house Sunday brunch--- no
membership required.
There is also a large library with more than 18,000 volumes
from collections throughout the US and India.
The goal, Talat says, is to connect kids with their Indian
heritage. It doesn't just happen on its own, she said. You have
to actively work at it, otherwise it's too hit-or-miss. We want
to offer all aspects of Indian culture under one roof, so that
parents aren't run ragged getting their kids to different places
for lessons. The ICC also welcomes non-Indians-a way to introduce
Indian culture to others. Rumor has it that Chinese-American
kids love to go to ICC to play table tennis.
Talat is spending 40 to 50 hours a week making the Milpitas
ICC a success as well as the one in Sunnyvale. Her vision is
to make the ICC a premier showcase institution for the Indian
American community, one that can be replicated all over the
country. Bringing the community together is so important, she
said. It's a way for our fractured communities to find common
ground.
The ICC started with $1 million in private money. The Hasans
are among the donors. Talat says when a friend came to the ICC
and saw on a display board that Talat and her husband had made
a contribution, her friend asked "Why did you donate so
much?" Talat explained the importance of an India Community
Center in the Bay Area. Her friend said, "But what do YOU
get out of it?" Talat again explained. Still, the friend
persisted, "But what do you benefit personally from it?"
A story which Talat says perfectly captures the nature of philanthropy.
You do it not for personal gain, but because you believe in
doing good and in wanting to give back because you feel blessed
by your good fortune.
Besides tonight's occasion, Talat Hasan is being honored twice
this year: at DeAnza College as a Bay Area visionary in mathematics
and physics. And by the Islamic Center of Southern California
for the American Muslim Achievement Award.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Talat Hasan… a "techno-lady"
who is using her high-tech successes to preserve a century-old
family tradition--- promoting classical music of her culture…
but in a new land.
[Note: Theabove biography was prepared and presented
at the 2003 gala by Board Member and KRON TV News Anchor Emerald
Yeh.]
