Hold on! Before you even think that I am writing about my dream, let me stop you. I am not dreaming; instead I am just thinking on what could be the possible Indian Dream.
The reason I am thinking about is because I read an excellent article about the dream for the most happening country in the world. Yes! The United States! And to add to the curiosity of yours, let me say, the dream was on the Innovation by two Indian Americans.
I frequently read articles on NYTimes and I follow the articles of columnists Thomas L. Friedman and Paul Krugman regularly. While I was reading recent columns by them, I came across this article by Friedman titled “Dreaming the possible Dream”. In this article, Friedman talks about the two people who are of Indian origin and settled in America. Vinod Khosla and K R Sridhar are the two people talked about in the article; about their latest innovations and their capacity in utilizing the recession mantra to discover better and cheaper way of doing things.
One has produced a fuel that can turn natural gas or natural grass into electricity; the other has a technology that might make coal the cleanest, cheapest energy source by turning its carbon-dioxide emissions into bricks to build your next house. I know what you are thinking… Yes! Both the new innovations are indeed very timely and very much required for both the developed and developing nations like US and India.
My point of concern is not these innovations. I could not agree more with Friedman on praising these two brilliant innovators who can keep the world greener with such creations. Infact we are in need of many more people like these two, who can create wonders to keep the earth safe. This is the need of the hour. And countries like India and China being strong in many areas, should come up with more of such technological innovation to rule the world. My concern is how equipped are we? Or why is it that Indians are not making India as the home base for such innovations? Why do we always look forward to go out of India to do something significant? Why is it that people who go out to other countries for their higher studies never return back to India? To add to my humiliation, I read the following statement by Sridhar in the article – “We came to America for the American dream — to do good and to make good.”I feel proud to see such people and at the same time feel disheartened because they are not with us doing things in India. Or perhaps, returning back to their home base.
Well, the reason for that could be many and genuine too. I am not saying it is wrong to go out and work. But still, the point is we are becoming more and more dependent on laboratories outside India. Any person whom I talk to, whether it may be in office or with friends, they say they want to go out and do some good work. It is like, if I need to create something significant, it is not possible if I am in India. And I do agree that the knowledge hubs and the eco system that other developed countries provide may be unimaginably good compared to what we have; and they have the potential to produce many such people with the kind of education they give in their outstanding universities. But, the question is why can it not be created in India? Why is it that there is no Pranav Mistry coming right out of the IIT/IISc Lab? What is it that we lack in us to make IIT or IISc as the experiment lab for Pranav Mistry? And I think India has lost so many talents like this just because it cannot handle such brains here anymore. It is not only in the field of Information Technology; but also in other areas too. It is the same status and the same story. But we will never let them go off our hands easily when we see them on TV or news papers. “Oh, the guy in the Obama Administration is our Indian” and we feel very happy about it.
Friedman says that America still has the best innovation culture in the world. But still they are not satisfied with that. They are craving for more. Are we aiming at it? Are we in the process of creating that eco system here in India that can possibly attract talent around the world to do their work here? Imagine what will be the status of India, if all our Indian folks who are leading some of the cutting edge projects across the world, returned to India, invest their time and efforts to nurture the talents in India and produce more innovations in India. (May be I am now dreaming!) But still, think of that as a possibility; can we not lead the world?
Think about it!
Srik
