Can respect for grassroots creativity trickle down from the top?
Hon’ble Rashtrapati, Smt.Pratibha Devisingh Patil created a small history on March 10, 2010. For the first time, an exhibition of innovations was inaugurated in the Mughal Garden of President’s house. The idea was that thousands of farmers and others who visit Mughal Garden should also see the innovations and carry the message across the country. This was perhaps the first time that any Head of the State anywhere in the world had hosted an exhibition of primarily grassroots innovations in the President’s House. India, it seems, is giving a message to the people within the country and outside that inclusive development in the country cannot be achieved without building upon the creativity and innovation of the grassroots people.
While going through the exhibition, President Patil not only went into the details of each and every technology but also conveyed to every innovator the larger social and policy context of that idea. Prof. K.V.Thomas, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and several other senior officials accompanied her and took directions from her for the follow up. The innovations of Sushant Patnaik enabling physically challenged people to navigate the wheel chair and articulate one’s needs was particularly appreciated along with large number of farming and energy technologies. Prof. Thomas was very keen that the formal agricultural research system should attach far more importance to the informal sector innovations than had been the case so far. Dr. Christy Fernandez, Secretary to the President specially drew attention of the representatives of trade and industry to join hands with the innovators to ensure that these ideas succeed in the market place. Chief Minister, Delhi also visited the exhibition and advised her staff to get the one rupees sanitary napkin technology for women to be implemented among women self help groups. Mr.Prithivi Raj Chawan, Minister for Science and Technology took enormous interest and pride in the fact that NIF had achieved so much with so little resources. He felt that many technologies deserve to be upscaled after improvements with the help of formal scientific institutions.
Dr. R.A.Mashelkar, Chairperson, NIF, Dr.T.Ramasami, Secretary, DST, Secretary, Agriculture, Secretaries, MNES, MSME, DSIR and many others encouraged the innovators. A question that remained unanswered in the mind of innovators was whether the promises by the policy makers will actually convert into action, given the fact that paltry resources of NIF have remained frozen for a decade. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every state Chief Minister organizes at his residence an exhibition of innovations to convey the message that innovations count, knowledge matters, and incentives inspire.
Anil K Gupta
