Down memory lane

Oil is as modern as it is ancient. References to rock-oil as 'shilajatu' are found in the Vedas. Early evidence of oil seeps were recorded along the banks of the Nampong river in upper Assam in the 1820s by the British army men and geologists. The first Indian oil well was at Digboi in 1889 wasn't far behind the Drakes well in Pennsylvania in 1859. Refining, transportation, followed with the discovery at Digboi. It is amazing how the oils was transported in elephant drawn carts across the jungles and then through the waterways to as far as the Malabar coast.

India didn't lose time, after independance, in initiating geological and seismic surveys in search of oil in the Indian basins. Discoveries in the western sector in Gujarat, necessitated the establishment of Koyali refinery in the 60s. On after th other, major refineries were set up and infrastructure established. Unique challenges of reching essential fuel to far flug and logistically challenging terrains across the diverse topography of India were addressed with remarkable resilience.

India's offshore forays at Aliabet in the 1970s was quite early for a developing country. The bold initiative taken with faith in indigenous capabilities in an entirely new and tehcnologically challenging area is a tribute to the Indian oil technologists of the day.