Infosy’s Narayanamurthy’s lament! India is in threshold of innovations: embryonic stage of IT-related inventions…
Why India lags behind not only in innovating ‘innovations’ but in inventions and discoveries? Like in Europe, the country did not see a Renaissance (but we experienced a Golden Age in the Ancient India!) in the second millennium; like the climate for research and breakthroughs in the US and in the West there is no atmosphere for thinking beyond the status quo and engage in research in one microscopic area of a field or in a discipline, and importantly the Western countries attract the best brains in the world for they provide security and a lifestyle that is not there in the Developing World, or in Southern Hemisphere.
Why is there an Indian Diaspora? Why did they leave the love and the lap of Bharat Mata in the second millennium down to the continuation of emigration from Hindustan to somewhere to eke out a living: for manual jobs in the Middle East to engage in research in Europe and in the Americas including in Canada and other English-speaking countries? Why are there long queues at the embassies of sought-after countries in Shantipath and Chanakyapuri in India’s national capital? Indians want to leave: elsewhere, and the IT professionals to the US’s San Francisco.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), the would-be (potential) socio-political powers of the second-half of the twenty-first century), can allocate time for discussing ‘research climate’ and how to pool the best brains among these countries along with economic issues and global matters.
India has an endemic climate of disorientation and discrimination (subtle and subtle, tangible and intangible) in the educational institutions. Research is still construed as something as ‘whiling away one’s time’ or to gain accommodation and prepare for ‘civil services’ or something.
Professor IF Mudagall, Head of the Department of Physics, AIGS, Acharya Institutions in Bangalore, points out to the job-oriented education in Bharat, doing jobs not related to the qualifications (A qualified doctor becoming a civil servant, a brilliant mathematician ending up as a primary school teacher due to familial pulls and social expectations, students pursuing research for accommodation and preparing for ‘competitive examinations’ among others.), and research scholars often doing the research of their guides or supervisors!
Watch Jaspal Bhatti’s Flop Show: PhD!
The best prizes in the world often are won by people in the Third World countries for their acts and activities in social sphere (micro-financing, fighting for the rights of the children, challenging the religious fundamentalists): not for inventions, discoveries and innovations.
India has umpteen travel companies yet none of them can match Cox and Kings. Its latest offer for travellers (seeking enrichment and meditative moments) is a ‘Super Saver Ladakh with Air (Ex Delhi) to Leh, Nubra Valley & Pangong Lake 08 Days /07 Nights). Price starts from 34,749/-* PP’. Why, not other Indian companies.
Infosy’s Narayanamurthy’s lament:
Delivering a convocation address at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Narayanamurthy Murthy the founder of Infosys, wondered: “Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe?” He asked, “Is there one idea that has led to an earth-shaking invention to delight global citizens? Folks, the reality is there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years.” Possibly, Infosys could have provided a platform for innovations, and seek ‘Digital’ Diaspora of India to return, and work here. However, he said, “The only two ideas that have transformed the productivity of global corporations - the global delivery model and the 24-hour workday - came from a company called Infosys.” He also did something that is defining feature of an Indian: employing a family member into lead the company (like celebrities and politicians).
India lags behind not only in gifting the IT-related products among other products and production, services (financial), discoveries, inventions and innovations (of course: Yoga, Zero) because we have no climate in the country for ‘research’.
India is categorized as a ‘Developing country’ based on several indices; and with the pace of development and activities happening in the country it is unlikely it could for ever be a ‘Developed country’. Yet, there are sparks in the country that could have had happened elsewhere.
Indians attracting global attention:
InMobi drew the attention of the world in July for emerging as the next generation ‘platform’ for a mobile-first world in advertising by innovating artificial intelligence: posting adverts for consumers using mobile devices based on their usage of Internet making the giants like Facebook and Google to think, and rethink, and rework on a strategy. Its adverts are boasted by the company as an experience of discovery rather than bombarding with unsought adverts which is the norm on accessing Internet’s websites and apps. InMobi’s Miip – an animated sloth character, posts a curated collection of advertisements that will be compelling for the consumer from not buying! is touted as ‘opens up a world of possibilities for mobile consumers. It enables discovery of highly relevant and curated products by reimagining advertising for a destination-less world’. It says: ‘Miip is that companion who consumers can trust as he listens to them and learns from their emotional response to discovery experiences.’
Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO of InMobi said, “With Miip, we will put the user ahead of everyone else, and deliver a consistent, personalized and content-rich experience that users will fall in love with.” But the company is based in San Francisco, California! But it is not based in the Silicon Valley of India. Why? Should ask Mr Tewar when he may visit India for a press conference, or happen to meet the key figures of Bharat-movers and shakers.
And, there is a Mindtree.com, a medium-size IT services company that is slated to acquire US- and UK-based IT companies! But is located in Bengaluru in Hindustan offering services on Mobile, Cloud, Analytics and Agile (software design)!
IT-related developments and innovations are happening in India but they are in an embryonic stage. We should ask why the best brains leave India: such as Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft!
(Kovuuri G Reddy is the author of ‘Handbook of Journalism and Media: India, Bharat, Hindustan’. He can be reached [email protected])
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