Note in your article that you list the inventions from the 20s and 30s(US) and compare them to recent inventions in the Outlook Magazine(India). The key is how long does it take to realize that an invention is indeed life changing? Like you said - cell phones were not as "handy" before, but it took a while to penetrate to the masses. So also TV, jets, etc. Any innovations in India going back to that date? Is it that there are innovations, but just that there is not enough infrastructure(appreciation) to take it and apply it to the mass market, other relevant markets? Just some thoughts.. SS
Thanks for ur valuable thoughts, But more than that it is always appreciable to share comments or thoughts on how to make these innovations more prolific.
While the central intention of this writeup is commendable, there are certain harsh realities which cannot be ignored
In countries like the USA, federal funding to all kinds of research is the highest as compared to private funding - in India, government funding to basic education and science and technology has come down steadily -
Much of the so-called research work is concentrated in big Institutes and Labs and the role of universities has been regretfully forgotten - if a robust model wherein a sturdy dynamic networking of universities and the big institutes is not put in place, our claims of becoming scientifically and technologically innovative will remain pipedreams
besides, it should be kept in mind that at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, if basic classical natural sciences like mathematics and physics are not embraced by students, it would spell doom in the long run - much of the pioneering inventions and innovations have their roots in mathematics, physics and chemistry, but today, fewer students take these subjects at the Bachelors level
Last but not the least, if science has to survive, it needs capital support at the basic level
In the era of commercial successes and brand image, there are certain innovations designed with the traditional engineering skills.
And there are organization like, National Innovation Foundation, a dream of padmashri Prof. Anil Gupta, or SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) which are silently working for "barefoot innovators" to enrich their skills.
Well it's a topic discussed many a times. It has been pointed out about the success story of lots of Indians in India doing this and doing that. With due respect to all those who had made India proud, I thought the discussion was about innovation and not succeeding in service industry or re-engineering industry. Surely with lots of patent rights awaited by the software engineer mostly by the major MNC's we are moving in the right direction. Will these brains be cultivated by any INDIAN firms to commercialise the product? OR, back to square one...,we just service a part of their project. Thus the story continues...
I always observed that Indian minds are top class in creativity. where we lack is the machinery to convert powerful ideas to practical applications. In the absence of such systems, powerful ideas lie idling for some time, after which they get forgotton or get lost in the daily chores. Who can play the role? The Government? Private enterprise? The most practical ideas come to the general public, who make use of the systems. But if a person gets an idea, where will he tell? Almost all the avenues are useless. At worst he will get ridiculed, at best he will be sympathised or agreed with. But nothing will be carried forward to implementation.
People are definitely full of brilliant ideas, however, the systems & processes to convert the ideas into reality do not exist as much as they should be. This means venture funding,willingness to take risk, try until you succeed. Converting Ideas into revenue takes a lot than just having an idea.All this involves practical philosophy about money,time & intellegence.
