Accelerator development in India

Accelerator development in India is reviewed with special emphasis on indigenous effort. It started with the 4 MeV cyclotron at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, grew substantially with the installation of the Van de Graaff accelerators at Trombay and really came of age with the 224 cm Variable Energy Cyclotron at Calcutta, which resulted in considerable fall-out of technology. Simultaneously electron linac development has also taken place. Thus the stage is set for developing new types of accelerators such as the electron storage ring synchroton, and a proton/heavy ion synchrotron.