India's first computer and history of computing in India

Indian engineers had designed and built a vacuum tube based computer in the 1950's, when very little of computing knowledge was available publicly.

TIFRAC India's first computer a retrospective
Computing: 50 years on

Do read these articles from Indian computer scientists. The story of the first computer is inspiring. The second article describes the evolution of computing in India, reflects how India struggles with computer science research and development 50 years later.

Our political parties try to take credit and win elections, by claiming their prince charming, brought computers to India.  We should do our homework well to understand and appreciate the efforts of these great engineers who toiled to develop computing in India.  If we see half Indian name of a scientist in the US, we get excited and try to trace his/her lineage to India and start claiming how India runs everything in the world. While we glorify Indian-origin scientists in the west, we forget those who really worked for us.

Most of the glorified IT industry works for providing services and people for people in the developed countries to offload their laborious and unrewarding work. Last 20 years have seen the launch of many innovative products in the software industry. Not one has has come from an Indian IT giant.  Its time to think beyond outsourcing.

With Anna led  agitation against corruption sweeping across the country, people have started thinking and questioning the conventional wisdom of the leaders who try to concentrate all powers in their hands. The campaign is focused against political corruption, but the effects will trickle to other areas as well. I am very hopeful that new India will support innovation and research and which in turn will bring in development and prosperity.

 

Happy Independence Day

The people of India are looking forward to this independence day with great optimism, as they are about to witness a change in the system, thanks to the agitation by led by Anna Hazare against the corrupt political class.

I am sure most people in India will be eager to listen to Anna's address rather than the PM's this independence day. It does not matter whether you listen to PM's speech delivered today or the one five years back. They are always the same. They can very well be substituted with a tape recorder.  

The most constructive element of our system has not been the legislature, judiciary or executive, it has been people like Anna. Anna has shown how villages can be transformed, how a "welfare state" can work. He has been instrumental in pushing the RTI act - due to which we are seeing many cases of corruption being exposed. Now, through Jan Lokpal Bill he is trying to make corruption a punishable offense and establish mechanisms to achieve the same. The people see a definite plan in his actions. He has been a person who has delivered in bringing about the change.

It is only the so-called intellectuals, who keep on pointing to scriptures and law books or useless statistics; for they have lost the ability to think by themselves. They obstruct justice by pointing to laws. The laws were made by humans like us, they are not divine. They need to be corrected as per the needs of the society.  Laking courage, these intellectuals submitted themselves to the whims and fancies of the pseudo-democratic dynastic regimes, and the anarchy that came along with it. By spreading skepticism or discouraging obstructing the ones who are trying to do something constructive, they have made the situation worse.  

However, unlike the intellectuals, the common man, I think, is able to see the larger picture and that is why there is huge support for Anna and great optimism that it will lead us on the right path !

Jai Hind !!

In search of happiness

I sometimes wonder what is that makes us happy? I guess, happiness comes from doing things, small or big, that you enjoy; creating or doing things that will benefit others; being able to drive your life; facing challenges and at times even failures. We often measure success by educational degrees, packages, wealth etc. But do these things really make a person happy? Happiness comes from the satisfaction of doing creative things. Instead of facing challenges, we are often over-protective in guarding against failures. Then, we live in the sorrow of lost opportunity.

Living a capitalist markets of money for labor, we have socialist aspirations of security and surety in life. Creativity has lost is place in our society. We study for scoring in exams, give exams for getting jobs, do jobs for earning money, earn money for raising family, raise family for making our kids do the same. The 'common man' in India has attained nirvana in being emotionless and indifferent. The common man is not supposed to have any ambitions or aspirations in life. The only aim of his life is to be in the rat-race so that he can lead a secure life. He surrenders to the belief that what happens is already decided. Yet, he wanders from temple to temple to magically change things in his life. He travels in a crowded train feeling all alone. He sweats with fear that, not having chanted the mantra today, will surely bring him bad luck. Looking at a huge crowd, he feels with so many people, he has no chance of making to his dreams. Compromise is way of his life. He works mechanically throughout his life.

Can we empower ourselves to enjoy our education, sports, work? Can we have more human than a mere mechanical life?  Is it what will make us more happy? 

A match to watch

Tomorrow will be an interesting day to watch in politics. Will the youth of India  follow fast at Anna's Lokpal or enjoyment at Pawar's IPL ? Interestingly, many of the people whose names figure in scams, are running business at IPL and so also liquor and smoker barons.  Is the the youth of India really ready to take on the corrupt politicians ?  An exciting match to watch !

An academy that we need

I accidentally stumbled upon the work of Salman Khan and his team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Khan_%28educator%29

http://www.khanacademy.org/

What a fabulous work these guys are doing ! Be sure to check out. I am sure your reaction will be "had I got access to such education I would have been a genius by now !"

To improve the ever deteriorating education systems of countries like India, we have to ensure that good teachers reach the masses. Even the poorest should have access to quality education. Only then can we create equal opportunities, which a welfare state like ours, aims at.

The Khan academy is trying to tap the power of Internet and multimedia for making quality education available for everyone. Most of us would spend our lives criticizing and blaming the system and doing nothing to change it.

While throughout the day, through various forms of media we are bombarded with  artificial reality shows, saas-bahu's sinister plots,  sansani breaking news,  stupid wallpapers, ringtones SMSes , useless quizzes and tarot card readers and astrologers - all justified in the name of "this is what we want". But, I believe, that is not what we need. Along with other things, I believe, such academies is what we need, and that the societal forces controlling the media have to ensure that they are delivered.      

Republic Day

This republic day brought shame to the nation. What will this republic day be remembered for ? Firstly, an honest officer exposing corruption was burnt alive by the mafia. Secondly, the national flag is now no more a symbol of values and integrity it used to be -- hoisting it leads to hatred and violent outbursts in some communities and regions or atleast the liberal and secular intelligentsia believe so; perhaps, that is why they believe only in deploying more and more security forces to suppress rebellions and promising economic packages when stones are being pelted and situation goes out of control. :) The so called secular and saviours of the minorities cannot prevent them from getting alienated and influenced by separatists, then how can they allow the communal people to take the credit of national integration ? Samjha karo yaar! Thirdly, the nation which calls itself a rising superpower, that has leadership and governments that defy non-proliferation treaties, dares to be non-aligned, has independent foreign policy; is totally helpless in exposing the black money laundered in foreign banks ! (I heard someone say, now I don't care, I have Wikileaks )

Well, I might not be the only one, crores of Indians might have been disheartened by the dark picture. But we must remember that being disappointed by the events is only going to worsen this picture. What we really need is constructive action rather than laments. On this republic day, it looks like, we need a dose of Dr. J P Narayanan's optimism more than anything else. ( As usual, courtesy: YouTube )

Inspirational speech by an IPS officer

During the 26/11/2008 terror attacks in Mumbai a young IPS officer took the terrorists head on, at the Taj hotel, firing rounds at them, they were lucky to escape. The officer the wisely took charge of the operation, and led his team to engage the terrorists until the NSG arrived.

The same officer, who comes from a rural background, had earlier won accolades, fighting with the Naxals in Gadchiroli district, and also for his social welfare schemes.

The officer's name is Vishwas Nagre Patil.

I just stumbled across his lectures (circa 2006) which some kind person has shared on YouTube. He is surely an inspiration for most youngsters of this country ! I need not speak more, these videos will do the rest !!