Uncoded: A Technological History of Inde

"Rewires how we think of nation-building" —Charles Assisi, technology columnist at Hindustan Times

From factories to farms, battlefields to boardrooms, clinics to classrooms—in the years since Independence, modern technology has swept through all corners of Indian life.

But back in 1947, this seemed impossible. Low literacy, poverty and lack of expertise meant that newly independent India was unable to afford the mighty technologies of World War II that were reshaping the globe. Yet, a determined team of far-sighted policymakers and scientists dared to make the impossible possible.

Today, India is home to leading software companies and a world-renowned space program. For many Indians, modern technology has become part of daily life.

Uncoded: A Technological History of Independent India is a story of one of the greatest technological transformations in the modern world. Blending a unique narrative with illustrations, trivia, anecdotes and an informative timeline, it explores how a nation used science and technology to rebuild itself and reimagine its destiny against all odds.

USPs

• A one-of-a-kind and first book for teens on the fascinating evolution of technology in India.
• Packed with memes, pop-culture references, and interactive elements that teens love, this isn’t an average history book but a lucid and relatable book for contemporary readers.
• Perfect for aspiring engineers, gamers, app developers and science enthusiasts.
• Get insider stories on how major tech revolutions happened—told through a mix of storytelling, illustrations and cool facts.
• Explores how homegrown innovations are putting India on the global tech map.
• Aligns with STEM and social studies curricula. Perfect for school reading lists and supplementary reading.
• Includes infographics, timelines, and quick explainer sections.
• Part of a history series on Independent India written for young readers, following 2 acclaimed titles: After Midnight: A History of Independent India (2022) and Unearthed: An Environmental History of Independent India (2020).

Meghaa Gupta’s exploits in history are the outcome of an irrepressible urge to contextualize the challenges of the present with the past to make greater sense of the time we live in. She works in children’s publishing and firmly believes that all change begins with getting children to read books that demystify the world and its infinite possibilities. She curates the Nature Writing for Children Program at Azim Premji University and is the co-founder of Literature across Borders, an international literary exchange program for young people’s books at Bath Spa University in the UK.

Meghaa is the author of two other widely acclaimed books on independent India published by Puffin, Unearthed: An Environmental History of Independent India (2020) and After Midnight: A History of Independent India (2022). This is the third book in the series.