Letters: Root of the problem

This is with reference to the report, "No earth-shaking invention from India in 60 years: Murthy"(July 16). Despite our potential in terms of intelligence and youth power, as a country we have not contributed much to the world in terms of inventions and new ideas. The software for Skype, used for video calling and instant messaging on the web, was created in Estonia, a Baltic country bordering Russia. When such a small country can take a lead in technology, why can't a vast country like India engage in innovation and research? There are many reasons for this, an important one being that our education system doesn't encourage innovation and research. In our system a child's intelligence is judged by the marks he gets in exams.

Research and innovative ideas should be encouraged at the school level. Dedicated teachers are a prerequisite for this. Second, the lack of government support for research and innovation puts constraints on the available talent. Third, due to absence of institutional support and other hurdles many of our scientists and engineers prefer to migrate to foreign lands. There is no dearth of talent in India; a giant push is all that is required to tap this talent.

Veena Shenoy Thane (West)

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