Hyderabad, October 2020….. The driver of Creativity/ Innovation is ‘Samvedhana’ said Prof Anil Gupta, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation Padma Shri Prof Anil Gupta, a visiting Faculty to IIM-Ahmedabad and founder of Honey Bee Network was the guest speaker at a powerful conversation on very powerful and always contemporary subject “Innovation Antyodaya” organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation, Hyderabad Chapter on Friday evening.
FLO Past President Archana Garodia Gupta moderated the conversation.
The necessity is the mother of invention. Wherever there are pain points in communities there will have to be innovations. Also wherever there are problems, innovative solutions are required. But, unfortunately, none of the Indian school textbooks teaches lessons on innovation. When you don’t teach innovation, it doesn’t happen, said Prof Anil Gupta, who is also a member National Innovation Council.
To promote and encourage innovation, Gandhi crowd-sourced solution. Gandhi announced a Design competition in 1929 and there was A prize money of Rs one lakh for the same. Akhila Bharathiya Charkhaa Worker’s Samiti organised this contest for innovators and engineers all over the world to come up with Charkha as per the instructions.
He told FLO to be a catalyst for cultivating innovation culture in the government schools. He suggested FLO can take set up Innovations Clubs, Celebrate Innovation, Spread Innovation, Award Innovators, Organise Contests. Because, it in those educational institutions where the young minds are formatted, he added.
Look for unmet need and find out a solution. Telangana May have roughy 20,000 villages. FLO can spread innovation culture to all these places. He also suggested that flash drives containing pertinent material in a regional language can be distributed in those schools by the FLO. And the bride the Urban-Rural divide he said.
Prof Anil also mooted an idea that a wall in each of the government school building can be dedicated to propagate folk artist and his works along with contact details. It will immensely help save a folk art form he said.
The places under all the flyovers built across India must be given to folk artists and artistic government school kids
Giving opening remarks, Priya Gazdar, Honorary Secretary, FLO said on this day, as we commemorate the birth of two of our country’s most worthy sons. Both these great leaders always worked for the poor.
From today’s conversation, we hope to understand why it will be impossible for India to stay on the path of progress if we were to continue to ignore the treasure trove of traditional knowledge that resides in our villages. And how, we can all play a role in reaching development deep into India’s rural heartland.
Chairperson Usharani Manne welcoming the gathering said the day’s speaker, Prof Anil Gupta, previously a Member of the National Innovation Council, Chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister and added that he has been partnering with UNDP Global to build capacities of their Accelerator Labs in 78 countries.
