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Leapfrogging to Pole-vaulting book launched in Pune
Present at the occasion were Dr Ron Malka, Israel’s Ambassador to India; SB Majumdar (chairing the event), Symbiosis Society founder-president; Arun Firodia, chairman Kinetic Group; and Amitav Malik, scientist at ministry of defence.
Eminent scientist Raghunath Mashelkar and Ravi Pandit, co-founder, chairman and group chief executive officer (CEO), KPIT Technologies, want to have a conversation with you. And this they have done via their book Leap Frogging to Pole Vaulting which was launched at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada) Centre at the event organised by Pune International Centre on Wednesday.
Present at the occasion were Dr Ron Malka, Israel’s Ambassador to India; SB Majumdar (chairing the event), Symbiosis Society founder-president; Arun Firodia, chairman Kinetic Group; and Amitav Malik, scientist at ministry of defence.
Speaking about the book, Pandit said, “The book has two pillars, one is philosophical that draws on the heritage and culture of this country that we all are one. The other is based on scientific thought.”
Stating that every problem has a solution, Pandit said that the book talks about the three Es that are at the core of problems afflicting mankind which are — energy which is concentrated in a few countries; environment, be it water, biodiversity, pollution and so on and the third is employment which is the right of every human to earn an income with respect. “Currently, we are using the wrong energy, too much of fossil fuel, destroying the environment and not creating enough jobs,” he said.
According to Pandit, the book shows how four levers can be used to overcome problems. These are technology, economic model, social engagement and public policy. “If a change has happened, we have shown via examples that it was because these four levers were used and where it failed it was because of failure to leverage these same tools. With these four levers every issue can be solved,” he said.
Mallik said that the book was “not only futuristic, but also practical. Technology is changing rapidly and soon it is possible that robots and artificial intelligence may replace humans”.
Firodia called it not a book but a magnum opus. “When I saw this book, I thought it must be about how India can beat China. But no, this book is about how to make the Earth a paradise. How India can pole vault to greater heights?”
“India has a huge domestic market. What we need is American money and Israeli innovation and there will be no stopping us. India has an English advantage and it should use this. Six billion people in the world don’t know English and Indians can help them with this. Another area is healthcare, there are one billion senior citizens in the world and India has the talent to offer them services. Entertainment is another area. Bollywood is the largest producer of films, yet it is Nigeria that has overtaken the African markets. Why can’t we do that? Why should we fret about AI and robotics taking over human jobs? People are going to have more leisure time and get old and that’s a business opportunity,” he said.
Mashelkar said that pole vaulting is essentially about aspiration. “If one billion people aspire high then we can set it on fire. Many things we will have to do despite the government, despite obstacles that will crop up. But then, you have to start again and pole vault to make this world a better place.”
They said this...
“If one billion people aspire high then we can set it on fire. Many things we will have to do despite the government, despite obstacles that will crop up. But then, you have to start again and pole vault to make this world a better place.” - Raghunath Mashelkar, eminent scientist
“India has a huge domestic market. What we need is American money and Israeli innovation and there will be no stopping us. India has an English advantage and it should use this.” - Arun Firodia, chairman, Kinetic Group
“The book has two pillars, one is philosophical that draws on the heritage and culture of this country that we all are one. The other is based on scientific thought.” - Ravi Pandit, co-founder, chairman and group chief executive officer (CEO), KPIT Technologies
“The book was not only futuristic, but also practical. Technology is changing rapidly and soon it is possible that robots and artificial intelligence may replace humans.” - Amitav Malik, scientist at ministry of defence
