72 Fascinating Tales of Computing from India’s Computer Science Guru

At the release of his latest book, “Anecdotes from the History of Modern Computing”, Professor V Rajaraman made a request to readers, asking them to share their feedback so he could address it in the next edition. While such a request might seem routine for any author, it takes on special significance when it comes from Prof. Rajaraman, a nonagenarian, Padma Bhushan awardee, and pioneer of computer science education in India. His contributions include the creation of the MCA (Master of Computer Applications) degree. The book, published by PHI Learning, is available on Amazon, and I immediately purchased a copy.

Listening to Prof. Rajaraman at the event was inspiring. His energy was infectious, and his recall of events and facts was astounding. I am confident that the book, which contains 72 anecdotes and stories from the history of computing, from ENIAC to ChatGPT, will be an engaging read. For those who missed the book launch event, it is available to watch online (link in the comments). As a bonus, the event also featured Prof S Sadagopan, whose sharp, eight-minute speech included three anecdotes from his own experiences, making it a highlight of the evening.

Thanks to the Computer Society of India, Chennai, IEEE Computer Society, Madras, and Mr H R Mohan for organizing the event.

The video recording of the event is here.