Possible Impossible

IN 1981 A COMPANY WAS formed that, quite unbelievably, led to the creation of a modern car industry in India. The company was Maruti and its experiences have relevance far beyond the car industry, extending to the entire manufacturing segment. Its success is all the more remarkable as Maruti started out as a public sector company but with a Japanese partner, an almost certain recipe for failure given the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures and socialistic ideology that were prevalent. Moreover, the component industry needed to support its ambitious plans-100,000 cars annually-was fragmented and technologically obsolete.

Impossible Engineering looks at the history of pioneering modern-day mega structures. Behind every seemingly impossible marvel of modern engineering is a cast of historic trailblazers who designed new building techniques, took risks on untested materials and revolutionized their field. It is a tribute to their achievements. As this series revels in these modern day creations, it leaps back in time to recount the stories of the exceptional engineers whose technological advances made it all possible.