Prof(Dr.)Ashok Kumar Manwati
Present day India is in political turbulence and passing through economic crisis. It seems that it is governed by leadership of subdued vision, not decisive on issues of development. India does show its intention to race with the developed nations and bring transparency and efficiency in the forefront among priorities of India building. All political parties do talk of inclusive development and growth but the leadership at the helm of affairs of their political bosses are having confined vision of conservative ideas and ideologies that could hardly transform the destiny of India. This could happen only if we speed up in technology innovation and promote scientific environment, thought and temper. Unless we build up the institutions of extra-ordinary caliber that would promote the ideas of excellence, enterprise and encourage entrepreneurship to generate new knowledge and new wealth, the nervousness in Indian economy could not overcome.
We in India were a bit fortunate to have Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru our first Prime Minister who was keen and enthusiastic to promote higher education, technology and science and instantly did frame its policies to transform India by adopting the path of fast-track development and research. Initial initiative was very encouraging and the political bosses then wanted to rise above the ordinary and encourage the liberal policy of funding to allow the Universities to progress and develop and become world class entities. Except for a few all our Universities and scientific institutions did not elevate in academic and research status and have shown dismal performance and hardly contributed to build new enterprise that could have confronted the challenge of the developed world and would have made India the power to reckon with. India got stuck and invariably got engaged to produce average human resource where plagiarism became order of the day in most of the institutions. Most of the degenerations was brought by persons at the helm of affairs running the research institutions who had little initiative and bizarre commitment and vision to identify and Scout the exceptional talent while recruiting the academic faculties who could have earned the prestige for them of that of the institutions like M.I.T., Stanford, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard, University of California Berkley to name a few. To achieve that we have to strength institutional autonomy that would foster and protect creative thinkers. Had the academic leaders realized the deficiencies in system at the early stage, creative minds would have invented new technology that would have raised India to the status of being pioneer in launching products that would have created a new market for Indian companies in the world.
Policy planners in later years never comprehended that the most of the super powers in the world attained super status because of their Universities and Research Organisations remained committed to innovate and change the landscape that was fundamental in concepts and theme. Their applied research based on ideas discovered in institutions/ Universities did raise the standard of quality of life and living. Innovations did boost the economies and made the system to churn exceptional new scientific and business models and converted them into working phenomena. The industries in the developed world focus on continuous innovation and indulge in diversified inter-disciplinary ideas and stayed ahead by making products that became visible brands in the market place. The management that did not put emphasis to promote research in their organizations, produced obsolete technology with no new features in their products, almost vanished from the market.
Although our young generation is exceptionally brilliant and talented lot but in India they get limited exposure in the latest ideas that could invent future technologies and create a scope of building new competitive enterprise. Very few among the corporate sector would approach our Universities in India to assist them to launch products which are their own original research creation. On the other hand Universities like that of M.I.T in US produced 4000 entrepreneurs who produced $ 237 billion new wealth. Many a small countries in world have won considerable market share and the products they launched have captured world attention. Could our national leaders appreciate the fast growing small countries like South Korea, who became champions competing ahead in mobile technology, automobile technology and in many other electronic technology industries and penetrated almost all markets where their products became visible brands that sell fast. In India big industrial houses or India Inc. are often in buying spree mode to import technologies or only becoming equity share holders of the big branded companies abroad who are launching new business in India. Indian Companies are hardly confident of their research products becoming brands where in market place they could remain ahead of their competitors.
In present day India our Prime Minister candidates of all parties are not impressed by the idea that Engineers and logicians are there to transform the world at the rapid pace, with the combination of the brilliant scientists and laissez-faire management style certainly did pay off Bell labs in USA, with, for example, Seven Nobel prize winners in Physics and two Turning award winners in Computer Science had among the innovations credited to Bell Lab Researchers are the transistors and the laser, the Unix operating system and c-programming language and the Director Shannom own attempt to understand the theoretical concept of cryptography that led him to develop information theory as full blown subject. The political parties who would come to the helm of affairs should realise that our exceptionally brilliant lot of students who achieve their position through the channel of stiff competition and get admission in lead institutions of India should be sponsored to study in lead Universities of US and other front ranking Universities elsewhere in other parts of the developed nation, so that they are introduced to learn about the ideas that would be basis of future technologies almost in all fields of science and technology. All political parties should come to a consensus on an issue to get raised and allot a special fund of Rs 10,000 crores each year by the Planning Commission and make this fund exclusively available to students to support research endeavour in US Universities so that they would indulge in research with the best minds of extra ordinary vision. This would promote new enterprise in India to generate new wealth and enormous employment and India could be considered technology inventor, who would command the future in research and development. This way, we would create a new segment of export market and overcome the current account deficit and our rupee would gain its real value against strong currencies of the world. We do claim of extra ordinary achievements and feel excited but in reality India Inc. no where stand competitor to the world class companies. The talent of our brilliant creative students who graduated from lead Universities and institutions like IITs and NITs, BITS , AIIMS, IIMs, IIITs should be utilized in full and be encouraged to go to US for study and research on J-I Visa, to ensure their return. On their return, they should be encouraged to join Research Faculty or float their own enterprises. This step if implemented in complete faith and seriousness would make definite ladder for India to become super power in a decades time and poverty would be elevated and India would matter in world opinion on all issues.
Fundamental research of extra ordinary nature which brings new revelation in idea and concept that brings technology innovation is pursued in first rank Universities in US. Second level of research is followed in Labs like that of Bell Labs for example and third level of research that add new features to the product is taken up at research floors of the companies that add progressive dimension which enhances the equity value of the company. Let us understand that China did the same way and became experts in reverse technology. If India would lack on this initiative it would bring great disillusionment and India would remain far behind for many decades although India’s ultimate ambition and mission is to lead the world.
(The author is former Principal, Govt Degree College, Udhampur (Boys) and former Assistant Professor, Purdue University, USA)
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