Think about the last time you checked the weather on your phone, watched a satellite image of a cyclone, or used a computer to solve a complicated problem. Behind many such tasks is a machine capable of processing enormous amounts of information in seconds.

That is the world of supercomputers. Unlike ordinary computers, which typically handle tasks one after another or in limited parallel operations, supercomputers can divide complex problems into smaller parts and work on them simultaneously, using thousands of processing operations together.

But what happens when a country needs this technology and cannot get its hands on it?

In the late 1980s, India faced precisely this challenge. The answer came from a team of Indian scientists led by Vijay Bhatkar, who helped build PARAM, the country's first indigenous supercomputer.

When India was denied a supercomputer

In the 1980s, supercomputers were essential for scientific research, weather forecasting, defence and space exploration. India needed this computing power, particularly to improve weather predictions that could help farmers prepare for changing conditions.

The country sought to acquire a Cray supercomputer from the United States. However, the technology was considered strategically sensitive because of its potential military applications, and access was restricted.

Rather than remain dependent on foreign technology, India decided to develop its own.

In 1987, the government entrusted Vijay Bhatkar, an electronics and computer scientist, with leading this ambitious effort. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) was established in Pune in 1988 to take the mission forward.

The challenge was enormous. India had limited access to the technology, software and specialised expertise required to build a machine of this scale. The team would have to develop the necessary capabilities at........

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