ARE YOU A MAVERICK?

MAVERICKS, FACTS, OPINIONS

As a culture are we open to dissenting viewpoints?How are we disposed toward mavericks ?Are we not ever eager to slap sedition charges on those whom we think are ‘anti- national’ when all that the other guy has done is to tell us some stark truths? Are we not a people who seek conformity ? As a race are we not so obsessed with opinions that we rarely allow facts to disturb us ?Is it easy to obtain reliable factual information an any topic in our country?

MAVERICKS, FACTS, OPINIONS

Two recent events focused my mind on such issues.

A multinational investor in the infrastructure sector now on a mission to invest in India told a paper that one of the major problems his organisation faces is the dearth of data on almost any matter of significance to his investment intentions. He added that in many other countries he could obtain data in a few days’ time. The same data would take months if not years to obtain in India. Often he said that the available data was so unreliable and sketchy that he had to not only to commission a few private agencies to collect data but had also to swing into action with his own team to see things at first hand.

The other event that fascinated me is the ongoing celebration of its 150 years of existence at MIT in Massachusetts .The significant facet of MIT is that mavericks and dissenters are not just tolerated—they are encouraged and funded and celebrated. Contrast this with what obtains in our country. As a hierarchical society we rarely tolerate people who differ from the ‘ norm’. We exhibit fear in even questioning those in positions of power. I am not taking political sides but let me ask a simple troubling question. Let us say that a politician makes a shocking claim that police and party men[of a rival party] raped, killed ,maimed a two hundred people, conducted a mass funeral and left the site .This politician’s only’ evidence’ is large heap of ash at the edge of that small town. Now what will TV channels do to the politician who makes this claim ?One option is to try and get first hand information .In case it turns out that no such incident happened the channels would surely castigate the politician in no uncertain terms and may be even lay the seeds of the end of his career. Right? Wrong. It all depends on who that politician is.If that man happens to be from the country’s most powerful political dynasty then the matter would be given lesser importance than Bipasha Basu or Minissha Lamba smuggling duty payable goods. This single example shows a few aspects of our culture. .Firstly those in authority are to be treated as almost divine and ought not to be challenged .Secondly, and most importantly, opinions are far more important than facts. Now it is qualities like these that prevent us from being a research intensive country—hence the IIT’s , IIM’s are sources of great teachers but not researchers. Teachers pass on existing knowledge[created by scientists elsewhere] to their students, but researchers create new knowledge.

The attitudes required to be a researcher are by and large missing in our culture . I have met many people—otherwise very intelligent, well meaning, educated and honest—who hold strong opinions without facts to back them up. In fact their disdain for facts is painful. Since many such people hold ‘ important’ positions their colleagues will rarely tell them that they are wrong.

Coming back to MIT here are some startling bits of information:

--It has produced 50 Nobel Laureates

--Living MIT alumni have set up 25800 companies

--these employ 3 million people

--their annual revenues amount to $ --hold your breath—1.9 TRILLION !!!

What is more if MIT were a country the above figure would make it the 11 th richest country in the world.

To end on a personal note – I had the privilege of walking at the MIT campus when my escort told me something that fascinated me.

‘You know what.. that Starbuck café over there is often half filled with Nobel laureates. If you happen to chat them up not once will they tell you that they are Nobel prize winners. In fact they will try and learn something from you’

This humility,this respect for your viewpoint, this lack of hierarchy…..

K.R.RAVI

WWW.KRRAVI.COM

P.S For those who thirst for more info on MIT here is the link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/18/mit-massachusetts-150-years-genius