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This photograph was taken on the occasion of the Special Convocation on 17 November. The convocation was held to confer the degree of Doctor of Science upon Dr. Erhard Eppler (Minister for Economic Co-operation, Federal Republic of Germany). We can ascertain that this photograph was taken at the entrance of the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) because of the fact that the decorative beams are still in place today. According to Prof. K. A. V. Pandalai’s speech that was delivered at the Computer Centre inauguration, the Special Convocation was held earlier in the afternoon prior to the…

The Computer Centre inauguration was held at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) on 17 November. Dr. Erhard Eppler (Minister for Economic Co-operation, Federal Republic of Germany) was the chief guest for the event while Mr. C. Subramaniam inaugurated the Computer Centre. Seen in the photograph, Dr. Malcolm Adiseshiah (Vice Chancellor of Madras University, front row, third from left, in white shirt) and Mr. A. L. Taylor (Regional General Manager, IBM, India, front row, fourth from left). The audience in the front row consisted of invitees, and it is very likely that the two persons in the…

The Computer Centre at IIT Madras was inaugurated with the installation of the newly acquired IBM 370 in 1973. The IBM 370 was a powerful computer which was brought to IIT Madras with the help of West Germany. It was installed in a record time of 18 days. The chief guest at the inauguration was Dr. Erhard Eppler who was the Minister for Economic Co-operation for the Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. C. Subramaniam (Union Minister for Industrial Development and Science and Technology) inaugurated the Computer Centre. Seen in the photograph, from left, Prof. H. N. Mahabala (Head, Computer…

Dr. Eppler, Minister for Economic Co-operation for the Federal Republic of Germany, was the chief guest for the inauguration of the Computer Centre. Mr. Subramaniam (Union Minister for Industrial Development and Science and Technology) inaugurated the centre. The inauguration was held at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) The Computer Centre was set up and inaugurated on 17 November. It was situated in the Building Sciences Block (BSB) at the time. The degree programmes offered were M. Tech. M.S. and PhD. The B. Tech. programme was started around a decade later in the early 1980s. IIT…

The IBM 2741 was a printing communication terminal, inspired by the IBM Selectric typewriter. According to Wikipedia, it offered up to 50% higher speed compared to the teletypewriter machines which were used as printing terminals at the time. It also offered top quality printing, interchangeable type fonts and also upper and lower case letters. It also operated without much noise.   The Selectric, launched in 1961 by IBM, was a golf ball head typewriter, meaning that the traditional type bars which were earlier installed in typewriters, would be replaced by a golf ball shaped head.…

In the book ‘Computer Education in India: Past, Present and Future’, there is a brief mention of Mr. Chandy’s speech. According to the book, Mr. Chandy “said the computer centre would function as a focal point for sophisticated research in the South.”   Mr. Chandy was the Founder-Director of the first Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in India — IIM Calcutta. He served various positions, as Chairman of Food Corporation of India, Hindustan Steel Limited and Kerala State Industries Development Corporation (KSIDC). During his tenure as Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Madras…

This photograph was taken during the Inauguration of the Computer Centre, which saw the start of a new era in computing at IIT Madras. The IBM 370 was installed at the Institute and it was ready to be put into use. In a report published in the book ‘Computer Education in India: Past, Present and Future’, Prof. Mahabala, who was the first Professor-in-charge of the Computer Centre of IIT Madras, mentions, “With this, IIT is now among the few institutions in the world to have been equipped with a versatile computer system.” He goes on to share some of the key features of the IBM 370, which…

A special convocation was held for Dr. Erhard Eppler (Minister for Economic Co-operation, Federal Republic of Germany) on 17 November 1973. He was conferred the honourary degree of Doctor of Science. In a report in The Hindu, it is mentioned that Mr. Chandy (Chairman, Board of Governors) welcomed the gathering during the event. Mr. Chandy was the Founder-Director of the first Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in India — IIM Calcutta. He served various positions, as Chairman of Food Corporation of India, Hindustan Steel Limited and Kerala State Industries Development Corporation (KSIDC…

The Institute received the IBM 370/155 system - the largest in India as a gift from West Germany in 1973. Under the Indo-German agreements, of which three had been signed by this time, the West German government agreed to an exchange of faculty and staff between India and West Germany. West Germany also supported IIT Madras in the form of equipment which IIT Madras received over the years. Prior to the installation of the IBM 370, IIT Madras did not have a central computing facility. Individual departments had systems which were not powerful enough for research scholars who were in need of…

The inauguration of the Computer Centre took place on 17 November. It was a turning point in the history of the Institute. The IBM 370/155 was officially a part of IIT Madras with the help of West Germany which was supplying technical support to IIT Madras under the Indo-German agreement. The IBM 370 allowed students and research scholars to do their projects with ease.  In the book ‘Computer Education in India: Past, Present and Future’, it is reported that Mr. Subramaniam, in his speech said that the role of the computer should be looked at from a “broader and long term context of…

Dr. Eppler was the Minister for Economic Co-operation for the Federal Republic of Germany. He was conferred the honourary degree of Doctor of Science during the Special Convocation which was held on 17 November at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT). The event was recorded in The Hindu. According to the report, Dr. Eppler talked about how developing countries must not “single mindedly pursue higher growth rates and larger gross national products.” He insisted these countries must focus on meeting the fundamental requirements of the masses and provide more employment opportunities. According…

The photograph was taken during the inauguration of the Computer Centre at IIT Madras in 1973. Several visitors graced the occasion including C. Subramaniam, Erhard Eppler and former Director A. Ramachandran. The inauguration event was held at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) while the Computer Centre was located on the first floor of the Building Sciences Block (BSB). Seen in the image, from right, Prof. K. A. V. Pandalai (Director, extreme right), Prof. H. N. Mahabala (Head of Computer Centre, third from right), Mr. K. T. Chandy (Chairman, Board of Governors, fifth from right), Prof. S…

The Special Convocation was held at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT) on 17 November to confer the honourary degree of Doctor of Science on Dr. Erhard Eppler (Minister for Economic Co-operation, Federal Republic of Germany). Dr. Eppler was also the chief guest to the Computer Centre inauguration which was held on the same day.  According to Prof. K. A. V. Pandalai’s speech that was delivered at the Computer Centre inauguration, the Special Convocation was held earlier in the afternoon prior to the inauguration. This speech has been documented by the Archive of IIT Madras. Seen in…

It is likely that refreshments were served after the inauguration of the Computer Centre. The time of day (evening) can be determined by the dark sky which is visible in the background. Seen in the image, Mr. A. L. Taylor (Regional General Manager, IBM, India, third from left), Prof. A. Ramachandran (Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India) and Prof. H. N. Mahabala (Head of Computer Centre, extreme right) with other distinguished guests (yet to be identified). Prof. Ramachandran was the second Director of IIT Madras after Prof. B. Sengupto. He was Director…

This photograph was taken on 17 November 1973. A Special Convocation and the Computer Centre Inauguration were held on this day at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT). The convocation was held to confer the honourary degree of Doctor of Science upon Dr. Erhard Eppler who was the Minister for Economic Co-operation for the Federal Republic of Germany at the time. Honourary degrees are given by colleges and universities to persons who have contributed immensely to a particular cause. The Humanities and Sciences Block was built in the early 1960s. Around 90% of the building was  completed…