The end of colonial rule was an important milestone worth celebrating, but what lay ahead was a long journey towards the making of modern India. The narrative of ‘modern India’ would be incomplete without the stories of institutions that helped shape India as we know it today. This volume, part of a series on institutions that shaped modern India, gives an in-depth introduction to one such institution—the defence research and development organisation (Dr do). it engagingly tells the story of Dr do from its inception to present times. Capturing its history and its evolution, dotted with several remarkable achievements and some equally critical challenges, and offering thought-provoking suggestions too, this book is an ode to an institution that has been a crucial contributor to India’s defence needs, equipping it with state-of-the-art indigenous defence technologies, and has played a seminal role in nation-building.