భారత ఐటీ కథ: టీసీఎస్, ఇన్ఫోసిస్, విప్రో ప్రపంచాన్ని ఎలా జయించాయి?

The story of Indian IT: How TCS, Infosys and Wipro took on the world

Today, the Indian IT industry employs millions and earns the country a huge amount of foreign exchange. It is this industry that has transformed the economic status of middle-class families in the Telugu states. But its beginnings were very ordinary, sometimes unexpected.

TCS — First step in the country (1968)

In 1968, the Tata Group launched "Tata Computer Systems" (TCS). Initially, it provided punch card services for the internal needs of Tata companies. Under the leadership of F.C. Kohli, it started providing software services to foreign clients. At that time, government permits were difficult to obtain even for the import of computers. It was within these constraints that the "onsite" model of sending Indian engineers to work abroad was born. Kohli is known as the "Father of Indian IT".

Infosys — ₹10,000 dream (1981)

In 1981, N.R. Narayana Murthy and six other colleagues started Infosys in Pune. The story is famous that Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murthy gave her savings of ten thousand rupees for the initial investment. At that time, even a telephone connection had to be waited for years. In 1999, Infosys created history by becoming the first Indian company to be listed on the US NASDAQ Stock Exchange. It is known as a company that gave stock options to employees and made even ordinary engineers rich.

Wipro — From cooking oil to software (1980s)

Wipro's full name is "Western India Vegetable Products". It started as a cooking oil company in 1945. After his father's death in 1966, 21-year-old Azim Premji left his studies in the US to take over the company. Recognizing the void created when IBM left India in the late 1970s, he entered the computer hardware and later software sectors. Premji later donated a large portion of his wealth to educational philanthropy, becoming one of the top donors in the country.

The 1991 reforms — the moment the doors opened

The economic reforms undertaken by Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh in 1991 gave a boost to the IT sector. Import controls were relaxed. Software Technology Parks (STPIs) were set up, high-speed data links and tax concessions were provided. Foreign companies opened offices in India.

Y2K — A Turn of Fortune

In the late 1990s, the world was concerned about the "Y2K" problem. Since old computer programs stored the year in two digits (99), there was a fear that systems would collapse if the year 2000 arrived. Skilled engineers were needed at low cost to fix millions of lines of old code. Indian companies seized this opportunity. The confidence built by the Y2K work later led to larger projects.

Telugu engineers' world journey

Engineering colleges have grown rapidly in Telugu states since the 1990s. Ameerpet coaching centers have become known as training centers for IT jobs. The number of Telugu engineers going to America on H-1B visas has increased dramatically. Surveys there show that Telugu is one of the fastest growing languages in America. Hyderabad-based Satyam Computers was also once one of the top IT companies in the country — its story in another article.

What now?

The Indian IT industry is shifting from services to products, from outsourcing to global capability centers, and from simple coding to artificial intelligence. Continuous skill development is the way to survive this change.

Conclusion

The story of India's IT, which began amidst limited resources and strict regulations, is an example for the world today. This story shows that even a small beginning can become a big revolution if a good idea, perseverance, and the right timing come together.

Photo: L'Astorina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)