1956-1965: The Beginning

1956:
The first digital computer comes to India, as the Indian Statistical
Institute in Kolkata installs a Hollerith Electronic Computer, HEC-2M, brought
from England. Initially, it handled a number of scientific problems from all
across the country, including trajectory analysis for artillery cannons for the
Defense. It was, in fact, the first computer brought to Asia, outside of Japan.

1960: The
Operations Research Group (ORG) set up by Vikram Sarabhai, the first market
research organization in the country created to expedite a scientific approach
to collect and scrutinize information for supporting and optimizing business
operations.

AK Watson comes visiting and meets prime minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. In fact, it was at Nehru's insistence that IBM opened up
office in India in 1951.

1958: ISI
installs the URAL digital computer brought from Russia with a grant from United
Nations Technical Assistance Board (UNTAB). Both HEC-2M and URAL were used by
ISI till 1964 when IBM installed the 1401. Dr Dwijish Datta Majumdar, Prof MM
Mukherjee and Prof Amaresh Roy were the pioneers in running both HEC-2M and
URAL.

1959:
TIFRAC, India's first indigenous computer developed at TIFR, was
commissioned. It was used extensively between 1960-64 by TIFR, BARC and a number
of other government laboratories, educational institutions and private
organizations.

1961:
India's first commercial computer installed by ESSO Standard Eastern of
Bombay.

1962: The
Defense Ministry sets up a Computer Center under Major General Balasubrahmanian
(then only a major) from the Army Services Corps; he is also appointed technical
secretary of the Advisory Group on Computers in Defense.

1963:
Under the guidance of the eminent economist, John K Galbraith, IIT-Kanpur
becomes the first institute in India to start Computer Science education on an
IBM 1620 system, then a novelty even in many North American and European
universities.

Following the Chinese War, the Government feels the need for
a strong indigenous electronics base for security and national development.
Sets up an Electronics Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr Homi J Bhaba.

1964:
The ISIJU, the first indigenous digital computer, developed in India
through a joint collaboration between the ISI and Jadavpur University. It was a
second generation advanced machine that was transistor-driven.

1965: The
Computer Society of India (CSI) founded in Hyderabad with Prof. R Narsimhan as
the Founding President and Major General Balasubrahmanian as the Founding
Secretary. The first CSI Convention is organized in Kolkata.

Prof HN Mahabala starts the Computer Science division at
IIT-Kanpur. Prof V Rajaraman devises its program and guides its future growth as
Head of Computer Center division.

• TIFR, Bombay acquires CDC 3600