Today, looking back, I remember the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) annual general meeting held 25 years ago at Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay, where the then president of CMA, industrialist M H Dalmia, while releasing the first issue of ‘Indian Cement Review’ (ICR) remarked that "At last! Roshan Wadhera, a somebody from media world has realised the importance of a monthly magazine for the Indian cement industry and has ventured to fulfill this long felt need of the Industry".Roshan Wadhera is the founder editor of India Cement Review. He is currently the editor of Soaps, Detergents and Toiletries Review.That was our birth and today at 25 we hope, we have come of age of maturity. We are still trying to contribute our might towards value addition to the Indian cement industry. CMA not only welcomed the ICR but also extended its full support by lending us the able guidance of its secretary general S M Chakraborty, as honorary, Technical Editor.We were publishing articles & news about the happenings in the industry by highlighting the minutes of the association meetings. At that time the unpopular government controlled cement industry by buying 60 per cent of the production at the fixed price and 40 per cent of sale in the open market. And at last the control was lifted by the cement controller of India and the entire production of cement was flooded in the market. The demand was far less than the production. The cement prices fell to alarming proportions and panic struck the industry.The decontrolled eraThe ways and means were being discussed to undertake the measures to increase consumption of cement. Efforts towards exports were explored by the association. Concept of ready mix concrete was being introduced in constructing the roads. World experts like Milton Sharpe was invited to guide the industry to use the newly developed product for the maximum benefit towards the consumption of cement in road construction in particular and house building in general. The industry confronted different experiences of the decontrol. Most of the companies were coming out from the captured market to open market. There was never any marketing department in most of the cement manufacturing companies and now, was the need for sales & marketing set up in their organisation. The new measures worked and the cement consumption increased considerably. However, on the export measures front envisaged by the association, things did not work as per expectations. There was uncertainty in the industry but boom in cement concrete roads and building activities played a major role in consolidating the situation.Exhibitions and seminarsIndian Cement Review also witnessed these different phases of the development in the Indian cement industry but continued serving the interest of the industry in its own humble way. A baby of the Wadhera Group, the ICR was started in 1986. It is the only magazine covering the Indian cement and allied industries and has already made a name for itself in the industry. We had organised the Cement Expo ’90 – an exhibition which brought together cement manufacturers and cement machinery manufacturers and allied fabricators under one roof in January 1990. Together with the Cement Expo ’90 a seminar on cement industry ‘Towards the 21st Century’ was organised attended by the doyens from the industry and research institutions and papers were presented.In February 1992, the ICR organised a seminar, on ‘Future Development in the Cement Industry’ where the ICR Annual 1991 was released. In July 1993 we organised another seminar, ‘Bulk Cement Distribution – Future Scenario’, which was the first of its kind, propagating and encouraging, the use of bulk cement. The ICR Annual’ 92 was released at this seminar.The second exhibition on the cement, cement machinery and allied industries in India, Cement Expo’93, was held in January 1994 at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai. The Cement Expo became a regular feature of the cement industry, and the third Cement Expo’96 was organised in Bombay on 15-16-17 February 1996. This too, was a huge success. The ICR Annual 1998 was released in August 1998.On 19 February 1999 the fourth Cement Expo ’99, along with a National Seminar on ‘Cement and Concrete Industry in the New Millennium’ was held. Despite the difficult times the industry was passing through, we were able to present a full house. The ICR Annual 1999 was released in December 1999.’Cement Expo 2001′ the Fifth Exhibition and Seminar was held at the Centaur Juhu Hotel, Mumbai on 23 February 2001. The event was a grand success. The ICR Annual 2001′ containing papers presented at the seminar was released in August 2002.’Cement Expo 2004′ Sixth Exhibition and Seminar was held on 13 October 2004, at Nehru Centre, Mumbai. Cement Expo 2006, the 7th Exhibition and a Seminar on cement based products, ready mix concrete, construction chemicals, building materials, machineries & equipments was held on 1 November 2006 at Nehru Centre, Mumbai. The voluminous ICR Annual 2006 was brought out in 2007.Due to age factor I have given the responsibility of bringing out the magazine to ASAPP Media Information Group who is doing excellent job in the service of the Indian cement industry by introducing many new useful and relevant features. And with the support and good wishes of our readers, we hope to do much more in the years to come.