I am writing this post on my view point for engineering research in India.
I wont do this all at once because the reason India should take part in Engineering research is not one.
I used to say that Research is required in India and one of my friends would say that it is not necessary and India can do good without it. He would argue that "not everything need to be done in India. India is good in Software exports and also in engineering services to an extent. With this being India' strength, we should capitalise on it and grow. "
I have also heard that Indians have very good managerial skills. They can sell by speaking. I have even heard from guys of my age who sell technical products in their careers taking this approach and even suceeding. Now, you may think that I am deviating from the topic of India's need to do research and speaking of selling technical products.. But here is the link. The products engineered in India were not of very good quality in the last decades and the engineering, marketing and business fraternity did not pursue the hard approach of improving their products in a scientific and engineering approach. The short cut that they took was to sell the products in the market by fooling their customers to an extent. This can also said to be a reason for the prolifiration of bribes in many places as the products were not up to the mark required by corporate customers. One example being the low quality in products that are manufactured by government agencies.
A cloud of secrecy was one easy way these guys escaped. If you ask technical questions to them, they would simply say them to be trade secrets and hence they cannot reveal them. This is one reason why research in India should be improved. I will put the onus of this position in research in India to the Engineering Colleges including those famed IITs. They are not deemed to be called Indian Institute of Technology. They can be called Indian Institute of Technical Education. The amount of research that they have done doesnot stand.
One can argue that the students of IITS lead the world, for ex Subra Suresh, who heads NSF in USA. Actually this is the point I am trying to make. these IITS develop world class engineers. But where they fail is world class Engineering. Now, how can this be possible. To be best in teaching but not to be the best to do.
Indians are good at it. They have sat and looked at the sky and developed the most complex concepts in Astronomy but they didnot bother to prove it to all by fact which the europeans did very well. This is said in the words "In God we Trust. For everything else, give us data". This is the reason, Europeans developed the rockets, the particle accelerators, microscopes and telescopes. Now, one can argue, what is the point in putting so much effort to prove a point where I can prove it with my knowledge and wisdom, it is so. It sounds good philosophically. But this resulted in the following situation. Indians say, we can plant the crops, grow food and feed the poor. When we know the solution, what is the point in doing it. I hope that now we really understand the need to do things than to speak about things.
I would like to expand my view with a case in point. The development of Railways in India. With the second biggest Railways in the world, India should have ideally been the GE or Siemens of Railways. But, any Indian Engineer would say any Indian Railways has failed in this.
Can any Indian Railway Engineer prove me wrong?. Please do so and I would be the happiest man alive.
If not, please resign your job and stop cheating your country men.
I would like to expand on this topic whenever I find some facts that support my point....
I wont do this all at once because the reason India should take part in Engineering research is not one.
I used to say that Research is required in India and one of my friends would say that it is not necessary and India can do good without it. He would argue that "not everything need to be done in India. India is good in Software exports and also in engineering services to an extent. With this being India' strength, we should capitalise on it and grow. "
I have also heard that Indians have very good managerial skills. They can sell by speaking. I have even heard from guys of my age who sell technical products in their careers taking this approach and even suceeding. Now, you may think that I am deviating from the topic of India's need to do research and speaking of selling technical products.. But here is the link. The products engineered in India were not of very good quality in the last decades and the engineering, marketing and business fraternity did not pursue the hard approach of improving their products in a scientific and engineering approach. The short cut that they took was to sell the products in the market by fooling their customers to an extent. This can also said to be a reason for the prolifiration of bribes in many places as the products were not up to the mark required by corporate customers. One example being the low quality in products that are manufactured by government agencies.
A cloud of secrecy was one easy way these guys escaped. If you ask technical questions to them, they would simply say them to be trade secrets and hence they cannot reveal them. This is one reason why research in India should be improved. I will put the onus of this position in research in India to the Engineering Colleges including those famed IITs. They are not deemed to be called Indian Institute of Technology. They can be called Indian Institute of Technical Education. The amount of research that they have done doesnot stand.
One can argue that the students of IITS lead the world, for ex Subra Suresh, who heads NSF in USA. Actually this is the point I am trying to make. these IITS develop world class engineers. But where they fail is world class Engineering. Now, how can this be possible. To be best in teaching but not to be the best to do.
Indians are good at it. They have sat and looked at the sky and developed the most complex concepts in Astronomy but they didnot bother to prove it to all by fact which the europeans did very well. This is said in the words "In God we Trust. For everything else, give us data". This is the reason, Europeans developed the rockets, the particle accelerators, microscopes and telescopes. Now, one can argue, what is the point in putting so much effort to prove a point where I can prove it with my knowledge and wisdom, it is so. It sounds good philosophically. But this resulted in the following situation. Indians say, we can plant the crops, grow food and feed the poor. When we know the solution, what is the point in doing it. I hope that now we really understand the need to do things than to speak about things.
I would like to expand my view with a case in point. The development of Railways in India. With the second biggest Railways in the world, India should have ideally been the GE or Siemens of Railways. But, any Indian Engineer would say any Indian Railways has failed in this.
Can any Indian Railway Engineer prove me wrong?. Please do so and I would be the happiest man alive.
If not, please resign your job and stop cheating your country men.
I would like to expand on this topic whenever I find some facts that support my point....
