A Nigerian molecular biologist I met last week said India is one of the best places to conduct research. The Government, he said, has invested heavily into R&D. As a result, geneticists like my friend enjoy researching here, while writing their doctoral theses.
A year ago, I was studying post-modernism and its effects on Christian doctrine. My lecturer asked the class for their views on India sending astronauts to the moon. A heated discussion followed, which I found amusing. One of the boys in class thought it was ridiculous. "Shouldn't they be spending money on their poor people? They're trying to match other developed countries in their space technology when they have bigger problems."
As the noise subsided, I explained to the lecturer my views on the progress of economies and countries. It starts with industry, a whole lot of people working really hard to get the country moving. Industry results in innovation, research and improvements in technology. Eventually, the country finds a niche service that makes it a super power. Whatever I said seemed to please the lecturer who commented that I had jumped way ahead on the thinking curve.
The space project failed. It's bound to happen in the research phase. After all, this is a country that manufactures the cheapest car (which sporadically bursts into flames on road) and the cheapest tablet PC, at Rs. 1500 or $35 (too underpowered to make a difference?).
My friend from class had made a valid point. My smart answer may have been well-presented but was theologically unsound. I was considering the situation from an economic point of view. For a country like India that has socialist roots, an extravagant space project underlines the apathy towards the country's misaligned. The leaders have their work cut out, trying to balance the forward rush of a capitalist middle and upper class, while trying to stay true to the millions stuck in the quicksands of poverty.
In the meantime, we'll happily host Nigerian geneticists, while driving cheap cars and checking for updates on the next rocket launch on the cheapest partly-functional tablet PC.
