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 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 know-how 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 sources are exhaustible, it’s best to get extra from much less. He additionally mentioned the advantages of science should attain all, even the poor. For those who 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 looking for a job. Two meals a day was a problem, and I walked barefoot till I used to be 12 and studied underneath streetlights. So it additionally got here from my private expertise of struggling due to a scarcity of sources.
How does Gandhian engineering differ from present fashions of innovation?
Mashelkar: Typical engineering is market or curiosity pushed, however Gandhian engineering is utility and affect pushed. We take a look at the tip person and what we need to obtain for the betterment of humanity.
Most engineering is about getting extra from extra. Take an iPhone: They preserve creating higher fashions and charging larger costs. For the poor it’s much less from much less: Typical engineering seems 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 know-how work for the poor. So we reinvent the product from the bottom up. Whereas the usual strategy goals for premium worth and excessive margins, Gandhian engineering will at all times take a look at inexpensive worth, however excessive volumes.
The Jaipur foot is a lightweight, sturdy, and inexpensive prosthetic.Gurinder Osan/AP
What’s your favourite instance of Gandhian engineering?
Mashelkar: My favourite is the Jaipur foot. Usually, a complicated prosthetic foot prices a number of thousand {dollars}, however the Jaipur foot does it for [US] $20. And it’s superb know-how; there’s a video of an individual carrying a Jaipur foot climbing a tree, and you’ll see the pliability 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 comfortable funding [grants or zero-interest loans], as a result of enterprise capital firms typically develop into “vulture capital” in a approach, as a result of they need fast returns.
We’d like a shift within the mindset of companies—they’ll earn a living not simply from premium merchandise for these on the high of the pyramid, but additionally merchandise with inexpensive excellence designed for big numbers of individuals.
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