Failure of Engineers...
What is it that makes the 'Northern' nations rich and powerful, at this moment in time? Is it music and dance? Is it language and literature? Can it be medicine or perhaps better architecture? What is it that first comes to mind when one thinks of the western world? Better, faster cars and airplanes, faster computers, big buildings, immaculate network of roads and highways, space shuttles, large numbers of missiles, ships and submarines. What's common to all these? They all are related to engineering.
It is true that the western world had a headstart in the fields of applied sciences. But the time it has taken for the rest to play catch up is not enviable. Some countries like Japan have fared better (actually Japan is positioned better than most european nations and the US). India and China are now becoming formidable, but only in certain sectors. We have zillions of engineers in India (even the nation's cricket captain is one), and almost one engineering college on every street in the southern states. Believe me, the number of students in the engineering discipline in US universities is quite small (I was there in the third largest univ). So why is it that it took us fifty years after independence to build the Konkan rail and some of the finest rail routes were constructed in the British times. Why is it that our trains run slower than the european and japanese cars (average speed on highways is 115 kmph in the western world)? Why do we still import motherboards from Taiwan? where are the atomic energy plants, reflecting telescopes and GPS satellites?
We tend to blame it on the following: Politicians, population, illiteracy, lack of resources and last but not least, the British. Accepted that these are affecting factors, but what about us Engineers? Are we so lazy and unmotivated or are we just incapable? Indian music, dance and art is one of the best in the world. We make the best carpets, gems, pottery. We grow and export large amounts of tea, sugar and rice. We make some of the finest movies (and also the largest number), our doctors are world renowned and are trained to handle hundreds of patients a day. It is time the Engineers stepped up. It is time Indians got their share of wireless broadband internet, speedy cars and high rise buildings.
It is true that the western world had a headstart in the fields of applied sciences. But the time it has taken for the rest to play catch up is not enviable. Some countries like Japan have fared better (actually Japan is positioned better than most european nations and the US). India and China are now becoming formidable, but only in certain sectors. We have zillions of engineers in India (even the nation's cricket captain is one), and almost one engineering college on every street in the southern states. Believe me, the number of students in the engineering discipline in US universities is quite small (I was there in the third largest univ). So why is it that it took us fifty years after independence to build the Konkan rail and some of the finest rail routes were constructed in the British times. Why is it that our trains run slower than the european and japanese cars (average speed on highways is 115 kmph in the western world)? Why do we still import motherboards from Taiwan? where are the atomic energy plants, reflecting telescopes and GPS satellites?
We tend to blame it on the following: Politicians, population, illiteracy, lack of resources and last but not least, the British. Accepted that these are affecting factors, but what about us Engineers? Are we so lazy and unmotivated or are we just incapable? Indian music, dance and art is one of the best in the world. We make the best carpets, gems, pottery. We grow and export large amounts of tea, sugar and rice. We make some of the finest movies (and also the largest number), our doctors are world renowned and are trained to handle hundreds of patients a day. It is time the Engineers stepped up. It is time Indians got their share of wireless broadband internet, speedy cars and high rise buildings.
posted by Murali at 10:25 PM
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