Mr. C. Subramaniam addresses the audience during the Computer Centre inauguration, 1973
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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 our plans for creating a better environment for ourselves by utilizing our resources efficiently.”
Before the IBM 370 was a part of the Institute, researchers had to rely on the IBM 360 at IISc Bangalore in order to get their work done, which meant traveling from Madras and staying at IISc hostels. They took cards with them and placed them at deck counters in order to get the printed results, which could take hours or even until the next day, giving the students plenty of time to spend in Bangalore.
At the stage, from left, Mr. C. Subramaniam (Union Minister for Industrial Development and Science and Technology), Prof. S. Sampath (Deputy Director), Prof. A. Ramachandran (Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India) and Dr. Erhard Eppler (Minister for Economic Co-operation, Federal Republic of Germany and chief guest).
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