Techgentsia’s Indigenous Tech Journey

JOY SEBASTIAN

In the quiet town of Alappuzha, Kerala, a decade-old software company quietly honed its expertise in a niche yet critical field: real-time communication. Little did the world know that this unassuming firm, Techgentsia Software Technologies Private Limited, founded in 2009, was on the cusp of playing a transformative role in India’s digital sovereignty. Their journey culminates in BharatVC, the indigenous video conferencing platform now serving the very backbone of Indian governance.

A Decade of Quiet Innovation

Techgentsia’s early years, starting in 2009, saw them dabbling in diverse tech domains including software development services and product engineering. However, by 2013, a clear strategic pivot emerged. T he company dedicated its focus entirely to internet communication and collaboration, particularly video conferencing. This wasn’t a casual shift; it was a deep dive into the complex world of software-based multi-party video solutions, a realm then dominated by expensive, hardware-centric systems.

Their relentless research and development bore fruit. Techgentsia developed VCONSOL®, a sophisticated software solution that proved to be a significant disruptor. Its capabilities quickly garnered attention from leading video conferencing service providers in the US and Europe, solidifying Techgentsia’s reputation as a formidable R&D powerhouse in the communication technology space.

The Call for ‘Made in India’

The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges and, with it, a clarion call for self-reliance. As the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped global communication, the Government of India, through the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), launched the “Innovation Challenge for Development of Video Conferencing Solution.” This wasn’t just a competition; it was a national imperative to find a secure, robust, scalable, customizable, and on-premise deployable video conferencing platform, entirely “Made in India,” to safeguard governmental and official communications.

Against a formidable field of approximately 2000 competing companies, Techgentsia stepped forward with VCONSOL®. Their years of dedicated R&D, often away from the national spotlight, now positioned them perfectly.

BharatVC: A National Triumph

The announcement was a moment of national pride: Techgentsia’s VCONSOL® was declared the winner of the MeitY Innovation Challenge, securing a prize of ₹10 million (1 Crore). This victory wasn’t just financial; it was an endorsement of indigenous innovation at its highest level. VCONSOL® was subsequently rebranded by the Indian government as BharatVC, becoming the official video conferencing platform, hosted securely on the National Informatics Centre (NIC) cloud.

What makes BharatVC truly unique and vital for India’s digital infrastructure?

True Indigenous Solution: BharatVC stands as a testament to India’s growing capabilities in developing sophisticated software solutions from the ground up, ensuring data sovereignty and security

Seamless Legacy Integration: A significant challenge in government and public sector organizations is the widespread presence of older hardware-based video conferencing systems (H.323/SIP endpoints). BharatVC masterfully integrates with these legacy systems without requiring external bridges, a feature often missing in popular global platforms, ensuring a smooth transition and continued utility of existing infrastructure.

Robust Deployment and Usage: Since November 2020, Techgentsia’s engineers, working hand-in-hand with NIC’s seasoned experts, have successfully deployed and facilitated thousands of high-level government meetings. During the intense second wave of COVID-19, BharatVC proved its resilience, being extensively used by MeitY for critical executive and senior-level communications across the nation.

Scalability and Future Vision: The initial deployment included 30 MCU nodes, capable of handling 1500 HD ports. The future roadmap includes significant scaling, with plans for a large deployment in the multiple data centres and the commercialization of BharatVC through NICSI, the business arm of NIC.

Beyond Video Conferencing: The core VCONSOL® engine is proving to be a versatile asset. It’s being leveraged for other crucial government applications, including “Sandes,” an instant messaging platform with multi-party video capabilities, further solidifying its role in India’s digital ecosystem.

Wider Adoption: The impact of VCONSOL® extends beyond the central government. The Government of Kerala has adopted it as its official video conferencing solution, branded as “VMeet Kerala.”

Pioneering AI-driven Language Translation: Techgentsia’s innovation doesn’t stop at video conferencing. T hey further solidified their position as a leader in indigenous tech by winning the Bhashini Grand Innovation Challenge by MeitY. This achievement recognized their solution for real-time speech-to-speech audio translation in various Indian languages using artificial intelligence. Their VCONSOL® platform was demonstrated to enable multilingual webinars, showcasing the potential to overcome India’s linguistic diversity through technology. This win also secured them additional funding and contracts for government projects in this vital sector.

Transforming the Indian Judicial System with VCONSOL® Court: Techgentsia’s commitment to digital transformation has also made a profound impact on the Indian judiciary. Their specialized platform, VCONSOL® Court, is India’s first role-based virtual courthouse solution. Successfully deployed by the High Court of Kerala since 2021, it has revolutionized judicial proceedings by enabling online court procedures, including complex cases like habeas corpus and POCSO cases. Furthermore, the High Court of Bombay, High Court of Karnataka, High Court for the State of Telangana and High Court of Himachal Pradesh has also adopted VCONSOL® Court for its hybrid mode of functioning, facilitating seamless virtual and physical hearings. This innovative solution supports various roles within the courtroom – from judges and prosecutors to advocates and the public – and enables controlled live streaming of court proceedings, enhancing transparency while adhering to strict legal protocols.

A Symbol of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’

Kerala has a favourable IT environment for any Start Up with a vision can groom and grow. Techgentsia’s journey, culminating in BharatVC, their pioneering work in AI-driven language translation, and their transformative solutions for the Indian judiciary, is more than just a corporate success story. It is a powerful narrative of resilience, foresight, and national contribution. From a modest beginning in Kerala, Techgentsia has emerged as a trusted brand in Indian public sector boardrooms, embodying the spirit of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) and demonstrating India’s prowess in building world-class technology solutions for its own unique needs. Their commitment to innovation continues to shape the future of digital communication and governance in the country.

The author is CEO at Techgentsia, the official web conferencing partner of Govt of India