The teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have been arguably India’s biggest contribution to the twentieth century. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar has borrowed a few of that knowledge to plot a frugal new type of innovation he calls “Gandhian engineering.” Coming from humble beginnings, Mashelkar is pushed to make sure that the advantages of science and expertise are shared extra equally. He sums up his philosophy with the epigram “extra from much less for extra.” This engineer has led India’s preeminent R&D group, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Analysis, and he has suggested successive governments.
What was the inspiration for Gandhian engineering?
Raghunath Anant Mashelkar: There are two quotes of Gandhi’s that have been influential. The primary was, “The world has sufficient for everybody’s want, however not sufficient for everybody’s greed.” He was saying that when assets are exhaustible, you need to get extra from much less. He additionally stated the advantages of science should attain all, even the poor. Should you put them collectively, it turns into “extra from much less for extra.”
My very own life expertise impressed me, too. I used to be born to a really poor household, and my father died once I was six. My mom was illiterate and introduced me to Mumbai searching for a job. Two meals a day was a problem, and I walked barefoot till I used to be 12 and studied beneath streetlights. So it additionally got here from my private expertise of struggling due to an absence of assets.
How does Gandhian engineering differ from present fashions of innovation?
Mashelkar: Typical engineering is market or curiosity pushed, however Gandhian engineering is utility and impression pushed. We have a look at the top person and what we need to obtain for the betterment of humanity.
Most engineering is about getting extra from extra. Take an iPhone: They maintain creating higher fashions and charging larger costs. For the poor it’s much less from much less: Typical engineering appears at eradicating options as the one method to scale back prices.
In Gandhian engineering, the thought is to not create reasonably priced [second-rate] merchandise, however to make excessive expertise work for the poor. So we reinvent the product from the bottom up. Whereas the usual method goals for premium worth and excessive margins, Gandhian engineering will at all times have a look at reasonably priced worth, however excessive volumes.
The Jaipur foot is a lightweight, sturdy, and reasonably priced prosthetic.Gurinder Osan/AP
What’s your favourite instance of Gandhian engineering?
Mashelkar: My favourite is the Jaipur foot. Usually, a classy prosthetic foot prices a couple of thousand {dollars}, however the Jaipur foot does it for [US] $20. And it’s superb expertise; there’s a video of an individual carrying a Jaipur foot climbing a tree, and you’ll see the flexibleness is sort of a regular foot. Then he runs one kilometer in 4 minutes, 30 seconds.
What’s required for Gandhian engineering to turn out to be extra widespread?
Mashelkar: In our younger individuals, we see innovation and we see ardour, however compassion is the important thing. We additionally want extra delicate funding [grants or zero-interest loans], as a result of enterprise capital corporations usually transform “vulture capital” in a approach, as a result of they need rapid returns.
We’d like a shift within the mindset of companies—they’ll generate income not simply from premium merchandise for these on the prime of the pyramid, but in addition merchandise with reasonably priced excellence designed for big numbers of individuals.
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