27 April - Telegraph service was opened to the public

 

On 27 April 1854, the telegraph service was opened to the public and the first telegram was sent from Mumbai to Pune.

Popularly known as ‘Taar’, the telegram service in India was seen as the harbinger of change. For 160 years, the service was both anticipated and feared; bringing good and bad, but urgent news to Indians.

Telegraph services in India date back to 1850. The first telegraph line, though only experimental was established between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour.

The British East India Company started using the telegraph in 1851 and till 1854 telegraph lines were laid across the country.

In 1854, the telegraph service was opened to the public and the first telegram was sent from Mumbai to Pune on 27 April 1854.

Telegraph service thrived in India even after Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876.

Since 1850 till 1902, the telegrams were sent through cable lines, but in 1902, the Indian system went wireless.

Telegraph service was one of the major reasons why British could quell the 1857 revolt. The telegraph service allowed British to mobilise their troops swiftly which undid the plans of the rebellions