unleashing full potential of india

8/14/2019 Unleashing Full Potential of India

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UNLEASHING FULL POTENTIAL of INDIA

There is a high voltage optimism in the country today, that India is going to be a

success story during the 21st century. This welcome optimism is anchored around certain

achievements during the last decade like the ones in the field of Information Technology,

the burgeoning Foreign Currency Reserves, a respectable and consistent growth in our

GDP and many more.

This yearning is certainly understandable, after having been a whipping boy for

centuries.

Starting 2500 years ago, more often than not, we caved in to any adventurer who

rode horse-back down the Khyber pass or the Bolan pass and proceeded to plunder and

subjugate us.

Around 1400 AD, after the gunpowder was invented, a gun-boat or two succeeded

in breaching our defenses on the coast line.

There is no doubt that India Inc is on the move today. However, we have to improve

in one major area , if we really wish to matter not only in the world affairs, but also in taking

care of a few dozen crores of our country men , who certainly deserve a better deal.

To do so meaningfully, let us be willing to examine in depth as to why we remained

the whipping boys for centuries, when we had the potential / the ingenuity even then that

we see glimpses of today.

Lets have a look at this historical sequence of events that unfolded.


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519 BC CYRUS , Emperor of Persia conquers parts of NW India.

327 - comes ALEXANDER the Great

180 - DEMETRIUS II ] Descendants of Alexanders erstwhile

Generals,

155 - MENANDER ] Kings of North West.

80 - MAUES, the first SHAKA King in western India

150 AD - RUDRADAMAN, the SHAKA King ruling Western India

500 - HUN control of NW India

712 - ARAB CONQUEST of Sind

997 - Raids of MAHMUD of GHAZNI

1192 - Prithvi Raj Chauhan defeated by Muhammad Ghuri

1296 - Reign of Ala-ud-din Khilji1325 - Reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlak

1451 - Accession of Buhlul Lodi at Delhi

1498 - Arrival of Portuguese in India

1526 - First battle of Panipat Start of Mughal dynasty

1757 -Lord CLIVE wins battle of Plassey [57]

The question remains as to why the Afghan armies were so successful in their

Indian campaigns Reinforcements of good central Asian Horses provided a better

livestock for the Afghan cavalry, which was used to excellent effect in pitched battles.

The Indian army had always suffered from inferior breed of horse and consequently was

chary of exploiting the cavalry. [57]


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Thus we see that We failed to find an answer , not over a few years, but over

many centuries , to a better breed of horses or to an invention like the Gun-

Powder. We

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could not cope up with the Challenge of Superior Technology. Mere bravery was not

good enough to be able to defend ourselves.

We need to ponder seriously over this failure over a prolonged period

and try to learn the needed lessons for the future.

Can we first accept that our recent successes like the one in the IT sector,

has not involved any major new invention on our part? We are merely using the

intellectual property generated by others in a more cost effective manner, with a

degree of innovation.

Over the last 50 plus years after independence, have we put out any product

in the market, that is a preferred Indian Brand, world wide?

Is there a major invention to the credit of an Indian citizen, during the past

half a century of independence?

This is not to deny some scientific achievements in the recent past in technology

like the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicles and the missiles, as enumerated by Dr Abdu

Kalam, our President in his inspiring book, The Wings of Fire.Our purpose here is not to denigrate India or to generate cynicism , but to face

reality and to understand as to why our full potential did not get released, even in time of

dire need.

It is not a cry of despair , but a call to wake up. We have so many strengths /

achievements to build upon. To enumerate a few :

Intelligence

Strong entrepreneurial spirit and skills

Strong commercial acumen

Capability for sustained hard work, even in highly adverse physica

environment.

High innovative and creative abilities.

High quality of workmanship in certain items of our traditional arts and crafts


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The Nobel laureates , including the latest Sh. Amartya Sen.

Half-a-dozen plus CEO's of Indian origin of large multinationals.

Our green revolution

Our white revolution.

A beginning of IT revolution.

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In this crucial matter of our lack of success , in being able to meet the challenge of

superior technology during our history spanning over more than two millennia, let us now

examine, the following analysis derived from a listing of major scientific inventions during

the last 200 years [annexure 3], in a dispassionate manner.

N umber of Major Inventions to

the credit of

USA CANADA E U R O P E ASIA South

Century

England,Germany, Italy,Spain, Amer

France Portugal

19th 9 3 9 2like Audio-recording.

Telephone like Petrol engine, RadioCommunican.,

Rotary Printing

Press, Type writer,

Elec Bulb, Diesel engine, Elec Submarine.

Refrigeration, Undersea Motor, Automobile,Plastic etc. tel cable. Vacuum cleaner,

Cathode ray tube

[ 12 ] [ 11 ]

20th 22 8 7 4 1 3like Aeroplane, Heartpace like Fax Machine, Radio Activity, Water ImmuComputer, Atom - Maker,Jet Jet engine, V2 Lipo suction, jet pro- OlogBomb, Astro turf, liner,

Zipper,Missile, Periscope, Structure of pulsion Reac

,

Kidney dialysis m/c, Imaxmovie Sea plane, Bakelite Nervous system .New MetaCell phone, Transi- Siliconchip Zealand Sm ostor, phonograph,motion picture -

Blood Sug

camera, color - Analyzertelevision

[ 30 ] [ 11 ] China-


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Earlier 15th-Leonardo 1st- suscentur- da vinci pension

Ies

17th-Galileo bridge

well known 2nd-

*** Invention ofzero, Astronomers scientists compassAryabhata & India-

Varah

mitra

upto6th- ***

Source : Google Search Engine

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What becomes evident from the above chart , is that :

while the combined performance of USA & Canada, is at par with that

of Europe as a whole during the nineteenth century in terms of major scientific

inventions [ 12 VS 11 ] ; however they out performed Europe with a big margin

during the 20th century [ 30 vs 11 ].

Within Europe too, it stands out that England, France and Germany

have demonstrated stronger performance as compared to Spain, Portugal and

Italy over both the two centuries [ 16 vs 6 ]

Then the million dollar question that arises is , WHY is that so ?

It is not being claimed here that this listing of inventions is hundred percent correct

or fully comprehensive. There are many more scientific patents that must have been taken

However, if we focus on the major inventions the trend becomes clear, that countries like

America and Canada are the biggest contributors in terms of scientific inventions in the last

century. This phenomenon needs to be understood and appreciated, whether you like

Americans or not.

The performance of the European countries who were in the forefront of the

industrial revolution & scientific inventions, tapered off.

Lack of contribution to the major scientific inventions over the last two centuries, by

countries like India is understandable, the colonizing powers from Europe did go out o


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their way to systematically discourage local talent. However, the big question is, what

about the earlier centuries?

What is striking is that the contributions from the European countries where the

industrial revolution started, dwindled during the 20th century, as the ones from the two ex-

colonies of the empire, America & Canada, soared. One wonders , why?

Be it Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Gurgaon a weighty amount of intellectua

property is being created for US Companies here. India units of CISCO Systems, Intel

IBM, Texas Instruments, GE have filed 1000 patent applications with the US Patent Office.

reads a paragraph in the Times of India of Jan 04,2004.

Sounds great. We always had the potential for original thinking and contributing to

the scientific achievements of the world. There is no doubt about that. What held us back?

Here is a clue. Please note that the intellectual property is being generated by

Indians as above, but the organizations that they work for are not Indian.

Let me now, build a hypothesis to answer this question.

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To start with a personal experience.

We saw during the sixties the kid-brother of a family friend growing up to become a

doctor. He migrated to USA, did super-specialization in a new field of medicine, married an

American girl and settled down there. And we said that he is well lost to the family and tothe country. Suddenly, after a few years he landed back in India with his American wife with

the clear intent of settling down. And thats what happened over the next two years.

During the third year when the news came about their plans to return, our first

reaction was that it must be the American wife getting sick of the heat and dust in our

country.

Surprisingly, it wasnt so. She was quite happy with the battery of servants at her

command. Back home, she would be in self-help mode for every thing. Some thing not very

welcome, once you get used to the battery of servants. The real reason was the climate at

work. Apparently after an international conference in India, in the field of his super-

specialization, the boss called the young doctor soon after the conference was over and

demanded,

How dare you contradict me in public?


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But Sir, that was on a professional topic. It was not personal response did not cu

much ice with the boss and the budding super-specialist of world standing said,

I do not wish to stay in such a country any longer.

The issue is , Can our bright young men be innovative, discover new

knowledge, if they are expected to be yes-men, are expected to toe the line

of the boss and accept that he has all the answers? If that was true, surely

some one over the last many centuries would have ordered one of his

henchman to come up with an answer to the problem of better breed of

horses or find an answer to the gun powder.

Can Creativity be ordered?

Sample this from Simon Singh, a science writer based in London, on a tour to give science

lectures at schools, colleges & universities in India from Hindustan Times of January 22

2006 :

Great scientists have to be logical, rigorous and determined, but they also have to be

creative mavericks. The scientists who go down in history are those who think the

unthinkable, who imagine the universe in a way that has previously been ignored, and this

requires great originality coupled with the spirit of a mutineer. [ 62 ]

So our hypothesis is that,

The hierarchical culture in most of our organizations, today and in the past isand has been stifling creativity and we need to make a clear break from the past in

this respect.

An organization that insists that there is only one way to do something ,

brainwashes workers to think alike and freezes company culture to eliminate risk, will only

breed complacency and make itself unappealing to any one who might inject some oxygen

into it. Only self-confidence makes freedom and dissent possible. [59]

One among many reasons for large populace from different parts of the world

immigrating to the USA has been comparatively greater Freedom in practice, compared to

the

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countries they were running away from. And the results in terms of much higher

creativity benefiting the whole world are there for all to see. Do we here then see the link


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between the freedom of expression, tolerance of dissent and the creative urges of people

finding practical expression?

Sam Pitroda, whom we hounded out of the country, instead of feeling grateful for his

very significant contribution in the field of telecom, once said in a TV interview,

One problem in India is that a difference of opinion even on a professional matter is

taken as personal criticism

Our President Dr Kalam speaks in a similar vein in his book, Wings of Fire,

What makes life difficult in Indian organizations is the widespread prevalence

of this very contemptuous pride. It stops us from listening to our juniors, subordinates and

people down the line. You cannot expect a person to deliver results if you humiliate him,

nor can you expect him to be creative if you abuse him or despise him. [58]

Let us hear what Prof Sumantra Ghoshal has to say on the subject.

Unrecognized perhaps in India, companies here tend to be extremely

hierarchical. The public sector undertakings have inherited their hierarchical and

bureaucratic orientation from their roots in the government. In family groups, paternalism

on the part of the family members and extreme deference towards them on the part of the

employees have, with some exceptions, led to the functional equivalent of hierarchyalthough without much of the bureaucratic apparatus.

Even the multinational subsidiaries in India tend, in general, to be much more

hierarchical than the units of the same companies in other countries. There is a wide

spread belief in India that the entrepreneurial responsibility for creating new opportunities

lies with the top management, a belief not entirely inappropriate in an earlier era when both

government licenses and bank finance had, indeed, to be arranged at the highest level. As

a result, most Indian companies lack the entrepreneurial spark and individual initiative in

the front lines that are essential in a competitive economy. [39]

What do we do about this challenge confronting us? We have to start generating

our own intellectual property. We have to start re-tuning our organizational culture without

delay. Bright minds young & old need to be encouraged and nurtured.

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In conclusion, it is submitted that being cyber clerks of the world cannot sustain

us for long. We have to stand on our own two feet, by leveraging our potential and give

products and services to the world that are unique and are Invented and made in India, to

the designs that our young men have innovated and created. It cannot happen in

Hierarchical Society. Our education system would need to be re-looked at.

Sabir Bhatia, the founder of hot Mail said in a T V Interview that on transfer as a

kid from an Indian school to an American School, he cannot forget the remarks of the

teacher, who said after going thru his home assignment, This is fine. You have

reproduced very well the authors views. But what about your own views? Though

provoking, isnt it?

I was surprised to learn from some one I know, who works at the American Embassy

School in New Delhi, that a young student at any age has the freedom to tell the teacher

that he is not enjoying what is going on in the class and would rather do some thing else

and has the option to walk out.

Do we need to ponder over such questions, as to whether freedom to express

feelings, right or wrong, should be encouraged at the school level itself ?

Does a young technical graduate dare to tell his boss in a typical Indian organization

in a department meeting that, that particular approach outlined by him is not the right

course in his assessment? Should he?Are inventors born out of Yes men?

Food for thought, Serious Thought.

Most work organizations in our country today need to build an organizational culture

that encourages freedom of thought, has respect for opinions / views of others

irrespective of the level of hierarchy these emanate from.

The Chambers of commerce, the Institutes of Management, the HRD professionals

& their professional bodies, the Academia must take a lead in trying to influence the

organizational culture in the desired direction and not fight shy of it, just because it is more

challenging & subtle and has a longer payoff period. Without this, our dreams will remain

dreams.

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INVENTORS during the LAST twoCENTURIES


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[arranged in order of time period and regions representingcertain Cultural Patterns]

PERIOD AMERICA E U R O P E

England,Germany,Fran

ce

Italy,Spain,Portugal

[Mainly Prostestant] [Mainly Catholic] CANADA

Singer-Issaac Merrit Karl Benz Leonardo-da-vinci H woodward

Ist commercially 1st I C Engine 15th century,Italian Electric Bulb,18

successful Sewing m/c practical automobile Renaissance man, sold patent to

19TH [1811 1875 ] [1885] Astronomer,Sculptor, Edison

CEN George Westinghouse G Daimler Geologist,Mathematcn, A Graham Bell

TU 400 patents, Rly-Frog, petrol engine Botanist,Engr,Architect Telephone,1876

RY Air brake, pioneered [ 1885 ] Inventor- weapons, F N Grisborne

use of AC in USA. Panhard & Levarser Machines. Undersea tele

[ 1846 1914 ] French, Assembly Line Galileo, italian graph cable,185

Charles Goodyear [ 1895 ] 1609, Telescope ASIA

Rubber Vulcanization Henry Ford improved it G Marconi, Italian China-

[ 1800 1860 ] H Christian Oersted Demonstrated feasibty Suspesion Brid

John Wesley Hyatt Aluminium Mfg process Of radio communicans 1stcentury AD

1st practical synthetic [1825 ] Danish 1895 Compass

plastic [ 1837 1920 ] Karl Braun [German] N Monturoil 2ndBC-2ndAD

Richard M Hoe Cathode Ray tube, Drove 1st India -

1st rapid Rotary Printing Picture tube intelevision

Fully operable > invention of Z

Press [ 1812 1886 ] [ 1897 ] Submarine >Astronomers-

Glidden Carlos H C Booth, British 1859, Spain AryaBhata, Var1st practical typewriter Vacuum Cleaner[1869] mitra,5-600AD

.. Remington[1834-1871]

Michael Faraday >paddy yield ar

co-inventor British, Electric motor 1760-70 was 5/

Oberlin Smith,[ 1878 ] 1791-1863 tons/hectr,equa

Audio Recording Japans today(*

Mc Cormick C Hall Rudolph Diesel,French >Drill plough wa

Ist successful reapingm/c

Diesel engine, 1892 in use in India

1809-1884 Louis Pasteur, French before Europe(

Gorrie John Germ theory, Rabies, >Binomial thm.

Cold Air Referigeration Anthrax, 1822-1895 (*)Indian Scien

1803-1855 & tech..DharamPal


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- 170

Orville & WilburWright AlexanderBain Marie Curie CANADA

..Aeroplane [1903 ] Fax Machine, [1943] X-Ray,Radio Activity Barbara B

20 TH Willis Havilland Carrier British [1867 1934 ],Polish Bone marro..Airconditioing [ 1906 ] Sir Frank Whittle,British Dr G Fischer,Italian compatibilty

CEN Richard Drew,3M engr Dr H V Ohain, German Lipo Suction, 1974 test,1960

TU Adhesive Tape [ 1930 ] Jet Engine [ 1939-41 ] SOD Albernoz Dr J A Ho

RY F Carlson Chester Simon Lake, British Enzyme that ctalizes Heart Pace

Xerography [1906-1968] Periscope, [1902 ] Synthesis of RNA,Spain maker,1950

George Eastman Sir Tim Bernard Lee S R Cajal Olivia Poo

Flexible photo film father,inventor,founder Structure of Jetliner,195

[ 1854 1932 ] of www,late 1980s,Britain nervous system,Spain D L Hings

John P Eckert Jr W Von Braun,German Brazil Walkie Talk

co-inventor of 1st digital V2 Missile, 1936 Could not read websiteelectronic computer Henri Fabre,French in Spanish G Sundbac

[ 1919 1995 ] Ist takeoff of Seaplane Zipper,191

Thomas Alva Edison 1910 G F,RK & RKarr

Electric Incandescent L H Baekland I MaxMovie,1968

light, phonograph,motion

Bakelite, 1907, Belgium I Lanks,19

picture camera, auto- Silicon Chipstock ticker, Elec

Distrbn

Blood Ana

System1000 patents W R Turnb

[ 1847 1931 ] Variable pit

Peter Carl Goldmak aircraft pro

led the team thatdevepd 1st

cml colortelevision[1906-1977]

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PERIOD AMERICA E U RO P E

England,Germany,France Italy,Spain,Portugal[Mainly Prostestant] [Mainly Catholic] ASIA

Manhattan Project Sir W H

Atomic Bomb[1939-45] 1939, wa

J Faria & Robert Wright propulsio

Astro Turf [ 1965 ] Newzea


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Robert K Jarvik

20TH 1st permanently implatbl.

Artificial heart[around1950]

CEN William J Kolff

TU Artificial Kidney Dialysis

RY machine [around 1950]

Ronald J Riley

Contd 2 auto mono rail system

[ 1984 ]

Martin Cooper,Motorola

Cell Phone [ 1973 ]

B S Blumber

Vaccine agnst Viral

Hepatitis-B [ 1993 ]

H Boyer& S Cohen[1973]

Technique of DNA cloningFather of Genetic engg

J Bardeen,W Bratten,W

Shockley,Transistor[1947]

An Wang, Chinese origin

1920-1990, 35 patents

T V Dinh, Vietnam origin

1975, 23 patents

Many Americans ofIndian origin e.g

Srinivasan, Lasik SurgeryMany Black Americanse.g Imaging X Ray

Spectrometer

L George Sunjian

Flight Speed Indicator,

Self Focussing Camera

1905-1997

Extract from , Human Resource Management Evolution and the Challenges Ahead

[chapter 12] , by V K Sharma, published in 2007 by Viva Books P Ltd, 4737 / 23, Ansari road, New Delhi.

unleashing full potential of india

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