Perspectives of Experimental Neutrino Physics in India

A description of the early work on experimental observation and study of cosmic ray neutrinos in India is sketched here. This includes experiments to measure the variation of intensity of cosmic ray muons down to great depths underground, the first detectors for neutrino detection, and the consolidation of neutrino data using large scale proton decay experiments. Also included is a brief description of special (Kolar) events recorded in the KGF detectors, that defy explanation on the basis of normal muon or neutrino interactions. Results from the neutrino experiments conducted in other laboratories around the same time period as well as those recorded in all the first-generation proton decay experiments will be reviewed briefly.