This article describes the origin and development of the radio astronomy group of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which later became the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics in Pune in 1991, under the leadership and guidance of Govind Swarup over the past 50 years. The innovativeness of the designs and the indigenous development of the large radio telescopes by a team of young scientists and engineers are highlighted. The scientific results from the work of the group are briefly summarized.