{"id":13670,"date":"2026-08-18T10:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T10:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13670"},"modified":"2026-08-18T10:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T10:15:08","slug":"in-1985-a-giant-satellite-dish-travelled-through-bengaluru-on-a-wooden-bullock-cart-it-helped-transform-india-into-an-it-superpower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13670","title":{"rendered":"In 1985, a giant satellite dish travelled through Bengaluru on a wooden bullock cart; it helped transform India into an IT superpower"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133314640,imgsize-115333,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg\" alt=\"In 1985, a giant satellite dish travelled through Bengaluru on a wooden bullock cart; it helped transform India into an IT superpower\" title=\"Former President Pratibha Patil (left) presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Nagarajan Vittal. The IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch. (Source: PTI\/File)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Former President Pratibha Patil (left) presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Nagarajan Vittal. The IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch. (Source: PTI\/File)\">Former President Pratibha Patil (left) presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Nagarajan Vittal. The IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch. (Source: PTI\/File)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Fortune favours the bold.&#8221; Few stories in India&#8217;s technology history illustrate this better than the remarkable journey that transformed a country struggling with red tape into one of the world&#8217;s largest software-exporting nations.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Long before Bengaluru became India&#8217;s Silicon Valley, software engineers faced a challenge that would seem almost unbelievable to today&#8217;s students.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>In 1985, if an engineer in Bengaluru wrote code for an American client, there was no internet to transfer it instantly. The code had to be stored on magnetic tapes, packed into boxes, transported to an airport and flown thousands of kilometres to the United States. Developers often waited for weeks to discover whether their software worked.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>Everything changed because of one experiment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>American technology giant Texas Instruments wanted to establish a direct communication link between its Bengaluru office at Sona Towers on Miller&#8217;s Road and its headquarters in Dallas, Texas.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>The company needed a dedicated 64 kbps satellite connection. Today, that speed would appear painfully slow, but in 1985, it represented cutting-edge technology.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>There was only one problem: India&#8217;s regulatory system had no provision allowing a private foreign company to operate international telecommunications equipment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"How N Vittal and a bullock cart helped spark India's IT revolution\" msid=\"133314719\" width=\"\" title=\"How N Vittal and a bullock cart helped spark India's IT revolution\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133314719\/how-n-vittal-and-a-bullock-cart-helped-spark-indias-it-revolution.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>How N Vittal and a bullock cart helped spark India&#8217;s IT revolution<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The satellite dish that arrived on a bullock cart<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Government departments demanded security clearances. Officials worried that a giant satellite dish could become a tool for espionage.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>After months of bureaucratic hurdles, the equipment finally reached India. Yet another obstacle emerged.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>The roads of 1980s Bengaluru were not designed to transport such large and delicate equipment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>The solution was as unconventional as the challenge itself.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The satellite dish that would eventually help transform India&#8217;s software industry was carried through Bengaluru on a wooden bullock cart pulled by two white oxen.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>When engineers finally switched on the system, history was made.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>For the first time, code written in India could be transmitted directly to the United States, compiled on a computer in Texas and returned to Bengaluru almost instantly.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Distance had suddenly become irrelevant.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The man who realised one company&#8217;s solution could become a national strategy<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>While the Texas Instruments experiment proved that India possessed the engineering talent needed to compete globally, it also exposed a serious problem.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>Operating a private satellite link reportedly cost around Rs 45 lakh annually in licensing and bandwidth charges alone.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>Indian startups simply could not afford it.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>That is when N Vittal, a 1960-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre and Secretary of the Department of Electronics between 1990 and 1996, entered the picture.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>Instead of asking every company to build its own expensive communication infrastructure, Vittal proposed a revolutionary idea: shared digital highways.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>His answer was the creation of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"N Vittal\" msid=\"133314732\" width=\"\" title=\"N Vittal (extreme left), with (L to R) then Nasscom president Dwwang Mehta, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and Nasscom co-founder Harish Mehta at an event in 1992. (TNN) \" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" imgsize=\"\" resizemode=\"4\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-133314732\/n-vittal.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>N Vittal (extreme left), with (L to R) then Nasscom president Dwwang Mehta, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and Nasscom co-founder Harish Mehta at an event in 1992. (TNN) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The Rs 100 million industry that was challenged to become a giant<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>In 1991, India&#8217;s software exports stood at approximately $100 million.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"57\"\/>According to accounts from industry leaders, Finance Secretary Bimal Jalan challenged Vittal during discussions on reforms.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/>If the government removed barriers, simplified regulations and accepted industry demands, how much could software exports grow?<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"61\"\/>Vittal reportedly promised $400 million.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"64\"\/>When he announced this ambitious target before technology entrepreneurs at a NASSCOM event, many industry leaders were stunned.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>Yet Vittal pressed ahead.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>STPI introduced shared satellite infrastructure, duty-free imports of computer hardware, simplified approvals, tax incentives and easier access to international markets.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"70\"\/>Small companies no longer had to invest enormous sums in communication infrastructure.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>They simply plugged into a system designed to support innovation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"75\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The lesson today&#8217;s students should remember<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The story of India&#8217;s IT revolution is often associated with entrepreneurs such as Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji and other technology pioneers.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"78\"\/>But behind every successful industry are people who build the systems that make growth possible.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"81\"\/>N Vittal understood something that remains relevant even today: talent alone is not enough. Innovation also requires the right ecosystem.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"84\"\/>A satellite dish carried on a bullock cart may sound like an unusual image in the age of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"86\"\/>Yet that image represents one of the most important turning points in modern India&#8217;s technological journey.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"88\"\/>Sometimes, a country&#8217;s future does not begin in a gleaming technology park.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"90\"\/>Sometimes, it begins with one bold idea, one determined bureaucrat and a belief that an impossible target can become reality.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"92\"\/><span class=\"strong em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Disclaimer:<\/span><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\"> This article is based on publicly available accounts, interviews, historical records and published reports related to the evolution of India&#8217;s software industry and the contributions of N Vittal.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/education\/news\/the-ias-officer-who-made-indias-it-horse-fly-how-n-vittal-turned-a-bullock-cart-a-satellite-dish-and-a-bold-gamble-into-a-technology-revolution\/articleshow\/133314390.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Pratibha Patil (left) presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Nagarajan Vittal. The IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch. (Source: PTI\/File) &#8220;Fortune favours the bold.&#8221; Few stories in India&#8217;s technology history illustrate this better than the remarkable journey that transformed a country struggling with red tape into one of the world&#8217;s largest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Former President Pratibha Patil (left) presenting the Padma Bhushan Award to Nagarajan Vittal. The IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, 1960 batch. (Source: PTI\/File) &#8220;Fortune favours the bold.&#8221; Few stories in India&#8217;s technology history illustrate this better than the remarkable journey that transformed a country struggling with red tape into one of the world&#8217;s largest [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/nagarajan-vittal.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}