No invention, earth shaking idea from India in 60 years: NR Narayana Murthy

How true! We need to create an environment conducive for research! Is this tough? Which leader will bite the bullet?


No invention, earth shaking idea from India in 60 years: NR Narayana Murthy

By PTI | 15 Jul, 2015,

BENGALURU: There has not been a single invention from India in the last 60 years that became a household name globally, nor any idea that led to "earth shaking" invention to "delight global citizens", IT czar N R Narayana Murthy said today.

"Our youngsters have not done much impactful research work despite being equal to their counterparts in intellect and energy in Western universities," he said delivering the convocation address at the Indian Institute of Science here.

Listing out 10 major inventions that Massachusets Institute of Technology has created in the last 50 years that includes Global Positioning System, Bionic Prostheses and Microchip, Murthy said these happened because students and faculty at MIT "walked the untrodden path, asked the unasked questions and used their intellectual prowess to take huge leaps".

"They demonstrated unusual courage to achieve the plausibly-impossible. The story is similar at many other western institutions of higher education," he said.

He said almost all inventions such as cars, electric bulb, radio, television, computers, Internet, wifi, MRI, laser, robots and many other gadgets and technology happened, "thanks to the research by Western Universities".

He added: "On the other hand, let us pause and ask what the contributions of Indian institutions of higher learning, particularly IISc ans IITs, have been over the last sixty- 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 lead to an earth shaking invention to delight global citizens?"

Co-founder of the country's major IT firm InfosysBSE 1.29 % said: "Folks, the reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60. The only two ideas that have transformed the productivity of global corporations -- The Global Delivery Model and the 24-hours workday -- came from the company called Infosys."



Pointing to the problems plaguing the country such as illiteracy, child malnutrition, 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."

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Why bother to invent anything new?

New does not mean it helps solve any problem.

Why dont issues like poverty,maternal-fetal health,socio economic status of general public..education..religious extremism be solved first.

Its better to rectify problems instead of inventing something new which might not solve the urgent and pressing problems.

After all even countries like Japan..what are they inventing?

Mostly they just are in manufacturing mode..copy the west and improvise on it and make big bucks.

So for a developing country..the best is to solve basic problems..India cant even get all the citizens to use a toilet! So that has to be solved too.

Getting the priorities right is more important. India has a huge population..they should aim to be like China and be a manufacturing hub so instead of Made In China..let it be Made In India..that is a sure way to get big bucks to improve the economy.


Once a country is well developed..then they can start to think of finer details like invention.

There is no use inventing even a rocket to Pluto if the common man is still starving.

Name and Fame can wait.

A few as they grow old get senile and attack all institutions.

Just a person who has created an IT firm takes it upon himself to criticize a wonderful institution created by Tatas more than 70 years back.

the insitution nurtured scientists who pioneered nuclear power,space, aeronautics,sent so many to cambridge, Nasa.and other places.

Many used the institution as a stepping stone for higher achievements.

to run it down is stupidity of highest proportions

By the way I am a bad product of this elite institution. An exception that proves my point

It may be bad to run down institutions like IITs or IISc, but the fact remains that India has not made any invention worth its name, throughout known history.

I feel this inability is due to our religion and the peculiar way in which one group of people lorded it over the entire population with some mystic-sounding abracadabras and claimed that these orations made them superior humans, etc. Independence simply shook the hell out of this time-tested arrangement and a large number of people who had been marginalized for millennia now became, at least in theory, equal citizens. But these newcomers were new even to formal study of science subjects, leave alone technology. Besides all these, the culture was to merely repeat what the teacher said and commit to memory, a gargantuan quantity of the abracadabra-like things. The pinnacle of scholarship and intellect was achieved this way.

Even the IISc and the IITs merely follow the above time honoured practice of merely imitating, that too in a slip-shod manner, what the westerners do eminently in their prestigious institutions. So, what better result can we expect? Even Narayana Murthy himself has done precisely this kind of imitation only, slave driving thousands of coding workers !

I feel this inability is due to our religion and the peculiar way in which one group of people lorded it over the entire population with some mystic-sounding abracadabras and claimed that these orations made them superior humans, etc. Independence simply shook the hell out of this time-tested arrangement and a large number of people who had been marginalized for millennia now became, at least in theory, equal citizens. But these newcomers were new even to formal study of science subjects, leave alone technology. Besides all these, the culture was to merely repeat what the teacher said and commit to memory, a gargantuan quantity of the abracadabra-like things. The pinnacle of scholarship and intellect was achieved this way.

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Sangomji

You have a strange way of expressing things about India , India's history and Inddia's culture , India's Scriptures etc . You really Rock :rockon::rockon:

The same Indian in India who have not produced any earth shaking innovation, are able to produce amazing results in foreign environment. Oeople of Indian origin working in UK, USA, etc have been awarded Nobel prices.
Take a look at the any silicone valley company, Indians are in top decision making levels.

I still think it is the problem with environment in India to blame rather than Indians.

mkrishna100 said:

Sangomji

You have a strange way of expressing things about India , India's history and Inddia's culture , India's Scriptures etc . You really Rock :rockon::rockon:

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Shri mkrishna ji,

Not really a strange way, but only telling what I feel is the truth.

prasad1 said:

The same Indian in India who have not produced any earth shaking innovation, are able to produce amazing results in foreign environment. Oeople of Indian origin working in UK, USA, etc have been awarded Nobel prices.
Take a look at the any silicone valley company, Indians are in top decision making levels.

I still think it is the problem with environment in India to blame rather than Indians.

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There are only 9 nobel prize winners (Nobel Laureates) who are Indian as per wikipedia. Only 4 out of these 9 got the prize for science, not for any new technology or technological invention. India's population is roughly 20% (approx.) Is this not a reflection on the inability of Indians in science or technological inventions?

There is too much hype about PIOs working abroad. They may be in "top decision making levels" blah, blah, blah. But they do nothing more than use existing technology and oversee people who are very much akin to manual labourers.

1. Scientists at University of Michigan, led by an Indian American Pallab Bhattacharya, have found a new and more efficient way to make a coherent laser-like beam.

The ‘laser-like’ beam is made up of precarious particles called polaritons that are part light and part matter.

2. An Indian-origin scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing, has won a prestigious 250,000 dollars Heinz award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection.

Sangeeta Bhatia at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been named the recipient of the 2015 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy, and Employment.

3. Professor Arun Majumdar from Stanford University
Majumdar currently serves on the faculty of the department of mechanical engineering at Stanford University.
Prior to joining Stanford, he was the vice president for energy at Google, where he created several energy technology initiatives and advised the company on its broader energy strategy.

4. The team led by Nitesh Saxena at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are working on innovations that could be coming soon on your favourite device. Saxena, director of the "Spies lab" at the university, is pulling together data from accelerometers, gyroscopes and proximity sensors to chart the characteristic gestures a user makes when answering a call or snapping a selfie.

5. In 1998, the medicine Nobel was awarded for the discovery of the nitric oxide signalling system. The work was done jointly by Mittal and Ferid Murad but the Nobel committee chose to recognise only Murad. The discovery-related scientific papers were jointly authored by Murad and Mittal.

6. Another celebrated Indian-American physicist E C G Sudarshan too has aired similar views in the past. He has been denied the prize though leading scientists have nominated him at least six times. In the 1950s, Homi Bhabha did not get the Nobel recognition though he was nominated by his international peers for as many as four times for the physics prize for his work on cosmic radiation.

7. Amar Gopal Bose was an Indian American academic and entrepreneur. An electrical engineer and sound engineer, he was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for over 45 years. The bose audio is the still the best.

8. Named as one of the 7 ‘Unsung Heroes’ by Fortune Magazine, Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, is widely recognized as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics’ for his pioneering work in Fiber Optics technology.

I could go on and on.

Sri Sangom Sir,

sangom said:

I feel this inability is due to our religion and the peculiar way in which one group of people lorded it over the entire population with some mystic-sounding abracadabras and claimed that these orations made them superior humans, etc.

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May be you are more than partially correct here. Although we can sympathise with the non mystic sounding non- abracadabras, there is simply no invention worth the name by non-abracabdabras either before or after independence. Is it necessary for all inventions to be possible only after formal studies?

Even if they were tending only to agriculture or cow or sheep rearing/herding or horse breeding for millennia, they do not appear to have made any earth shattering innovations thereat.

Independence simply shook the hell out of this time-tested arrangement and a large number of people who had been marginalized for millennia now became, at least in theory, equal citizens. But these newcomers were new even to formal study of science subjects, leave alone technology.

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Here I have to probably disagree with you. It is 67 years, that is three generations since independence, but even the non mystic non-abracadabras havent shown any achievement either. You seem to sort of feel that the time given to the non-mystic non-abracadabras is too insufficient to expect any results from them.

But in that 67 years Lalu Prasad Yadav, Suresh Kalmadi, Andimuthu Raja et all showed how corruption can be taken to the level of Alps much surpassing the ordinary silly Nobel prize levels, never mind if these newcomers were new even to formal studies.

Nobel prize winning scientists or inventors like Bill Gates or Steve Jobbs do not appear to have the backing of 20 or 25 generations of formally educated forefathers to show up their mettle to the world.

I will like to submit that "missed call" is a wonderful invention (mostly through India) as a means of communication.
(In my opinion it is as powerful as the discovery/invention of 0)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missed_call

sangom said:

There are only 9 nobel prize winners (Nobel Laureates) who are Indian as per wikipedia. Only 4 out of these 9 got the prize for science, not for any new technology or technological invention. India's population is roughly 20% (approx.) Is this not a reflection on the inability of Indians in science or technological inventions?

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I would not argue with the points you made in your post.
I would let my post#9 speak for itself.

Leaving India alone, What are the earth shaking, path breaking inventions/discoveries in the last 60 years? Kindly list them and there will hang a tale by them. LOL.

Vaagmi said:

Leaving India alone, What are the earth shaking, path breaking inventions/discoveries in the last 60 years? Kindly list them and there will hang a tale by them. LOL.

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i am always amazed by the internet. if this is not a 'earth shaking, path breaking inventions/discovey', i wouldn't know what is. after all you and i wouldn't be chatting if this didn't exist. i would be at a loss for any information, starting from a recipe to a historic fact, all at my fingertips, right from my home. and i am sure, the public can come up with 'N' number of benefits.

amazing, that dr tim berniers lee, didn't make any money out of it. even his name is not so well known as mark zuckerberg or bill gates.

i think starting from the transistor semi conductor, the rush towards miniaturization and also Moore's law re computing power, and in fact, that india in its own way an IT power house, are all wonders of the last part of last century.

.. and many many more to be discovered.

Open letter to NR Narayana Murthy: Want innovation? Why not start with Infosys?

By The Kaipulla, with inputs from @pradx42





Dear Narayana Murthy,

You are a doyen of an Indian industry. So when you say that NO innovation in India happened in the last 60 years, people are bound to listen to you.

What they don't do, is dissect the statement.

1. Before you blame the educational institutions, the politicians, political ideologies and the norse god of thunder, it would be nice if you looked inside. What have you done for innovation?
Your company recruits thousands of young and eager engineers whose minds are fresh and enthusiasm is plenty. And you do what with them?
If they don't waste their precious youth sitting on a bench, in an AC room, waiting for a project to materialize, you make a mechanical engineer slog on Java code and make an Electrical engineer bust his backside off on Oracle?
So how can they innovate, when they are not given the space and opportunity to do so? How can they innovate when your company is majorly responsible for sucking them into this vortex of mediocrity?

2. Let us speak about the 'innovation' that happens in Infosys. And please, how much ever you try to convince, Global Delivery Centre and 24 Hour work day are not innovations. They have been in the US, since the 30's. Other than Finacle, what major IT Product have you given to the world?

I can understand this big gap if you didn't have money because, hey, innovation is expensive! But you are sitting on a cash reserve of $4.1 Billion, that's Rs. 20,000 crores. If anyone in India could've spent on innovation, it was you. But you didn’t.

Your annual expenditure on R&D, has been consistently reducing over the last three years. It was 907 Crores in 2013, 873 Crores in 2014 and believe it or not, 605 Crores in 2015. Forget India Mr Murthy, your own company is cutting down on innovation.
So please look inwards before you question the cash strapped universities on why they don’t innovate.

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Innovation happens everyday in rural India.

Just that you don't see it, or you don't know it.

Innovation is happening in India, Mr Murthy. It's just that your definition of innovation is different.

Read more at: http://www.thenewsminute.com/articl...y-want-innovation-why-not-start-infosys-32321

Ramar pillai was laughed and stamped fraud for his claims in creating fuel. Read about Audi trying to create fuel out of water and air - is it not same logic as of Ramar pillai. Indian medical doctors have created wonders in so many new type of surgeries recently.. Don't we use new technology for making idli, dosa or chappathi nowadays... What about bio-gas from cow dung? No need to invent something for the sake of invention...

you make a mechanical engineer slog on Java code and make an Electrical engineer bust his backside off on Oracle?

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:rockon:

What scientists say about Narayana Murthy’s jab at science in India

Scientists have mixed views about Murthy’s speech and what it reveals about the elite institutes such as the IISc and IITs

N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys Ltd, has lamented that India hasn’t made a single invention that has become a household name globally. Murthy, addressing the convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, on Wednesday asked students whether they could name a single such invention, or a technology that has transformed the productivity of global corporations, or an idea that led to a path-breaking invention. Indian academic institutes, he said, has failed to deliver “impactful research”.

In the 2015 State of Innovation report by Thompson Reuters analysing innovation activity across the world using patents and scientific literature, only one institute made an appearance in all 12 categories ranging from aerospace and pharmaceuticals to telecommunications. The Indian Institutes of Technology made it to the list of top 10 most prolific scientific research institutions in the automotive sector between 2004 and 2014. But Chinese companies and institutions dominated innovation in most categories including home appliances, biotechnology, information technology, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and telecommunications.

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Vd...-about-Narayana-Murthys-jab-at-science-i.html

V.Balasubramani said:

1. .............<clipped>................................
If they don't waste their precious youth sitting on a bench, in an AC room, waiting for a project to materialize, you make a mechanical engineer slog on Java code and make an Electrical engineer bust his backside off on Oracle?
So how can they innovate, when they are not given the space and opportunity to do so? How can they innovate when your company is majorly responsible for sucking them into this vortex of mediocrity?

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If they do not waste their precious youth sitting on a bench, in an AC room waiting for a project they would have been wasting their time doing welding, turning and fitting jobs in road side pattarais(workshops)

A Mechanical Engineer is a mechanical engineer not just because he has studied Engineering instead of Economics but because he learnt structured thinking which is the hall mark of maths and science learning. That structured thinking is the necessary skill for understanding Java code and writing a script. So it is not as if somebody who studied vedas is engaged in butchering in a slaughter house. He has skills which are employed in his job. And most of the Engineers enjoy doing the Java coding as there is enough opportunity for innovation there.

Similarly with an Electrical Engineer working on Oracle. If not for that he would have in all probability ended up as an Assistant Engineer in TNEB (if he has political, caste etc., clout) where his main duty would have been to add his dhobi mark initials to cheques written to be signed by his Superintending Engineer boss.

2. Let us speak about the 'innovation' that happens in Infosys. And please, how much ever you try to convince, Global Delivery Centre and 24 Hour work day are not innovations. They have been in the US, since the 30's. Other than Finacle, what major IT Product have you given to the world?

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Finacle is not a new language. So what is the innovation/invention involved there?

Other than a completely new OS and a new language nothing else is going to be industry shaking in IT. Every other innovation is just managing the available resources in a better way.

I can understand this big gap if you didn't have money because, hey, innovation is expensive! But you are sitting on a cash reserve of $4.1 Billion, that's Rs. 20,000 crores. If anyone in India could've spent on innovation, it was you. But you didn’t.

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Here the charge may be right. But even here I do not know what kind of support Infosys is lending to higher institutions of Science.

So please look inwards before you question the cash strapped universities on why they don’t innovate.

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Universities are not only cash strapped. They are caste strapped too.

.

Innovation happens everyday in rural India.

Just that you don't see it, or you don't know it.

Innovation is happening in India, Mr Murthy. It's just that your definition of innovation is different.

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A few such innovations could have been given as examples. In the absence of that this claim looks empty.

[h=1]Narayana Murthy's comments on Indian inventions: Here's the real reason why IITs, IISc failed[/h]That was a real punch from an old man.


NR Narayana Murthy, 68-year-old Emeritus Chairman of Infosys, made a few comments at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) convoction that should trigger some introspection not only among our politicians but even among our premier educational institutions.

There has not been a single invention from India in the last 60 years that became a household name globally, nor any idea that led to "earth shaking" invention to "delight global citizens", he said in his convocation address.
He said almost all inventions such as cars, electric bulb, radio, television, computers, Internet, wifi, MRI, laser, robots and many other gadgets and technology happened, "thanks to the research by Western Universities".
"Our youngsters have not done much impactful research work despite being equal to their counterparts in intellect and energy in Western universities," he has said.

In order to drive his point, he drew a comparison of Indian Educational Institutions with Massachusets Institute of Technology by listing out 10 major inventions from the iconic US institution over the last 50 years, including global positioning system, bionic prostheses and microchip.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/business/o...ian-inventions-are-an-eye-opener-2345372.html

India is not short in Juggad but we do not Innovate. There are cultural and financial roadblocks to innovation in India.
Juggad is not Innovation.

Jugaad is a Hindi word referring to frugal and simple innovations.

It’s similar to “hack” in English – a work-around that happens outside the official system. In India, you see examples of jugaad all the time – think hanger-turned-TV-antenna or a bicycle tire inner tube used as a bungee cord. Indians will often throw up their hands in frustration with a process and just get things done with what they have. As the head of IT at Orbis Financial put it in a CIO magazine article, “India’s known for its ability to maximize resources and produce high-quality products and services. That’s jugaad.”
Who wouldn’t want an easy innovation, getting around red tape and quick returns?

But there are drawbacks to jugaad.
It’s amateur. It’s often a short-term fix that lacks scalability, sustainability and even safety (imagine using jugaad during rush-hour traffic).
For professional organizations, the most that jugaad­-style innovation should be used is as an attitude or a flavor. But if you have ample resources, a more appropriate approach would be innovation that’s entrepreneurial.
Jugaad, however, is more reckless, less planned, not scalable and not professional innovation. Entrepreneurs typically take calculated risks, have a business plan, have a vision for growth and can explain their innovations professionally to draw investments.

Vaagmi said:

Leaving India alone, What are the earth shaking, path breaking inventions/discoveries in the last 60 years? Kindly list them and there will hang a tale by them. LOL.

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I really do not think you expected or wanted an answer. If you were really interested you would have googled it.
A small sample of inventions in last 100 years.

1921 The modern lie detector
1922 Electric kettle
1923 Self-winding watch
1924 Loudspeaker

1927 Aerosol can
1928 television

1930 Jet engine

1935 Radar
1936 First voice recognition machine
l1938 The biro ballpoint pen
1939 Helicopter
1940 Modern color television
1941 Artificial heart
1942 The turboprop engine
1944 Kidney dialysis machine

http://literock969.com/the-most-important-inventions-of-the-last-100-years/

Read More: The Most Important Inventions of the Last 100 Years | http://literock969.com/the-most-important-inventions-of-the-last-100-years/?trackback=tsmclip

Vaagmi said:

A few such innovations could have been given as examples. In the absence of that this claim looks empty.

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Vaagmi Ji,

A Google search gave me this result. Perhaps there may be more…………….

Of course, may fail to fall within the definition of 'earth-shaking' invention.


"16-Year-Old Invents A Breath Enabled ‘TALKing’ Device To Help The Speech Impaired –

How frustrating it must be to not be able to speak out our thoughts or, rather, speak at all. People with speech impairment have to deal with this every single day. Arsh Shah Dilbagi wanted to make life a little easier for them. At just 16 years of age, he has invented the only Augmentative and Alternative Communication device in the world that uses breath as the way of interaction. Read about this amazing invention.

When school-goers talk about change, we often assume they are talking about their hobbies, areas of interest, studying schedule or a career path. But when this 16-year-old talks about change, he means changing the lives of people on a larger scale.
Arsh Shah Dilbagi, a student from Delhi, invented TALK, an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device that helps people with developmental disabilities like Locked-In Syndrome, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease, those with speech impairments like Dysarthia and even Mutes, to communicate in a normal form of speech.


See more at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/12730...device-arsh-dilbagi-aac/#sthash.hX7wGLVr.dpuf

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Arnab reacts to Narayan Murthys ‘No big invention from India in 60 years’, says what about our hashtags

Mumbai: Narayan Murthy unwittingly found himself in Arnab Goswami’s line of fire after he made a statement on how there have been no big inventions in India in 60 years.

Narayana Murthy apologizing to Arnab after realizing his mistake

The Editor-in-chief reacted sharply after Mr. Murthy said that most of the inventions have come from western universities and there have been no inventions from India that became household names or were earth-shattering in any way.

Mr Goswami contradicted Mr. Murthy’s opinion in his usual style while hosting a prime time debate centered on the topic. He said, “Mr. Murthy needs to wake up. How can he forget our hashtags. They have done for India what no western invention has done in the last 60 years. How can you forget #Lalitgate, #VVIPRacism, #Coalscam ? They are household names and more than earth-shattering. You give me a problem that is plaguing our country and I will invent a hashtag.”

Read more at: http://www.fakingnews.firstpost.com...dia-in-60-years-says-what-about-our-hashtags/

Did Mr Murthy’s Indian IT industry produce an Apple or a Microsoft or a Google or a Facebook? The answer is a big no. Everything is out of America.

Europe and Tim Berners Lee and CERN can take the credit for the World Wide Web but absolutely nothing earth-shaking came out of IT India or nothing that would delight global citizens.

IT is a much hyped industry and usually that overshadows the achievements of all other industries. How much has Infosys changed India? What would have happened if it wasn’t there? It’s not even the biggest IT company; lagging way behind TCS.

How many lives have been changed by Infosys? Does rural India even care if it exists or not? In fact something low-key like the Jaipur Foot (or Jaipur Leg) has had a greater impact. A genius called Ram Chander Sharma invented it in 1968.

It is the cheapest prosthetic leg in the world and people come from all over the world to walk with dignity as they otherwise couldn’t afford a replacement from the expensive medical establishments. More than one million people have benefited mainly from Asia, Africa and South America. Just because it doesn’t get a lot of media attention doesn’t mean that it’s not a brilliant idea and not changing the lives of global citizens.

Then there are some great ideas which don’t take off or could do so tomorrow. Like the Tata Nano. Tata became the first fully Indian company to manufacture cars and did great innovation in the Assembly line to come out with the cheapest car in the world, no mean feat!

Of course if there’s one great idea that you could pick up, then it could be “low cost space missions” and ISRO has emerged as a world-class organization in that regard.

http://www.sify.com/news/calm-down-...india-than-it-news-columns-phrkJ2digeece.html

At last Narayana Murthy's speech has opened up the big debate on India's innovation capablity and good to see that it is now widely being discussed in many forums apart from this forum .