Sunday, February 20, 2005
New Scientist's India Special
New Scientist magazine has a big special report titled India: Knowledge Superpower in its current issue. The introduction in the online version of the magazine reads thus:
There's a revolution afoot in India. Unlike any other developing nation, India is using brainpower rather than cheap physical labour or natural resources to leapfrog into the league of technologically advanced nations. Every high tech company, from Intel to Google, is coming to India to find innovators. Leading the charge is Infosys, the country's first billion-dollar IT company. But the revolution is not confined to IT. Crop scientists are passionately pursuing GM crops to help feed India's poor. Some intrepid molecular biologists are pioneering stem-cell cures for blindness, while others have beaten the odds to produce vaccines for pennies.
And the country is getting wired up as never before. Mobile phone networks have nearly blanketed the country and the internet is even reaching remote villages. Looking skyward, India's unique space programme has fought international sanctions to emerge as key player in India's development. Meanwhile, India's nuclear industry is boldly building cutting-edge fast-breeder reactors. However, there are dramatic problems of poverty and infrastructure. To transform the nation, Indians will have to change their way of thinking about science and technology, take risks in research, and deal with the issues of education, infrastructure, bureaucracy and corruption.
There are special stories on India's space program, nuclear program, GM Crops, generic drugs, astronomy, reversing the brain drain and so on. Some of these online stories are only available to subscribers. Given how many stories there are on various aspects of science in India, I think I will buy the print edition rather than read the limited online version. I'd probably advise those of you living in North America to do the same.
There's a revolution afoot in India. Unlike any other developing nation, India is using brainpower rather than cheap physical labour or natural resources to leapfrog into the league of technologically advanced nations. Every high tech company, from Intel to Google, is coming to India to find innovators. Leading the charge is Infosys, the country's first billion-dollar IT company. But the revolution is not confined to IT. Crop scientists are passionately pursuing GM crops to help feed India's poor. Some intrepid molecular biologists are pioneering stem-cell cures for blindness, while others have beaten the odds to produce vaccines for pennies.
And the country is getting wired up as never before. Mobile phone networks have nearly blanketed the country and the internet is even reaching remote villages. Looking skyward, India's unique space programme has fought international sanctions to emerge as key player in India's development. Meanwhile, India's nuclear industry is boldly building cutting-edge fast-breeder reactors. However, there are dramatic problems of poverty and infrastructure. To transform the nation, Indians will have to change their way of thinking about science and technology, take risks in research, and deal with the issues of education, infrastructure, bureaucracy and corruption.
There are special stories on India's space program, nuclear program, GM Crops, generic drugs, astronomy, reversing the brain drain and so on. Some of these online stories are only available to subscribers. Given how many stories there are on various aspects of science in India, I think I will buy the print edition rather than read the limited online version. I'd probably advise those of you living in North America to do the same.
