 "No invention, earth shaking idea from India in 60 yrs: Murthy")
India has not had a single ‘earth-shaking’ invention in the past 60 years, according to Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy. Besides, no Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru has paid any attention to the need for impactful research. Murthy made these comments while delivering the convocation address at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here on Wednesday.
“Our youngsters have not done much impactful research work despite being equal to their counterparts in intellect and energy in Western universities,” he said.
He referred to Nehru's visit to the US in 1962, where he exhorted the about-to-finish PhDs to come back and play a major role in creating an India where even the poorest child in the remotest village has access to decent education, health care, nutrition and shelter. The result, he said, was progress in atomic energy, space science and other areas. “The magic of 1960s should be recreated,” he noted.
“We have to become more open-minded in welcoming foreign intellectuals and students. We have to create opportunities for our students and faculty to spend time at well-known universities abroad.”
Almost all inventions such as cars, electric bulb, radio, television, computers, Internet, WiFi, laser, and robots are “thanks to the research by Western Universities”, Murthy observed.
He added: “On the other hand, let us pause and ask what the contributions of Indian institutions of higher learning, particularly IISc and IITs (Indian Institutes of Science), have been over the last 60-plus years to make our society and the world a better place. Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe? Is there one technology that has transformed the productivity of global corporations? Is there one idea that has led to an earth-shaking invention to delight global citizens?”
He added: “Folks, the reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years. The only two ideas that have transformed the productivity of global corporations - The Global Delivery Model and the 24-hour workday - came from the company called Infosys.”
Listing 10 major inventions that Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US has created in the past 50 years, including that of global positioning system, bionic prostheses and microchip, Murthy said these happened because students and faculty “walked the untrodden path, asked the unasked questions and used their intellectual prowess to take huge leaps”. “They demonstrated unusual courage to achieve the impossible. The story is similar at many other Western institutions of higher education.”
He said there must be free flow of ideas between Indian and foreign scholars. "Our younger faculty must have full freedom to pursue their line of research without hindrance."
Pointing to the problems plaguing the country such as illiteracy, child malnutrition, and poor public health service, Murthy said: "I can go on and on. The important thing is to recognise that this country has no shortage of problems to be solved urgently."
He said: "Youngsters are our best hope, and there is no difference in the intellect, enthusiasm, energy and confidence between the young students at Western universities and at IISc."
"Yet, when our students leave the portals of these institutions, there is not much impactful work they have accomplished in research here. What is worse is, there is not much impactful work they accomplish when they go into the real world here in India," he said.
"This is an issue that the elders of our society like academicians, politicians, bureaucrats and corporate leaders must debate deeply and act urgently if we have to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren," he added.
“Our youngsters have not done much impactful research work despite being equal to their counterparts in intellect and energy in Western universities,” he said.
He referred to Nehru's visit to the US in 1962, where he exhorted the about-to-finish PhDs to come back and play a major role in creating an India where even the poorest child in the remotest village has access to decent education, health care, nutrition and shelter. The result, he said, was progress in atomic energy, space science and other areas. “The magic of 1960s should be recreated,” he noted.
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Murthy said India should “recreate an environment of utmost respect for scholarship and for our directors and faculty in the corridors of the government, among bureaucrats, politicians and in our society”.
“We have to become more open-minded in welcoming foreign intellectuals and students. We have to create opportunities for our students and faculty to spend time at well-known universities abroad.”
Almost all inventions such as cars, electric bulb, radio, television, computers, Internet, WiFi, laser, and robots are “thanks to the research by Western Universities”, Murthy observed.
He added: “On the other hand, let us pause and ask what the contributions of Indian institutions of higher learning, particularly IISc and IITs (Indian Institutes of Science), have been over the last 60-plus years to make our society and the world a better place. Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe? Is there one technology that has transformed the productivity of global corporations? Is there one idea that has led to an earth-shaking invention to delight global citizens?”
He added: “Folks, the reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years. The only two ideas that have transformed the productivity of global corporations - The Global Delivery Model and the 24-hour workday - came from the company called Infosys.”
Listing 10 major inventions that Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US has created in the past 50 years, including that of global positioning system, bionic prostheses and microchip, Murthy said these happened because students and faculty “walked the untrodden path, asked the unasked questions and used their intellectual prowess to take huge leaps”. “They demonstrated unusual courage to achieve the impossible. The story is similar at many other Western institutions of higher education.”
He said there must be free flow of ideas between Indian and foreign scholars. "Our younger faculty must have full freedom to pursue their line of research without hindrance."
Pointing to the problems plaguing the country such as illiteracy, child malnutrition, and poor public health service, Murthy said: "I can go on and on. The important thing is to recognise that this country has no shortage of problems to be solved urgently."
He said: "Youngsters are our best hope, and there is no difference in the intellect, enthusiasm, energy and confidence between the young students at Western universities and at IISc."
"Yet, when our students leave the portals of these institutions, there is not much impactful work they have accomplished in research here. What is worse is, there is not much impactful work they accomplish when they go into the real world here in India," he said.
"This is an issue that the elders of our society like academicians, politicians, bureaucrats and corporate leaders must debate deeply and act urgently if we have to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren," he added.