Founded in 1976, Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) has completed 50 years. Reflecting on the milestone, co-founder Ajai Chowdhry recalled the company’s modest beginnings, when six young entrepreneurs came together with just Rs 1.87 lakh to build an Indian computer.
Sharing a photograph on X featuring fellow co-founders Shiv Nadar, Arjun Malhotra, Yogesh Vaidya, Subhadh Arora and D S Puri, Chowdhry said the six quit their jobs to start the company, borrowed money, pooled their savings, and even sold a car to raise the initial capital.
Chowdhry said their first office was a small barsati, or rooftop apartment, in Delhi’s Golf Links. The founders initially called themselves Microcomp and were convinced that the emerging microprocessor would transform the world, he shared.
However, the major hurdle was that they lacked a manufacturing licence. Their search for a solution took them to UP Electronics Corporation, which had the licence they needed. The partnership eventually paved the way for the formation of HCL.
The founders, however, did not wait for the company or its products to be fully ready before approaching customers. “We started selling a computer that was still being designed,” Chowdhry wrote.
He said the company had little more than a brochure and a mock-up of the proposed machine when its sales teams began travelling across India to convince businesses to invest in a technology that was still new to many.
The company’s first orders came from IIT Kharagpur and IIT Madras.
One of its early breakthroughs came in Coimbatore, where the fledgling company found itself competing with DCM DP, a much larger, established player.
Chowdhry recalled sitting in the reception area of textile producer and exporter Premier Mills as the DCM team made its pitch.
“In Coimbatore, we were up against DCM DP, a much bigger and more established name. I still remember sitting in the reception area of Premier Mills while the DCM team made its pitch. We went in second. And we won. That one order gave us five more. Then ten,” Chowdhry wrote.
“That was HCL in those early years: not having the biggest balance sheet, the biggest brand or the easiest path — but finding a way,” he added.
The company then went on to develop some of India’s early indigenous computers and expanded beyond the country, including to Singapore when it was just four years old.
Reflecting on the journey five decades later, Chowdhry said the real HCL story was not simply about the scale the company eventually achieved, but about its beginnings with six people, a small Delhi office, a computer that existed only as a mock-up and the willingness to keep knocking on doors.
“That, to me, is the real HCL story,” he wrote.
The post quickly gained traction, drawing a wave of reactions.
“Those 1.87 lakhs were compounded. Great decision made with dream. Today it is benefiting all of your employees, clients, suppliers, and u guys. Congratulations to the 6 of u,” a user wrote.
“Wonderful journey of like and right minded people. Congrats HCL on your Golden Jubilee!” another user commented. “Amazing & truly inspiring …. You are all Bharat Ratnas …. Great inspiring story for decades to cherish … Best wishes and happy healthy times,” a third user reacted.