Atomic energy in India: 50 years

There was once a perception that the so-called under-developed countries will be able to benefit from atomic energy only after they have proceeded with their industrialisation on conventional lines. In launching the atomic energy programme in India fifty years ago, Dr Homi Bhabha challenged that perception. This programme, as we see it today, has become a vast national asset of capabilities in all that the power of the atom offers, and as such is a vindication of Dr Bhabha's faith and courage. It has not been one single development with a linear evolution. It is a mosaic of many programmes separately nucleated, with strong inter-relationships and an overall coherence. It is an epic of many dimensions. The authors who belonged to this Programme from the early years tell the story with understanding and feeling drawn from their own experience