The rise of India as an information technology powerhouse, and back office of the world, is infinitely more complex than the simple IITs-to-Silicon- Valley-to-Nasdaq stories of fabled Ind ian American entrepreneurs. Politics, egos, turf battles, policy missteps, plain shortsightedness, bureaucratic red tape and, perhaps, accidents shaped the path of IT in this country......
Sharma, a journalist who has written extensively on science and technology, goes all the way back to the rivalry between P C Mahalanobis, best known as the architect of India’s five-year plans, and Homi Bhabha, best known for setting up India’s nuclear establishment, to lay out the country’s path in IT development. He narrates in detail the roles of prime ministers Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and technocrat Sam Pitroda, and the circumstances that forced IBM out of the country in 1977. Tireless research echoes throughout the book, be it in the discovery of key facts from government documents or notable insiders, or indeed in laying to rest some popular myths. If Sharma is correct, Neh ru’s role in the establishment of the IITs is exaggerated, Rajiv Gandhi’s influence on IT began long before he became prime minister and the first computer to arrive at IIT, Kanpur, was never carried on a bullock cart.
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