By Hitendra Singh
Recently, an article published inward Modern Diplomacy caught our attention. The writer has cited Mr. Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, in addition to establish his famous declaration on Indians lacking firm in addition to conception to live ‘music to his ears’. He has in addition to then gone on to pigment Indians inward wide strokes – ironic, for it is something he has defendant Indians of doing – in addition to labelled them every bit a acre lacking entrepreneurial in addition to innovative spirit. While his reasoning sure has an chemical cistron of truth in addition to an instant appeal, our reply looks to add together nuances to his declaration in addition to supply a to a greater extent than realistic in addition to consummate painting of firm in addition to conception inward India. To start with, the price ‘entrepreneurship’ in addition to ‘innovation’ cannot live used interchangeably; non all entrepreneurs are innovative, in addition to vice versa. There are more than fifty million medium in addition to pocket-size businesses operating inward Republic of Republic of India which contribute 37% of India’s gross domestic product in addition to employ simply about 117 million people. These numbers sufficiently essay that entrepreneurship is live in addition to kicking inward the Indian society; Indians are running businesses non only inward Republic of Republic of India but are leading in addition to successful entrepreneurs inward many countries of Asia, Africa in addition to remainder of the world. Hence, an declaration that Indians lack entrepreneurship does non stand upwardly for much strength.
In the instance of conception in addition to creativity, a dissimilar story is emerging. It is ho-hum but is happening in addition to it is solving some of the largest social in addition to developmental challenges inward Republic of Republic of India – from grassroots, to inquiry labs, to top-tier institutions such every bit ISRO in addition to diverse DRDO labs. At a global level, Republic of Republic of India has non only moved upwardly half dozen places inward its GII ranking inward 2017, but is too ranked second inward conception quality. Republic of Republic of India has too won international acclaim for its innovative in addition to cost-effective technology; such every bit its start mission to Mars inward 2014, the Mangalyaan, was successful inward the start attempt, made solely with domestic technology, in addition to cost less than the Hollywood movies ‘Gravity’ in addition to ‘The Martian’. It is surprising that the writer spots lack of conception inward a household broom but does non come across conception inward a acre that sends a successful Mars mission on a budget that is less than that of a Hollywood painting exhibit most Mars.
At the national level, grassroots conception in addition to entrepreneurship are gaining to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than institutional recognition; the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) in addition to the annual Festival of Innovation at the Rashtrapati Bhavan are perchance the only high-level regime initiatives supporting in addition to celebrating conception inward the world. Additionally, many universities in addition to educational institutes across the province host conception competitions, festivals in addition to incubators.
Several remarkable individuals are nurturing India’s growing innovative in addition to entrepreneurial spirit.Prof. Anil K. Gupta founded SRISTI (Society for Research in addition to Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies in addition to Institutions) inward 1993 in addition to the Honey Bee Network inward 1997 to connect innovators from all sections of the club to entrepreneurs, lawyers in addition to investors. For to a greater extent than than 12 years, he has walked simply about 6000 kilometres across the country, discovering extraordinary grassroots innovations on the way. medico Raghunath Mashelkar, an eminent chemic scientist has gone from driving innovative inquiry inward Reliance Industries to chairing in addition to leading the in addition to then newly founded National Innovation Foundation inward 1999.
And then, at that spot are thousands of mutual men in addition to women, hailing from diverse walks of life, innovating continuously in addition to creatively to solve pressing everyday problems inward the Indian society. There are the famous Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented a cost-effective way of manufacturing sanitary napkins, in addition to Mansukhbhai Prajapati, who invented a clay refrigerator which runs without electricity. Then at that spot are Mallesham from Andhra Pradesh, who sped upwardly the procedure of weaving Kochampalli sarees in addition to reduced the physical pains of the weavers, in addition to Shri Sundaram from Rajasthan, who establish a way to grow a whole tree inward a dry out portion with simply a litre of water. Raghav Gowda from Karnataka designed a cost-effective in addition to painless machine to milk cows, piece Mathew K Mathews from Kerala designed a solar musquito destroyer. medico Pawan Mehrotra of Haryana has developed a cost-effective version of breast prosthesis for thorax cancer survivors piece Harsh Songra of Madhya Pradesh has developed a mobile app to uncovering developmental disorders alongside children.
Three women from Manipur, OinamIbetombi Devi, SarangthenDasumati Devi in addition to Nameirakpam Sanahambi Devi invented an herbal medicine that is proven to promote poultry health. Priyanka Sharma from Punjab developed a low-cost biochip to uncovering environmental pollutants, piece medico Seema Prakash from Karnataka revolutionised eco-agriculture past times inventing a cost-effective works life cloning technique. AshniBiyani, the miss of Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani, leads the Khoj Lab, which collaborates with the NIF to aid commercialise grassroots innovations in addition to ideas.
These in addition to thousands of such examples acquaint a real encouraging painting of the inventiveness in addition to conception of Indians. The conception that the writer admires are rooted inward a context. Apple in addition to Google (or Lyft or Uber or Spotify) could live created because at that spot was an halt consumer who was looking to pay for their products. There are many Republic of Republic of India innovator-entrepreneurs, such every bit those mentioned above, who convey created products for a necessarily less glamorous but useful Republic of Republic of India context. Products similar brooms in addition to packaged nutrient add convenience to the time-stretched urban in addition to middle in addition to upper middle classes; with a large unskilled in addition to semiskilled workforce competing vigorously for such jobs, does the Indian club convey an incentive to invest inward innovating them?
Having said that, it is truthful that conception outbreak inward Republic of Republic of India is relatively recent, i.e. most 2 to 3 decades old. It is too truthful that the Indian club has been experiencing socio-economic affluence on such a wide scale only for the past times 3 decades, since the marketplace reforms of 1991. It has been seventy years since Indians convey gained sovereignty in addition to command over their resources. The top 5 innovative countries according to the GII – Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, USA in addition to U.K. – convey been sovereign states for most at to the lowest degree 2 in addition to a one-half centuries. It would perchance in addition to then live to a greater extent than accurate to compare India’s electrical flow conception scenario with, for instance, the USA’s conception scenario inward the mid-19th century.
Further, given the economical in addition to resources drain faced past times the Indian club over centuries, Indian conception was geared to a greater extent than towards surviving rather than thriving. This explains the ‘group mentality’ strongly rooted inward mainstream Indian society; staying in addition to cooperating inward a grouping increased one’s capacity to grapple with in addition to hold upwardly through all kinds of adversity. Individualistic aspirations, beliefs in addition to actions were in addition to then a cost to live paid for the safety blanket it offered. And yet, i time relative stability in addition to affluence began to laid upwardly in, the innovative in addition to creative instincts of Indians lost no fourth dimension inward bursting forth.
Long story short, both conception in addition to entrepreneurship are thriving inward India. They mightiness non live every bit “macro” or glamourous every bit Apple or Uber, but they are solving cardinal problems for the Indian masses. Undoubtedly, at that spot is a lot of room for improvement in addition to growth – Republic of Republic of India has a long way to become to live recognised every bit a global leader inward conception in addition to entrepreneurship. However, the scenario is non past times whatsoever way bleak, every bit these many examples indicate out. The trajectory of enterprises in addition to conception inward Republic of Republic of India is only upward. The time to come is promising.
* Gauri Noolkar-Oak is Policy Research Associate at Pune International Centre, a liberal retrieve tank based inward Pune, India.
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