Tradition of creative and innovative ways of solving local problems and sharing one’s learning over 25-30,000 years, got subdued at different times in the history. The cave paintings in Bhimbetka depict the way hunting was done, animals were tamed, ornamentation of human and animals, observing movement of animals, growth of trees and plants etc. Even before the languages and the civilization as we understand today evolved, we knew the art of observing, abstracting, learning, and sharing. Later, the experiments to invent new rust-proof material, metallic mirror and numerous agricultural, animal husbandry practices, food processing, water and drainage management etc., also evolved. But this experimental and curiosity driven spirit of overcoming constraints and developing new solution did not continue at all times with similar intensity.
In the recent past, the state and civil society organizations as well as private sector, besides thousands of individuals have been trying to uncover the developmental potential of our society by pursuing incremental innovations and occasionally breakthroughs. Globally, these efforts are being recognised as Frugal and/or grassroots innovations. Thanks to the thirty year long struggle of the Honey Bee Network that innovation has now become a word of every day conversation. Though much remains to be done to enrich the collaborative and creative eco-system, the country is geared to speed up the process.
Earlier the Office of the President of India organised Festival of Innovations and hosted grassroots and other innovators at the President of India’s house estate in collaboration with National Innovation Foundation). Now realizing that the new the jobs cannot be created without linking innovations with enterprise, the FOIN has been transformed into FINE (Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, March 19-21, 2018). The innovation exhibition will remain open till March 23. All those who wish to see the exhibition are welcome to visit the exhibition at Rashtrapati Bhavan (March 19 afternoon to 23rd noon) and write to info@nifindia.orgfor the card. The start-ups being incubated by GIAN, SRISTI, NIF and other incubators in different parts of the country will also be welcome to come, connect with the innovators and make new friends and partnerships.
The Gandhian Young Technological Innovation awards and certificate of appreciation by SRISTI and BIRAC, DBT (Gyti.techpedia.in) will also be given on the occasion. I must particularly draw the attention of those who wish to contribute towards strengthening of inclusive innovation that this exhibition is quite unique in many respects. For the first time, the usual number of exhibits around 70-80 have been more than doubled. The office of the President has decided to give visibility, voice and velocity to much larger number of innovations from and for grassroots besides some on the technological edge by young tech students. This will certainly spread the message very far and wide. In addition, there is a special stress on creativity of communities and agencies working with bamboo, medicinal and aromatic plants and associated enterprises. Some of the poorest people in our country eke out their living by collecting and occasionally processing these plants in the forests and outside. There is a need for urgent policy reform to empower and enable tribal communities in North –East and other parts of the country to add value in the forests itself, that is in situ. Building value chain around such activities will give fillip to well-being of communities in eastern India, hill areas, forest and tribal regions all over the communities. It is unfortunate that even today more than ninety per cent of raw material of herbal and Ayurvedic industry comes from forest areas often through non-sustainable extraction. There are four roundtables being organised as a part of FINE. One of these is on agriculture, bamboo, aromatic and medicinal plants. It is hoped that senior policy makers chairing these roundtables will further strengthen the inclusive innovation ecosystem and ensure that the vision of the Honourable President and the government in this regard gets realised soonest possible. The other roundtables are on science, technology and innovation for inclusive development, scaling up and commercializing innovations through promotion of start-up and enterprises. Ways of nurturing the innovation eco-system will also be discussed.
India is the only country where The Head of the state hosts grassroots innovators and accordingly the Office of the President will also host the ten innovation Scholars in Residence.
We hope to see all of you at the FINE along with young learners so that future leadership in our country in different sectors and spaces is enthusiastic about making New India a developed, empathetic, inclusive and creative society.
