Technology, the great social leveller, ushering in change

In a society still riddled with centuries-old prejudices, stereotypes, caste system and rituals we need continuous intervention of a force t...

In a society still riddled with centuries-old prejudices, stereotypes, caste system and rituals we need continuous intervention of a force that is non-political, non-judgmental, non-denominational and rational to empower people. To me technology is that force. Technology is a great social leveller. It brings access to modern tools and methods to increase productivity and efficiency at reduced costs. It is an entry point to bring about generational changes. It is by no means an end in itself. It is about designing more efficient tools for the country’s carpenters or hand water pumps that would draw more water for less effort or rural class rooms that use more modern teaching tools than blackboard and chalk or public toilets designed to cater to a large population or better brooms for municipal conservancy workers or water carriers that would not sit atop a rural woman’s head for miles. It is about better health service, improved education, affordable housing, transparent government, more jobs etc.

In the 1980s when the Rajiv Gandhi government began addressing India’s many challenges using technology there was widespread derision. The general political consensus in the country then was that we were all westernized Indians who were completely disconnected from India’s real issues. We were dismissed as ‘‘computer boys.’’ Some two decades later our faith in technology as an instrument of transformational change stands vindicated. ICT (Information and Communications Technology) success has given us confidence, connectivity, major new companies and around $150 billion in foreign exchange reserves.

Being born underprivileged, precisely among the kind of people we are now talking of empowering, technology opened doors for me. It erased my caste and empowered me to upward mobility. When people talk of technology they invariably think in terms of computers, satellites, aircraft and other gadgets. To me technology is problem solving at personal, community and national levels. It is about doing things differently. It is about change in mindset, processes, products and preferences. Technology is about opportunities and experiences.

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India desperately needs to create technological leaderships at all levels. While the information technology entrepreneurs have been justifiably celebrated in the country, we need similar stories in other fields. It is heartening to know that some segments of India’s politics and administration have begun to understand the importance of technology. They have also begun to understand that if they do not keep up with the pace, technology would make them redundant.

In the 1980s when we introduced computerization of railway reservation system, certain quarters of India’s establishment reacted with unvarnished anger. They thought it spelled the doom for hundreds of thousands of railway employees. Little did they realise that while technological intervention can be disruptive in the short-term, in the long-terms its benefits far outweigh the loss.

In spite of the examples, many confuse new technology with labour displacement as opposed to labour retraining and readjustment. We must remember that technology has played an important role in our green revolution, milk revolution, space, defence, telecom, railway reservation, energy, medicine etc.

The STD-PCO revolution has been much celebrated in India, but I remember the amount of resistance and cynicism it met with when we first introduced the idea. Most people saw it as just a telephone booth when, in fact, it was an instrument of societal change. It made the access to information for millions of Indian citizens easier and cheaper than ever before. And in the process empowered them.

As India emerges as an information technology centre and its economy firmly establishes itself among the world’s top five, I think the time has come for yet another round of transformational change using technology. The platform which has the potential to unleash such transformational change relates to building new knowledge potential to respond to the needs of the 21st century. This requires reforming our education system from top to bottom to improve quality, quantity, access and relevance substantially. We cannot be happy with our peak performance at IITs and IIMs. We must improve by lifting thousands of schools and colleges where students do not learn enough to be able to find suitable employment.

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It also requires new focus on our research and development institutions with emphasis on innovations and entrepreneurship to create and manufacture products and services for our people at affordable prices. The big challenge is to improve knowledge production, dissemination and applications for agriculture, health, industry and government.

With the forces of globalization, privatization, liberalization and free market it is important to recognize that we must change our age old processes and practices with new knowledge and new understanding of the ever changing competitive nature of the global market.

True knowledge can empower people at all levels. It can make our people aware of their rights and responsibilities. It can also provide them tools and techniques to be productive and meaningful in the information age. To achieve this, the best brains in the country will have to focus urgently on solving problems of the poor and the underprivileged at the bottom of the pyramid.

To me the key to empowering people is to provide knowledge, tools, technology and techniques to change their mindset from negative cynicism to positive optimism with hope for the limitless opportunities in this ever changing world.