The teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have been arguably India’s best contribution to the twentieth century. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar has borrowed a few of that knowledge to plan 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 Research, 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, it is best to get extra from much less. He additionally mentioned the advantages of science should attain all, even the poor. In the event 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 in the hunt for a job. Two meals a day was a problem, and I walked barefoot till I used to be 12 and studied below 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: Standard engineering is market or curiosity pushed, however Gandhian engineering is software and influence pushed. We take a look at the top consumer 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 greater costs. For the poor it’s much less from much less: Standard engineering appears to be like at eradicating options as the one method to scale back prices.
In Gandhian engineering, the concept is to not create inexpensive [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 all the time take a look at inexpensive worth, however excessive volumes.
The Jaipur foot is a light-weight, sturdy, and inexpensive 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 number of thousand {dollars}, however the Jaipur foot does it for [US] $20. And it’s superb expertise; there’s a video of an individual sporting 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 folks, we see innovation and we see ardour, however compassion is the important thing. We additionally want extra tender funding [grants or zero-interest loans], as a result of venture capital firms typically become “vulture capital” in a method, as a result of they need quick returns.
We want a shift within the mindset of companies—they’ll generate profits not simply from premium merchandise for these on the prime of the pyramid, but additionally merchandise with inexpensive excellence designed for giant numbers of individuals.
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