Bhabha’s dream comes true
Let me not jolt or surprise anyone: Nano was born in the dreams of the great scientist Homi Bhabha, father of India’s nuclear programme. Barely a year before his demise in a plane crash in 1967, Dr Bhabha outlined the path that would lead to India’s emergence as an industrial nation, parallel to the Western industrial powers. Nano is one of the glittering prizes from this path outlined by Bhabha.
In an elaborate lecture “Science and Problems of Industrial Development”, Homi Bhabha advocated creating a strong base of modern science and indigenous technology in India.
“The question (is) whether a self-generating industry can be established without establishing a powerful scientific base,” he observed. The answer was in the negative.
Indian industries’ development had so far proceeded on the basis of setting up plants and industries almost exclusively with foreign collaboration, he said. And added that nuclear industry’s experience, however, “makes it quite plain that this method can never lead to a self-generating industry without establishing a powerful scientific research and development effort to support it.”
Bhabha’s successors have carried forward his mantle and played a worthy role in bringing high-end technology to the aid of Indian industry by their scientific research and development.
The three premier nuclear R&D centres — BARC, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT) — have brought into the process of Indian industrial development an elevation through the products of their scientific R&D.
In fact, a close interaction between industry and the nuclear R&D centres is now part of the mandate for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Atomic Energy.
Such advanced technologies as non-destructive materials’ testing and evaluation, lasers for industry and surgery, radioisotope-based tools and techniques, seamless welding, developing special material and alloys — light but strong — and robotic electronic devices, are among the boons from nuclear R&D centres.
Further, nuclear technology’s impact on industry has the distinction of imparting precision, stringent quality checks, and standards assurance to Indian industry.
Now, a new chapter has opened in science-backed technology elevation for industry by the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Dr R.Chidambaram, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, together with the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C).
Their first commendable plank is to bridge the gap between industry and public sector R&D agencies such as those belonging to atomic energy, space, defence and agriculture. Among the first to benefit from this industry-public sector R&D interaction is the automobile sector.
A core advisory group on automative R&D (appropriately called CAR) was constituted in April 2003, with leading automobile industry representatives, including the chief designers of Tata Motor’s Indica/Indigo and Mahindra’s Scorpio and eminent scientists. Included in CAR is Dr S.M, Shahed, an NRI (ex-President of Society for Automative Engineers), and Prof S. Mohan of the Indian Institute of Science is the Chairman.
CAR has set very high goals in technology enhancement for the automobile sector — from two-wheelers through cars to heavy vehicles. One of its first actions has been to draw up a charter, creating a list of technologies that are critical to the development of world class automobile sector, and alongside, listing out top experts with an eye on building an automobile technology board.
The charter also seeks to draw up a “prioritised list of R&D programmes” that need to be taken up. The concept is to identify emerging frontier technologies in the automobile sector on which R&D has to be focussed.
The strength of the software industry in India is to be availed for the needs of the automobile industry so as to use this synergy to develop international expertise in the emerging area of automative electronics and controls.
Tomorrow’s car, with 40 per cent of its functions performed by microprocessors and sensors, is going to be a virtual computer on wheels. So work has to be done on advanced materials, telematics, low-cost safety, new fuels like hydrogen and allied areas.
While there is little doubt that the entire automobile industry in India is immensely benefiting from the working of CAR, those constituents capable of integrating the new pool of high-end technology of global standards with their own R&D such as Ratan Tata’s dispensation, will gain the most.
Science and technology will here generate the right mix for the automobile sector, spreading out to all segments of Indian industry. That has been Homi Bhabha’s dream of India’s industrial advancement.
Nano is one of the fruits of this new industrial enhancement, thanks to Ratan Tata’s capability. Ratan Tata has many a surprise to unveil when Nano takes to the street, bustling through busy urban traffic.
The name “Nano” is no fluke, and one surprise that the car project will unveil is of its advanced technology component springing from science-based technology. India — perhaps the world at large — is keenly waiting for this story to unfold: the industrial story that incorporates Dr Bhabha’s dream.
In an elaborate lecture “Science and Problems of Industrial Development”, Homi Bhabha advocated creating a strong base of modern science and indigenous technology in India.
“The question (is) whether a self-generating industry can be established without establishing a powerful scientific base,” he observed. The answer was in the negative.
Indian industries’ development had so far proceeded on the basis of setting up plants and industries almost exclusively with foreign collaboration, he said. And added that nuclear industry’s experience, however, “makes it quite plain that this method can never lead to a self-generating industry without establishing a powerful scientific research and development effort to support it.”
Bhabha’s successors have carried forward his mantle and played a worthy role in bringing high-end technology to the aid of Indian industry by their scientific research and development.
The three premier nuclear R&D centres — BARC, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT) — have brought into the process of Indian industrial development an elevation through the products of their scientific R&D.
In fact, a close interaction between industry and the nuclear R&D centres is now part of the mandate for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Atomic Energy.
Such advanced technologies as non-destructive materials’ testing and evaluation, lasers for industry and surgery, radioisotope-based tools and techniques, seamless welding, developing special material and alloys — light but strong — and robotic electronic devices, are among the boons from nuclear R&D centres.
Further, nuclear technology’s impact on industry has the distinction of imparting precision, stringent quality checks, and standards assurance to Indian industry.
Now, a new chapter has opened in science-backed technology elevation for industry by the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Dr R.Chidambaram, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, together with the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C).
Their first commendable plank is to bridge the gap between industry and public sector R&D agencies such as those belonging to atomic energy, space, defence and agriculture. Among the first to benefit from this industry-public sector R&D interaction is the automobile sector.
A core advisory group on automative R&D (appropriately called CAR) was constituted in April 2003, with leading automobile industry representatives, including the chief designers of Tata Motor’s Indica/Indigo and Mahindra’s Scorpio and eminent scientists. Included in CAR is Dr S.M, Shahed, an NRI (ex-President of Society for Automative Engineers), and Prof S. Mohan of the Indian Institute of Science is the Chairman.
CAR has set very high goals in technology enhancement for the automobile sector — from two-wheelers through cars to heavy vehicles. One of its first actions has been to draw up a charter, creating a list of technologies that are critical to the development of world class automobile sector, and alongside, listing out top experts with an eye on building an automobile technology board.
The charter also seeks to draw up a “prioritised list of R&D programmes” that need to be taken up. The concept is to identify emerging frontier technologies in the automobile sector on which R&D has to be focussed.
The strength of the software industry in India is to be availed for the needs of the automobile industry so as to use this synergy to develop international expertise in the emerging area of automative electronics and controls.
Tomorrow’s car, with 40 per cent of its functions performed by microprocessors and sensors, is going to be a virtual computer on wheels. So work has to be done on advanced materials, telematics, low-cost safety, new fuels like hydrogen and allied areas.
While there is little doubt that the entire automobile industry in India is immensely benefiting from the working of CAR, those constituents capable of integrating the new pool of high-end technology of global standards with their own R&D such as Ratan Tata’s dispensation, will gain the most.
Science and technology will here generate the right mix for the automobile sector, spreading out to all segments of Indian industry. That has been Homi Bhabha’s dream of India’s industrial advancement.
Nano is one of the fruits of this new industrial enhancement, thanks to Ratan Tata’s capability. Ratan Tata has many a surprise to unveil when Nano takes to the street, bustling through busy urban traffic.
The name “Nano” is no fluke, and one surprise that the car project will unveil is of its advanced technology component springing from science-based technology. India — perhaps the world at large — is keenly waiting for this story to unfold: the industrial story that incorporates Dr Bhabha’s dream.
Source: The Tribune
No comments:
Post a Comment