The hallmark of post-Independence India has been its remarkable strides in science and technology. To what extent did scientific development during this period put India on the path of modernity?

At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world slept, India awoke to life and freedom. This was evident in successful strides in all spheres of all life - be it economy or science and technology.

Role of scientific development:

) IITs and Dams were recognized as temples of modern India

) Green Revolution and HYV seeds made India a self-sufficient country in food production & revolutionized agriculture

) Modern technology and new factories being established (eg: at Bhilai, Visvasavya) led to capital led growth

) New fields like space technology, atomic technology were emerging with significant contribution of scientists like Vikram Sarabhai, H.S. Dhabha

) Rakesh Sharma became first Indian in space (USSR contributed significantly in our technology development)

) Operation Smiling Buddha established peaceful use of nuclear technology

Limited success initially:

Though these are remarkable achievements however some challenges like:

i) Denial of technology from USA due to cold war stably

ii) License raj did not permit new innovations

iii) Overall new technology import was restricted to few types class

These challenges were finally mitigated with LPG reforms and rise of new class of IT adoption and computer adoption which is a continuing journey today evident in Indians becoming truly digital migrants.