A few hours ago, ISRO put “Chandrayaan-I” into transfer orbit around the earth, heralding its “Mission to Moon”.
This is a proud moment for the team at ISRO working tirelessly for the last several months, sometimes right through the night.
It is also a proud moment for India’s indigenous space research programme and more broadly, India’s indigenous R&D efforts - the seeds of which were planted barely a few decades ago.
But questions are being asked…and doubts are being raised.
“Was this the best use of the country’s limited resources?”, “What will this mission really achieve?”, “Will it have any impact on the problems that we are facing today e.g. poverty, hunger, malnutrition?”
At a fundamental level, such questions assume that this is a zero-sum game and there is a constraint on funds for developmental projects. I do not agree with that…India’s main developmental challenge is inefficient (I would even go to the extreme of saying extremely inefficient) utilisation of resources rather than lack of funds.
Having said that, the answer to these questions is neither simple nor straightforward…
Keep Reading…
October 22nd, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Technology in India |
16 comments
Like most of you, I watched and read about the proceedings of the last few days with a sense of sadness and great shame…Amidst all this, these words by Radha Rajan touched a raw nerve… Please read and think…(emphasis added)
*** The Nation as Draupadi ***
Parliament on 22nd July resembled the court of the Kauravas with the Speaker playing Dritharashtra. Every individual in parliament on that day, notwithstanding the party to which he or she belonged, was some character in the shameful court and I was the nation.
When the Prime Minister scornfully tabled his written response to the two-day debate with the Speaker instead of facing the Members of Parliament and addressing their concerns verbally, he was only underscoring parliament’s irrelevance in concluding international agreements and treaties.
This is a serious deficiency in the country’s democracy in theory and in practice because when parliament is rendered impotent to influence government decisions impinging on national security, it amounts to disregarding the sense of the House and the will of the people. It is a chilling truth that on that fateful day not one member in the august house, in the treasury or the opposition, faithfully represented the voter who put him or her there. As the end results proved, many of them were disloyal even to the party to which they belonged.
�
The Lok Sabha voted, not on the nuclear deal (it has no locus standi, as pointed out, to decide on international treaties) but on a trust vote sought by the Prime Minister on behalf of his government. Had the Prime Minister lost the trust vote, the country would have been faced with premature elections with the distinct possibility that several sitting MPs may not return to the House.
Not surprisingly, while the government did not want to fall, MPs fearful of not returning to the next Lob Sabha, also did not want the government to fall. The game of dice began and in the bizarre context of the ruling party and a section of the opposition sharing the same anxiety, the players staked the nation’s resources, her interests and eventually her dignity.
Keep Reading…
July 23rd, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Corruption in India, Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Elections Analysis, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Indian Economy, Politics and Governance in India, Politics of Minority Appeasement, Technology in India |
11 comments
I recently came across an interestingarticle by Mark Fidelman provocatively titled, “Where Are Indias Innovative Companies, Products and Solutions?”
I would encourage all of you to have a look…Feldman has written persuasively about what ails innovation in India…but the real “action” is in the comments…one of which caught my eye and provided the inspiration for the title of this post. Bhamy V Shenoy commentedon May 15 (emphasis mine):
“…The biggest problem (in India) in my view is the non-functioning governance system because of (the) indifference (of) educated people who having been educated at the expense of the poor of India, have either immigrated geographically like Jason whom Mark gives as an example (of) an innovator or those resident Indians who have immigrated psychologically by being indifferent to India’s realities.
The words toucheda nerve withme…
Many of you know that this (governance and politics)is a subject very close to my heart…sometimes I feelI am not doing enough…and possibly avoiding responsibility by expecting someone else to solve India’s problems and challenges…
I know that our political leadership is failing us..I realise that our governance is ineffective and our adminstrative structures need an overhaul…Yet I remain content tomerely “analyse” (the problem) and possibly “prescribe” (some solutions) without actually picking up the gauntlet and saying: I WILL DO IT..
In a way, I am a stark example of the”indifference” that Bhamy alludes to (above)…not bothering to change the”system” even though I clearly realise thatit is failing…
And yet, the alternative is not obvious…
Is it to join active politics? Is the alternative to start/join an NGO? Is it to start/join a new movement? Is it to become a “political activist” ?
Is the alternativeto raise these issues on a wider platform (either online or offline) and exhort people to join the “movement for change”…and who shall lead this “movement for change”…How would it work? Will it work?
Is the rootof India’s problems really the indifference of the “educated millions” who appear to have “checked out” of India - in some cases physically; in somecases psychologically?
Or is the SOLUTION to India’s problems the involvement of the “educated millions” who appear to have “checked out” of India - both physically as well as psychologically?
If it is, what can be done to “bring these people back”?…If it is not, why do we continue to suffer from (and tolerate) sucha third-rate leadership in ourgovernance structures?
The answers are not clear to me…Are they clear toyou? I would love to hear your thoughts…
Comments and criticism/counter-pointswelcome, as always.
Related Posts:
Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
Politics & Corruption: Heres how to fix thesystem
Let a hundred flowersbloom*
The dark clouds just got a bitdarker
July 9th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Politics and Governance in India, Technology in India |
3 comments
Many of you mayhavecome across this information about “Ancient Indian Scientists” before. I received it in a chain email but I shall be most grateful if any reader(s) have links or references to the original source(s).
There are many assertions and statements herethat have not been verified or explained (see e.g. the entry on Acharya Bharadwaj who is credited with advances in aviation technology*). We need to source and evidencethese it to make it more credible.
Some excerpts below (statements on which I need help are marked in italics):
***
ARYABHATT (476 CE), ASTRONOMER and MATHEMATICIAN
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur (Bihar), Aryabhatt’s intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called “Aryabhatiyam.” He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians… And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero (- need help in clarifying/verifying this)
***
BHASKARACHARYA II(1114-1183 CE), ALGEBRA
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya’s work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called “Lilavati” and “Bijaganita” are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise “Siddhant Shiromani” he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the “Surya Siddhant” he makes a note on the force of gravity: “Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction.” Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton.
Keep Reading…
April 28th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Indian Medicine & Ayurveda, Indian Science and Mathematics, Medieval Indian History, Miscellaneous, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India, Spirituality & Philosophy, Technology in India |
4 comments
Ashutosh Sheshabalaya ,whom I quoted in my earlier post, has followed up with another brilliant piece of writing in The Globalist in which he talks about Nano and India’s impact on the larger global economy…
Someexcerpts:
…And yet, all that Western media manage to see is that the planet is doomed once millions of Indians and Chinese get their own cars even though there is only one car for approximately every 1,000 Indians, while in the United States the ratio is three cars for every four people.
…Such ingrained Marie Antoinettesque assumptions having one’s cake and eating it too are, of course, emblematic of the entire debate in the Western media about shifting global economic powers.
…
It ignores the fact that India has its very own good new habits. It already boasts one of the planets largest public transport systems, and Indian Railways total annual passenger volume equals the entire world population which it transports at heavily subsidized rates to make it affordable to most Indians.
Keep Reading…
January 16th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), Indian Economy, Media Related, Technology in India |
3 comments
Srinivas Bharadwaj, writing in rediff recently, made some great points about the “trashing” of Nano by some in the western media (”Why some US scribes slammed Tata Nano“, Jan 14 ‘08)
Excerpts:
“…Tata Nano is the Model-T of India. It represents…a freedom no different from what Ford brought to the American consumer about a 100 years ago. And yet, it is already being challenged, not so much on price or on technology. It is considered a polluter, a source of global warming, in short, a threat to humanity.
Among its notable critics (is)…author and NYT columnist Thomas Friedman (who)…was quick to call the Nano, a ‘cheap copy of our worst habits.’..
Newsweek, in an article headlined ‘A Billion New Tailpipes’…quotes a Yale environmentalist, Daniel Esty, as saying: “This car promises to be an environmental disaster of substantial proportions.”
The reasons why American journalism is against the Tata Nano are obvious. The Nano was ‘not invented here (in the United States).’
…Esty, who was quick to praise the Prius (in Green to Gold) to the skies and promote aircraft manufacturer GE, oil-giant BP, does not use the same yardstick that the second law of thermodynamics does.
The Prius gives about the same mileage as the Nano and seats just as many. Yet, at over $25,000, the Prius is the rich man’s answer to the environment. I believe that for the rest, there is the Nano.
In the years to come, the Nano might come in a flex-fuel version, or might use ethanol or electric cells. . . but you have to give Tata time to gain marketshare AND innovate at the low price point. Which is why I must ask: “Why the double fuel-efficiency standards, Mr Esty?”
I came across another article last week which highlighted the progress India has made towards more sustainable development. Sadly, like the Nano, the good points rarely get talked about, while inaccurate statements are emphasised and highlighted. Below are some excerpts from “EYE ON THE TIGERS“,by Ashutosh Sheshabalaya (JAn-Feb ‘08). I recommend everyoneto read this in full.
“…one of the most sterile facets of the global warming debate is to refer to China and India, rather than to Chinese and Indians. China and India may be among the worlds biggest CO2 emitters…(but)…out of the worlds 235-plus countries, China and Indias populations outnumber the bottom 220 put together. And their per-head/per-body contribution to global warming is vastly lower than that of the West.
Keep Reading…
January 16th, 2008
Posted by
B Shantanu |
China related, Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy), India & Its Neighbours, Indian Economy, Media Related, Technology in India |
one comment
I recently stumbled on this news-item about the development of a new type of corrosion-resistant iron by Prof Balasubramaniam and one of his colleagues at IIT, Kanpur (emphasis mine):
…Indian metallurgists have developed a type of corrosion-resistant iron that construction engineers would love. And vital clues for it came for Delhi’s famous Iron Pillar that has been standing tall for over 1,600 years.
Developed by Ramamurthy Balasubramaniam and his former student Gadadhar Sahoo of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur, the iron contains phosphorus and shows remarkable resistance to corrosion, especially in concrete.
…
Ironically, Bala’s material is not new. It was being made by Indian ironsmiths centuries ago. Bala says he got the clue for developing this material from the six-tonne seven-metre tall Delhi Iron Pillar - a major tourist attraction in the Qutb Minar complex — that has been standing for centuries in the harsh weather of the capital without any corrosion.
“As a metallurgist, I was intrigued,” Bala told IANS. And his passionate quest to unravel the mystery that began in 1990s has now culminated in phosphoric irons.
…(commendably) All the work, he said, was done with institute funds without any external support.
Most of you of course knowabout the Iron Pillar but I was not aware that it was originally located at Udayagiri (roughly translated as “sunrise peak”)near Vidisha where it was part of a complex of temples and buildings.
At the Udayagiri site, the pillar almost certainly served an important astronomical function.The Udaygiri complex itselfoffersclear evidence of advanced knowledge and understanding of astronomy in ancient India - a knowledge that survived at least until the early centuries of the millenium (~400 A.D.).
Incidentally, the pillar appears to befurther proof of the distortion of history in the dash to appear “secular” or “modern”.
So even thoughit is widely acknowledgedthat the pillar was constructed and erected during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375-413), instead of being called the Chandragupta (or Vikramaditya) Pillar, it is commonly referred to as the “Iron Pillar” or the”Mehrauli Pillar”*.
Isn’t this exactly how an entire generation “forgets” its history? I wonder.
Related Posts:
Lies and half-truths in the name of nationalintegration
Does no one remember the Indian contribution toTechnology?
.
* As an interesting exercise, google for “Mehrauli Pillar”, “Iron Pillar” and “Chandragupta Pillar” - the results will speak for themselves.
Further Reading:
A review of “Delhi Iron Pillar: New Insights. Balasubramaniam, R. ”
On the astronomical significance of the Delhi iron pillarby R. Balasubramaniam and Meera I. Dass
.
October 22nd, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Impact of Islam on India, Medieval Indian History, Post Independence History, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India, Technology in India |
4 comments
I recently stumbled across this article Time Travel Machine Outlinedwhich provides food for thought for those who deride the stories in the puranas about “Vimanas” as mere myths.
The report talks about recent research at Haifas Israel Instt. of Technology that could possibly enable distant future generations to travel into the past
The hypothesis is - if space-time is bent far enough, so that time lines actually turn back on themselves to form a loop, such a manipulation could essentially get objects/people back in time.
Physicist Amos Ori whose findings are detailed in the Aug. 3 issue of the journal Physical Review D is quoted in the article as saying We know that bending does happen all the time, but we want the bending to be strong enough and to take a special form where the lines of time make closed loopsWe are trying to find out if it is possible to manipulate space-time to develop in such a way.”
Now there is still a very way to go before any of this becomes a reality. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating idea.
This reminded me of something I wrote more than two years ago about Vimanas but never got around to circulating widely. In an article titled, Vimanas Science Fiction or Unexplained Mystery?, I explored the idea of whether there might be something more to the stories about Vimanas in our sacred texts than pure fantasy.
Keep Reading…
September 6th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Indian Science and Mathematics, Science & Mathematics in Ancient India, Technology in India |
2 comments
Thanks to Mohit who first alerted me to this site maintained by Varun Aggarwal on Sir J C Bose - the unsung hero of Indian Science.
Varuns site details Sir J C Bose’s contribution to the field of physics and demonstrates beyond any doubt that he was the inventor of the radio which is mistakenly credited to Marconi (see also this wikipedia entry on Sir J C Bose).
The wikiepdia entry mentions, so spectacular were Bose’s achivements that Neville Francis Mott, Nobel Laureate in 1977 for his own contributions to solid-state electronics, remarked that “J.C. Bose was at least 60 years ahead of his time”
I am partly ashamed and partly embarrassed by my own ignorance of Sir Boses amazing inventions and discoveries. But I suspect I am part of a large majority of Indians.
Please forward this postto your friends and colleaguesThis is the least we can do for this great unsung hero.
Below are some excerpts from Varun’s site on “Achievements of Sir J. C. Bose in the field of communication“:
Sir J. C. Bose invented the Mercury Coherer (together with the telephone receiver) used by Guglielmo Marconi to receive the radio signal in his first transatlantic radio communication over a distance of 2000 miles from Poldhu, UK to Newfoundland, St. Johns in December 1901.
Guglielmo Marconi was celebrated worldwide for this achievement, but the fact that the receiver was invented by Bose was totally concealed.
In 1895, Sir J. C. Bose gave his first public demonstration of electromagnetic waves, using them to ring a bell remotely and to explode some gunpowder. He sent an electromagnetic wave across 75 feet passing through walls and body of the Chairman, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal.
Sir J. C. Bose holds the first patent worldwide to invent a solid-state diode detector to detect EM waves. The detector was built using a galena crystal. Have a look at Bose’s patent and wait for an interesting article on the same soon.
Sir J. C. Bose was a pioneer in the field of microwave devices. His contribution remains distinguished in the field and was acknowledged by the likes of Lord Kelvin, Lord Rayleigh, etc. Read what people thought about J. C. Bose. Refer to [1,2] to study the work of J. C. Bose in the field of microwave.
On his site, Varunappeals to young engineers to consider doing more research on the missing links regaridngthe contribution of Sir J. C. Bose towards the invention of radio.
As he writes, Though this page would probably have a variety of audience, I believe that every electronics/electrical engineer graduating out of India should know about the distinguished contribution of Sir J. C. Bose to the field of communication. Hopefully, this page will initiate interest in people to study the works of Bose and interesting discussions will ensue”.
Below are some more references for the more curious amongst you (from Varun’s site):
Dr. Probir K. Bondyopadhyays paper: “Sir J. C. Bose’s Diode Detector Received Marconi’s First Transatlantic Wireless Signal Of December 1901 (The “Italian Navy Coherer” Scandal Revisited).” [ 3, Proc. IEEE, Vol. 86, No. 1, January 1998.]
V. Aggarwal, “Jagadish Chandra Bose: The Real Inventor of Marconis Wireless Detector”, The Ancient Wireless Association Journal, July 2006, Vol. 47/#3, pp. 50-54) LINKS?????
http://www.tuc.nrao.edu/~demerson/bose/bose.html : The Works of Jagadis Chandra Bose: 100 years of MM-wave Research. (Excellent description and photographs of devices built by Bose some 100 years back.)
www.boseinstitute.org/ : The Bose Institute.
http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/marconi1901.htm and /marconi1901a.htm : Did Marconi Receive Transatlantic Radio Signals in 1901?, Parts 1 & 2. (A fresh look in Marconi’s experiment and an examination of its technicalities.)
June 17th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Indian Science and Mathematics, Technology in India |
2 comments
Many of you must be familiar with how the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) is now all but dead
We probably dont need another nail in its coffin but here is one that I came across late last year (buried deep under my TO DO list): India Acquired Language, Not Genes, From West, Study Says
What is really interesting about the article though is not its mention of AIT being disputed but the surreptitious (and easily overlooked) mention of technology amongst things that do not appear to be indigenous and may have come from outside the region (excerpt: If steppe-dwelling Central Asians did lend language and technology, but not many genes)
Oddly though, noweherein the article is there any evidence of technology being borrowed from Central Asia.
I wonder if this is just a bad copy or a subtle attempt at undermining thescientific and technological achievements in ancient India? (Please read: “Does no one remember the Indian contribution to Technology?“)
Brief Excerpts:
Most modern Indians descended from South Asians, not invading Central Asian steppe dwellers, a new genetic study reports.
The finding disputes a long-held theory that a large invasion of central Asians, traveling through a northwest Indian corridor, shaped the language, culture, and gene pool of many modern Indians within the past 10,000 years.
Vijendra Kashyaps (Director of India’s National Institute of Biologicals in Noida)findings, published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, stand at odds with those results.
The data reveal that the large majority of modern Indians descended from South Asian ancestors who lived on the Indian subcontinent before an influx of agricultural techniques from the north and west arrived some 10,000 years ago.”
May 24th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Ancient Indian History, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Saraswati-Sindhu Civilization, Technology in India |
one comment
I came across this excellent, very powerful and well-researched article by karigar: Karnataki Karbon Nanotube Swords- forget S Indian Wootz!
Please read in full and circulate widely. It is a shame that widespread ignorance still persists about our achievements in Sciences, Mathematics and various disciplines of technology.
While on the subject, please also have a look at one of my earlier articles: Does no one remember the Hindu contribution to Mathematics?
Some excerpts:
****************************
Just got done reading the NY times article attached below. Apparently, “Cutting edge Technology” of Carbon Nanotubes & nanoscale wires of cementite, can be found in “Damascene swords” made out of “Wootz” steel, whose technology was perfected in ancient
India.
Oh the great Western (& Westernized Indian) media, & us, its uninformed, unsuspecting, & uncritical consumers!
Not many of us have been taught the solid base Ancient India had in the metallurgical Sciences/Arts (until the Western world swooped in to “civilize” us).
The Mehrauli pillar in Delhi, made in the Magadhan times, & rustless till today, is just dismissed as a “wonder” by us Western Educated Indians, in line with the rest of the world that doesn’t have time for Indian thought. Research , if any, is done by Westerners, who will of course, package it into their own systems (as seen in article below). And given time, the Indian element will be forgotten, as it has so often happened in the past & present.
Thus “Our” modern Metallurgy books can boast in typical fashion-“As a science, metallurgy has yet to celebrate its centenary, yet in its brief history it has amassed a tremendous store of knowledge. The ceremonial swords of the Sumarai (sic), the warrior aristocrats of
Japan, were the works of beauty & art a thousand years ago. The sword makers of Toledo & Damascus made their cities famous by their craftsmanship & the quality of their steel. These men knew nothing of the science of metallurgy though well practised in its art.”
[Ref: Preface for "Heat Treatment Fundamentals" By S Collard Churchill, first Pub. 1958 in UK by The Machinery Publishing Co Ltd.]
Now if “Wootz” steel is known to be the origin of the excellence of the “Damascus” & “Toledo” blades, and seemingly, an early example of that “cutting edge western innovation” of “NANOTECHNOLOGY”, wouldn’t the credit go to this steel & people who perfected it, rather than the swordmakers who after all were just using an “imported technology” ? But no.
The author, in typical fashion, “Hail”s the “user” as the Nano technologist (”All hail the great 17th-century nanotechnologist Assad Ullah!“) , and only mentionsin passing the “Technology” of “Wootz” steel he’s using. Guess one should be thankful for “Wootz” even being mentioned!
For more details on Wootz and Indian Metallurgy, etc, in general, refer to the following.
Karigar has painstakingly compiled the evidence and references hereHe deserves our gratitude for the work. Keep Reading…
January 12th, 2007
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Media Related, Technology in India |
no comments
From a recent issue of The Globalist
India’s Eau de Cologne and Europe’s Stench
By Ashutosh Sheshabalaya Friday, February 10, 2006
Europe ’s business and political establishment has been shocked by the unsolicited $24 billion bid by Indian-owned giant Mittal Steel for its European rival Arcelor. Ashutosh Sheshabalaya describes what he sees as the Europeans’ self-defeating protectionist instinct. For a proper response, he drafted an imaginary speech that Mr. Mittal should deliver to the shareholders of Arcelor.
Recently Arcelor’s Chief Executive Guy Doll summed up the crux of the challenge: the European company, he said, made “perfume,” while Mittal churned out “eau de cologne.”
Dear Shareholders:
“My name is Lakshmi Mittal. Many of you may only recently have heard of me. But what is going on right now, in fact, will become a familiar challenge of the 21st century where far-away forces and people will increasingly impact, unexpectedly, upon our everyday lives.
“I am from India, where we have sought to cope with such forces for centuries. In our own industry, steel, I would like to note a statement by Sir Thomas Holland, the (British) Chairman of the Industrial Commission (in India), who in 1908 admired the ‘high quality’ of Indian iron. He even gave Indians credit for ‘the early anticipation of the process now employed in Europe for the manufacture of high-class steels.’
“India, however, has many more such stories to tell. For those of you who are interested, I recommend British historian William Dalrymple’s book ‘White Mughals.’ A reviewer in the Los Angeles Times (July 13, 2003) said this book explains that ‘rather than being an insulated civilization overripe for colonial picking and conquest,’ India was a commercially, culturally and militarily-advanced one, ‘in many respects, more advanced and refined’ than Europe’s, which had therefore to be won over ‘from the inside.’
“Indeed, we in India believe that we have been lucky to absorb the best from everywhere and are now ready to return the favor. For it is not only in steel that India is rising to become a global force. Information technology, pharmaceuticals and biotech, electronics and telecoms, chemicals, cars and trucks, energy, diamonds, textiles, films these are all areas where the world is seeing more of us.
“Today, other than a fringe who riot and burn in the name of ‘alien values and cultures,’ most of us welcome the immense new opportunities in a world where neither capability nor success is measured by caste and religion, or hopefully by color and origin. This is what, to me at least, is the meaning of globalization.
“In several ways, I am simply a citizen of the world. I was born in India. I live in London. Mittal Steel’s headquarters are in the Netherlands. We have research labs in the United States and Europe, staff and operations in four continents.
“Here in Europe, we have been called Indian, British, Dutch, American and various combinations of these. No one has said what we really are a ‘global’ company. We wish to imagine that we are the shape of the future, an end to the territorial, tribal absolutes of “us versus them” and hopefully, a small example for the larger world.
“So I wish to pose one question. Instead of Lakshmi Mittal, had I been Laurent Michel, born in Orleans, France, and had Michel Steel been exactly what Mittal is today, a high-performance success story across the globe, would you be hearing protests about our ‘values’ and ‘industrial concepts?’ And would you be resisting everything else which is credited to us?
“All of us are impressed by the logic of European unification. Your own company Arcelor is an example of how steel businesses in three different countries joined forces to open up new roads to the future. Indeed, this is the essence of both the values and vision of Mittal Steel.
“But, like us, you too must begin to look beyond the frontiers of Europe, especially to Asia, where, astonishingly, you have hardly any presence at all. For it is in Asia where history’s great wheel is turning, as China and India return to their 19th century status, when they accounted for half the world’s economic output.
“China now consumes 30% of global steel consumption. India is voraciously building new manufacturing plants and is on track to attain the steel production capacity of our two companies put together.
“It is, therefore, clearly in Asia, where we have to succeed, in order to maintain jobs and remain relevant, everywhere. But it is not going to be an easy ride. For Asia too has ambitious players, old and new, seeking to go beyond their roots, just like I did.
“Nor is a foot in that Asian door going to be easy. Last year, as you know, China’s steel industry over-produced as much as 43 million tons (or one-seventh of its entire consumption).
“In the face of such complex and dynamic challenges, you may still hope that you can go it on your own. I believe we would best achieve this together. To take a new lesson from Dalrymple’s book, we must fight and win ‘from the inside,’ everywhere, as indeed we will, if we ride the tide of globalization together.
“Your only alternative is to turn your backs on the future. This will be painful and futile. Today, even the great Talleyrand may have rephrased his words ‘Non, il n’est pas urgent d’attendre.’ (No, it’s not urgent to wait.) For the world is moving ahead.”
Copyright 2003 by The Globalist.
February 21st, 2006
Posted by
B Shantanu |
Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Indian Economy, Technology in India |
no comments
