When we talk about Information Technology, every Indian feels proud because we Indian think that we are IT super power of the world, but think again, is it true that we are super power in Information Technology?
After giving the second thought most of us will say, yes we are super power in Information Technology because most of the IT related works are done in India. Now the question is, if most of the IT related works are done in India, are we able to lead the entire IT industry in our own direction. In fact we Indian software engineers has become cheap labor force for western country. Most of the projects going in India are maintenance projects. They give thoughts and we build architecture on those thoughts, although we are more creative than them. Here let us consider one statement given by Nandan Nilekani:
?The whole process where people get an idea and put together a team, raise the capital, create a product and mainstream it -- that can only be done in the US. It can’t be done sitting in India. The Indian part of the equation is to help these innovative US companies bring their products to the market quicker, cheaper and better, which increases the innovative cycle there. It is a complementarity we need to enhance.?
--> Nandan Nilekani, CEO, Infosys, quoted in The New York Times, March 7, 2004.
Here, let us assume that we have achieved a certain level in IT industry and now we are competent enough to compete with any other country in this area. But only this achievement can reflect the true Independence for a country like India where, 1.5 million children die every year of avoidable water-borne diseases, daily news papers are filled with the news like, militants killing people in Kashmir, a new scam is identified in Bihar or Tamilnaddu, curfew has been raised in Gujrat due to communal violence and so on.
Thousands of villagers traverse miles daily to get drinking water. Due to monsoon truant several farmers committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The people of Bihar are forced to live a terrible life due to flood situation. Electricity plays hide and seek as usual in Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad (touted as India?s Silicon Valleys), imagine the electricity problem in rest of India. India is striving to get a single gold medal in Olympics. Is this the reflection of true Independence of India?
Now give a look, how we could make IT as reflection of India?s true Independence. It’s true that IT has given a pride to India but it doesn?t mean that whole India is progressing. Here we need to percolate the advantages of IT to general public, because right now the advantages are available only to few urban centers and the English-speaking middle class. When we will be able to make IT available to our masses we could really claim ?Information Technology is reflecting India?s true Independence?.