IITs, Innovation & Their Contribution To Indian Technology Scene

Kaustubh Katdare

Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Oct 26, 2024
This debate is all about Indian Institutes Of Technology (Now several of them), their contribution to innovation and Indian Technology Scene. The IITs are famous as for producing world class engineering talent. The IITs are often compared with universities like MIT and Stanford of the West. However, I see a huge difference.

Quite often, I come across innovations, technological advances made by MIT, Stanford and other colleges in their league. But seldom from IITs. Obviously I'd like to believe that, I might be missing out on something or the media isn't bringing the innovation from IIT to public notice. I often wonder how have IITs contributed to Indian Technology Scene.

Do you think IITs have contributed significantly to the Indian Technology Scenario? Or do you believe that IITs have become producers of talent only to be utilized by foreign companies?

Justify your opinion
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  • Neema Ambhurkar

    Neema Ambhurkar

    @neema-SlYG3w • Dec 4, 2010

    Once I overheard a discussion among men which was obviously all about Indian Politics. Here is some of the part that I think will answer the above question.

    An Indian scientist wants to do some research. He needs a capital of say Rs.10,000 for his work. Now, where will this money come from? So, he applies to the Indian Government. Two months have passed, yet there is no reply. He then again visits the Govt. After much of pleading and sort, his application is sanctioned. But what about the money he needed? The Govt. pays him only Rs.2000 and says that he will later receive the remaining amount after he starts with his work. The young fella starts with his project. Till now the money was all used up in the project. Now he again goes to the Govt. for the remaining amount. But the Govt now is busy with some other man's project and cannot lend him the required amount in time. By the time the Govt. give him the money required for his project which is after two-three years, the estimate of the project has risen. it's now more than Rs.10,000. And the story goes on.

    Instead of the project which could be done in a less than a year, it took the fella more than 3 years to complete the project along with constant pleading and begging.

    I think it's the same case with the IIT graduates. I don't know what the real scenario is so I cannot comment anything firmly by my own.
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  • Gurjap

    Gurjap

    @gurjap-blPmg9 • May 26, 2011

    some of my friends are in IITs, and I am myself in a reputed NIT. so I can tell you exactly what is wrong. lemme sum it up in one sentence: You can't be en engineer by reading books. Read that again. You got it!

    and this is the problem, all we have is books, books, books. Whatever machinery we do have, is inaccessible due to the red tape.

    What is research? what is innovation? Research is turning money into knowledge, Innovation is turning knowledge into money. Because of the middle-class environment the Indian students (however intelligent) come from, very, very few of them have the kind of drive and passion that made, say, Bill Gates who he is. Very few of them want to run with their ideas-- mostly they concentrate on getting a nice, apple-pie job in some PSU where they can get a nice "package" and live a nice, middle-class life like their fathers before them. So, that ends the "Innovation" part.

    And research-- this is the most depressing scene. Most people in (govt-funded) research are there because--- wait, I don't get it, I don't know why they are there. I don't think they do, either, because I asked some of them and they told me so. I found ONE serious researcher in our college, a guy who does ORIGINAL research in Fluid Mechanics. I asked him about the govt grants etc. he told me that sure, the scene isn't that great, but the grant money is there, and it can be used and all, but most "researchers" don't give a damn themselves. he went on to say that in any case, serious research can be done only by some fanatics or some intelligent people who want to make money off it (read: private sector/better technology=more money).

    And.. I think there's something wrong with the students. People here think that "becoming an engineer" (in other words: getting a B.Tech.) is the surest path to a "safe living". And hey, maybe they are right. But these people are not here for the passion they feel for engineering, or for the kind of happiness you can get from creating things, or mending things, or learning about how things work. They are here to get a job! And they clog up the works for those people who actually WANT to be engineers. If you were to swap engineering with a degree in ""HDBCECKE CHE EH EH CEH EH EHDCBHWBCKWKC" which guaranteed a job, these people would go for that, regardless of whether it made sense!
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Ramani Aswath

    @ramani-VR4O43 • May 26, 2011

    The point is: if IITs and institutes of that ilk can produce top notch engineers, who later go to Stanford/MIT/Caltech and come out with great innovations, what then? Humanity as a whole benefits. (At India's cost of course). While teaching at an IIT in the 60s, I adopted a different approach. The syllabus had to be covered. So I used to finish this quickly in the first part of the month. During the rest of the time the students worked on non-competing co-operative projects, which will help improve creativity and real life problem solving. It was not liked by the administration.
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  • Gurjap

    Gurjap

    @gurjap-blPmg9 • May 26, 2011

    we can hardly call this a MNC Conspiracy To Steal Indian Brains For Cheap. it is our own fault. and bioramani, the man always hates a change.

    and you are a professor? an honor to meet you! 😀
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Kaustubh Katdare

    @thebigk • May 26, 2011

    @Gurjap: Bioramani is one of the most senior CEans we have in our community. His Know Your CEan Interview will be published soon. 😀

    I believe engineers' work, 99% of the times, is commercially oriented. Unlike physicians, we don't work on stuff just for the sake of invention. That's why I believe engineers producing in India working in some other country goes against India. The classic case would be an Indian engineer working for Apple in US invents something for Apple - which enables Apple to make millions of dollars by selling the product in other countries.

    This applies to every country 😀

    IITs, I believe have made it very tough for students to enter into the institute. Their screening process (JEE) allows only the bright students to study in IITs. As the input is 'classic' the output has to be 'classic'. Had things been like an average dude entering into IIT, getting supercharged with the technical education & culture, coming out of IIT as a super-engineer - then we would give all the credit to IIT.

    To the best of my knowledge, the top IIT ranks at about 127 all over the world in the global ranking (correct me if I'm wrong, please). Imagine this, India's prestigious institute is nowhere to be seen in top 10. I regularly visit IIT websites searching for new innovations, new happenings etc. Except Mood Indigo type social events, I don't see 'updates' on the technology front. Of course, I'm NOT doubting the knowledge and expertise of IIT professors. They ARE world class. But what about the students working on technology? The institute, itself taking lead in research? On the contrary, I visit MIT, Stanford and almost every day, there's something new!

    I'm 100% sure funds aren't a problem. IIT alumni is far more capable than alumni association of any other institute in India. They donate millions of dollars to IITs every year. But I doubt how much of it goes into technological developments? Someone throw more light on this please!

    I personally would love to cover more Indian engineering news on our technology blog, VoiCE.
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Kaustubh Katdare

    @thebigk • May 26, 2011

    Alright, I found some statistical data to support my thoughts -

    Academic Ranking Of World Universities -

    Indian Institute Of Science: Rank: 300-400 (rank range)
    IIT Kharagpur : Rank 400-500 (rank range)

    Source: #-Link-Snipped-#

    ...Shall we really call these institutes 'World Class'?

    PS: Rankings mentioned above may or may not be correct. But no matter what parameters they chose, the above mentioned institutes should have figured in top 50, at least.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Ramani Aswath

    @ramani-VR4O43 • May 26, 2011

    Prof. Satish Dawan, renowned space scientist (also director of IISc) had a view on this. He felt that any institution of repute in scintific/technological research in India becomes ossified as it approaches its Silver Jubilee, after which it tends to become an assembly line churning out graduates. He exhorted the directors of such institute to be ever vigilant and ensure continued innovation. Fell on deaf ears, of course.

    I am afraid that a negligible number of our institutions are World Class. It is also ironic that many world class institutions do have what are called 'People of Indian Origin' (now citizens of the host country) doing great work.
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  • Gurjap

    Gurjap

    @gurjap-blPmg9 • May 27, 2011

    Have you seen the extent of syllabus covered in IITs? just have a look at their sites. the students are SO overburdened. and don't even mention the cut-throat relative marking! it is the most horrible torture designed for use in a professional college. you simply cannot judge people like that. whatever happened to originality? or engineering aptitude? the possibility of doing what you wanna do?
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  • durga ch

    durga ch

    @durga-TpX3gO • Jun 1, 2011

    came across this article which revolves around the same topic as being discussed in CE


    #-Link-Snipped-#
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