It is well known that innovations is the key to success in every sphere of life. I feel great being born as Indian and learnt the basics of high morale living and traditional cultures that make a good human being, at the same time feel very bad that right from school days there is no focus on innovation. All the science experiments we had conducted in the schools are repetitive in nature. No new experiments. The curriculum itself should envisage new methods for inculcating innovative thinking in the younger minds which will be rock solid foundation for them to grow with. Innovative thinking should be in all spheres of life. If it begins from school, Iam confident that in another 2 decades there will be more innovators from India than the US.
I have closely examined the Billion Dollar / Billion Indian question of not coming out with any meaningful innovation. On careful analysis it is observed that USA is able to commercialize it's innovations by making a big hype about them and disarming other more humble countries in commercializing them.
Take for example
1) Coca Cola / Pepsi / Lays Potato Chips : It is only hype and marketing tactics. Yes , they may be harmful to humans and may have pesticides beyond permissible limits.But , they sponsor mega events and know how to make the masses feel them indispensible. We have 'Maaza' (Fresh Fruits) , Coco nut Milk drinks etc which are much more healthier than these , but sadly not promoted.
USA is 20% fact and 80% fiction. Hype and big money rules their global strategies and presently clouding the minds of people to recognize better innovations. We should wake up to put things in correct perespective and remove the mask from few of their innovations. Let us not forget Billion Food Baby Food Industry or The Mad Cow Disease or HRT set backs
India has to change education system thoroughly. Indians are good at theory developed by others but they can not develop anything by themselves. Indians are satisfied with little success and they get ego because society showers praise on them and the progress stops there. The mental development of a person starts at very early age. In engineering or medical courses more emphasis should be given to original work. The government and investors should provide capital for research or original work.
I totally agree with what Arindam has written. Just saying that we can do innovation and blaming the US for not letting us do that is foolishness. From my own experience of studying in India and then coming to the US for higher studies has taught me that what needs to change in India is out education system. The syllabus of engineering schools need to be reviewed. Some of the basic materials being taught in these schools today are outdated and the technology in it is no longer used. Students must be exposed to problem-solving and research oriented projects rather than making them learn pages and pages of theories. Engineering is all about APPLICATION of different scientific theories. So engineering students need to be given at least some level of exposure to it during their education.
Here we have to understand the difference about invention, innovation and Brand Building. There are lots of ideas which culminate into invention and innovation. But in today's time its the Brand Building which matters. People have lots of innovative ideas but how many see light of the day. In 100 of 'innovations' only 10 last after 10 years and a v few 50 years. Ask many a comapnies how many of their products, designs, brands have failed and with that billions of Money(and for that matter how many one time innovative companies have survived). But it can be done what we need is to innovate one after another being persistent on that because there is no end to it.
A nation where the politicians are brusht and always busy innovating new ways of coming to power (free this and free that), and new arenas of scamstering, it is beyond all hopelessness to innovate for the common good.
The guy who innovates for the common good is often viwed with a considerable amount of suspicion, distrust and contempt.
He/she is generally not welcome in the power-packed and decision-making circles often busy making "BIG" money.
This is a real sad situation in India where we are capable of thinking earth-shattering concepts... but we lack the atmosphere and motivation to bring the ideas to life.
Think of many ideas implemented by Indian using foreign land as their platform for implementation and development. Like US or UK do we have that kind of support from bureaucrats and industrials who keep farsighted vision.
Also as a society India lacks the grooming and nurturing factor of the to be great Innovators, right from home to educational institutes.
Nandan Nilenkan's statement about two types of Indians is a Perfect Insight of Indian mindset on Innovation.
Innovative ideas cannot fruitionize in india with the present mind set up & system is the gist of guest columns. And I completely agree to it.. What needs to be changed is the defeated mind set up of the people / society in indian technologies an engineers. With ample of examples this has been proved. One in a million as a creator is the need of the hour and india is not derth of it but alas.. the system inertia is mind boggling and one feels dejected at the end..
By,
Prof s m chavan Chemical engineering Department PVP Institute of technology Budhgaon Sangli M S
