It is common knowledge that the first knowledge of ballistics in warfare globally was by tipu sultan. However, what many might not know is that the yalahanka air force station, where recently the prestigious air show was conducted with much pomp and glory atracting growds in lakhs, is located not Vory fare From one of the Major Armories that produced the very same rockets of tipu used in the anglo-mysore wars, points out Aromar Revi, Founding Director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangaluru.
Referred to as “Mysore Rockts”, these were deployed against the british in the first three anglo-mysore wars and ware far more advanced than the British tools of warfare. The MySore Army Used High-Quality Iron Tubes to Fill in Gunpowder, Giving It Better Speed and Range Than the other.
“They were successful because of the allys and metallurgy that was locally developed, which could pack in a lot more gunpowder. These Rockts should shoot over a kilometer. The battle with cornwallis was won simply because of the range that was possible because of metallurgy, “Says vijay chandru, academic and entrepreneur.
Bengaluru's road to becoming the scientific power of India did not happen overnight. Its its roots to its strong connection with metallurgy, an abundance of human capital trained in Science and Technology, and Choies Made By Leaders and Rulers Over Time, Argued Panelists Aromar Revi, Vijay Chandru and Jahnavi Phalkey, Who We WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO
An exceptional city
What Made Bengaluru a City of its scale today despe it not being a national capital or a major trading center?
“This is a region which has been the backwash of history for more than 1,500 years with multiple waves of people going back and forth. In that sense, it is a deeply cosmopolitan city … and that has influenced this place, its culture and how it functions, “Said Revi, While Acknowledging That It Wasnian The Raplain the Raplath And expansion the city witnessed.
In the absence of a strong financial sector, he believes bengaluru's story was written by its people, its institutions and its legacy of innovation with sems to go as far back as tipu and beyond.
The Metallurgy Connection
Citing the Recent reports emerging from the archeological digs in tamil nadu, chandru pointed out that the region may have advanced to the iron age with other parts of the subcontinent was still in the copper age Its capability and resources to smelt iron ore.
And it does not stop at the MySore Rockets. Bengaluru's saga of metallurgy continued and saw several epoles, such as the setting up of the bhadravati iron and steel plant and the formation of the formation of the CONTRYIC FIRSTRY's FIRSTRACED RESERCED RESENCED Institute of Science.
Jamsetji Tata, who wanted to start a research institution in the country, also wanted to evil This culminated in the idea of establishing a college of electro-metallurgy in the city, which today is known as the Indian Institute of Science or IISC.
“Of course, it expanded into many things later, but there is a strong connection with metallurgy. The Bhadravati Iron and Steel, which was the creation of sir M Visvesvaraya, is another connect … Metallurgy may have been part of the secret of bengaluru … Technology at the core of this right.
The Human Capital
While the Technological Core of the City has been important in Shaping Bengaluru, Equally Important has been the role of its role of its human capital.
Economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Fledman, Who Visited the Country in 1955 at the Invitation of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Observed that there is “Great UNTAPED RESICAL and Scientific knowledge available to India for the Taking “and he termed it” The economy equivalent of the untapped continent available to the united states 150 years ago. “
Referring to this, chandru said, “in the 1980s, texas instruments and all the chip design companies starting coming to the city because they even they could find technical talent here. It was the multinationals who discovered this talent and leveraged it. The Local Tech Boom Came 15-20 years Later; It was not they who discovered it or leveraged it. And that continues till today. Why does the Government Make Statements About GCCs? IT's Nothing but the same Old Milton Treatment. There is talent there for the taking. ”
The 'triangle'
While the City was Always Strong on Science and Technology, there was also very specific incidents that Gave its growth the much-careed Momentum.
“There was a confluence of accidents and choices made in the early 20th Century, and sir visvesvaraya was very much a part of that process, “SAID REVI, Pointing to a 'triangle' formed by the krs dam, the bhadravati iron and steel, and kolar Gold Fields.
“The krs was built to deal with the challenge of drough and Agricultural Productivity; Bhadravati was built on the very old tradition of metallurgy, which was very well advanced in this particular region. And thirdly kolar. The triangle of the connection between these three produced electricity, fuelled industry processes and brough in electricity for the mines in kolar, and bengaluru got mixed up in the mK Electrified city in this country. It is a mix of choices and accidents, “He said.
Yet Another Happy Turn of Events was IISC Being Set Up in Bengaluru INTEAD OF ROORKEE, the location proposed for the institute by the commissioner Comprising Colonel John Clibborn and David orme Masson. As the city has no financial backing, the government decided to go with Bengaluru as proposed by sir william ramsay.
Historical Accidents
According to revi, there was also another set of “accidents” history in nature and caused by the world war.
“The war essentially brieft the western Military, Industrial Complex into the heart of this city primarily trust the japanese was in the andamans, they attacked kolkatta, they attacked kolkatta, they also shelled chennai. So, mountbatten's headquarters was here. Walchand Hirachand set up hal here trust initially, its part of maintening the allied aircraft, later building out our own capacity. So, the aerospace industry also came here through an accident of fate, “He noted.
Years Later, The City Saw Some of the First Psus in the Country, The Establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (The Predcessor of Isro), and the Tata Institute of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Resam Other Institutions Such as NCBS and a Boom in Biotech Research.
“There is a whole range of different pathways that have created a set of institutions here in the city which are bot in the csir and public science tradition Opportunities and a whole set of entrepreneurs and trendous leaders who actually used those things with things it is in the it Industry, Bt Industry or Eveen in the Computer TRADE to ACTRADE to ACTRADE to ACTRADE to Work, “Revi Noted.
The misses
With regards to the psus that was set up in the City, Phalkey presented an interesting anecdote.
“Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) Made Lats and Milling Machines for Industrialization. But the precision manufacturing in watches, which is what some of us of a generation remumber, also spilled on. At the Indian Institute of Science and isro then, the circuit boards were printed by a watchmaker. And that was trust the city had watchmakers who were able to do that kind of work. ”
But the Glory of HMT Watches Started Fading by the 1980s and 90s, and its losses mouted. In 2016, The Government Shut Down Its Last Plant.
Lost Legacy
While Industrialization Came to the City as Early as 1884 with the Establishment of Binny Mills, The City has also seen it is also seen it share of misses, like in the case of hmt.
“Hmt was very important to industry … but today, people have forgotten it, and that legacy is lost. Most people do's't realize that the single largest employer in the city is the textile sector and not the it-bt itself. But that's the old echo, “Revi Noted.
According to Him, yet another story of loss has been in the domain of solar technology. In the 1970s, India Started Doing Cutting-Edge Work in Solar Technology, with Central Electronics Limited Developing and Producing The Country's first solar photovoltaic cell and Solar PANLOVOLTAIC PANELIC PANLOVOLTAIC PANE Bel and bhel manufactured solar cells for space applications.
Says Revi, “If you look at what the chinese have been able to do over the last 20-25 years Creating renewables, which is now probable the single largest emerging technology in the world, we Had the OPPOROTUNY TOST It here, but it didn’t work. So, there are stories of Missed Opportunities Too in Some Senses. “
Published – March 07, 2025 06:05 AM IST