Distance education has a history of over four decades in India. There has been a vast growth in the number of learners who need education and thus also the corresponding channels of providing education. Due to the constraints of the traditional educational sector, open and distance learning has been found to be a workable alternative strategy in India. This paper traces the evolution and diversification of open learning in India by examining various factors that led to the growth and success of open learning. This system, as other systems of education, is not free from problems and a critique is provided on the various factors affecting the smooth functioning of India's open and distance learning system.