Our Over Whelming Mediocrity Trap: Heralding The Indian Renaissance ; A Blue Print
Rajiv Upadhyay 
If we see our total civilisational landscape of the last thousand years , it is obvious that we are in a overwhelming mediocrity trap . From education and text books , films , arts, sports to backwardness in industrial design , risk averse industrialists , Faltering control paranoid Babudom , corrupt ,divided and lazy society , our fatalistic attitudes are all a barometer of our mediocrity . Our thousand years of slavery has killed our already low desire for world conquest in any field.
Yet if discussed even in educated forums , the first reaction is of denial . We quote some odd Nobel prizes won by overseas Indians or quote lack of resources in India or thousand years of slavery etc . But we do not want to admit that as a society we are still beholden to mediocrity and quite happy to be ‘ अंधों मैं काना राजा ‘ and are satisfied by minor achievements . Dogged pursuit of excellence without matching economic benefits escapes our minds in all strata of our society.
Yet there is some hope of change emerging . The green shoots of heralding an Indian renaissance are visible now. It only needs a bold inspirational leadership and freedom from ‘ Control Maniacs ‘ .
Having carefully gone over and understood our historical and civilisational problems, I still maintain that there was never a better time to herald Indian Renaissance than now . The reason for my assertion is that today for every old and new problems solutions are available in Indian polity .
1. We have big corporates like house of Tatas etc. which have learnt well the art of achieving excellence from team work . It overcomes our ‘ dribbling master ‘ limitation in hockey .
2. For the problem of risk averseness in our corporates we have PLI schemes which reduce risk to acceptable levels . They are working well. Later, success will induce more risk appetite amongst corporates .
3.
Moon landing , Brahmos , ICBMs have raised the aspirational level in our youth and it is not fatalistic any more. Our foray in hydrogen , EVs, Iron / Sodium batteries and changing infrastructure has raised our confidence level.
4. We have a large pool of foreign trained/ returned professionals who know how to work and compete with west.
5. In many sectors like communications , computer, TVs etc. our market size is quite big thus rewards could be large.
The two problems of bureaucratic sloth and control mania , lack of automation and industrial designing experience has been our weakness since independence . But with acquisitions later is being solved.
My proposal is that GOI should set up a SPV with one time non lapsable allocation of Rs one lakh crore . All powers and funds should be with a Board which should have only research heads of Tatas , Mahindras etc. No Babus of any kind except research bodies like ISRO/ DRDO/CSIR etc.
This endeavour be out of normal purview of CBI/ED/CVC/IT/ CAG/ Labour laws including State Police with sweeping IPC powers which can be misused by jealous Babus.
The board should ask ten biggest willing corporates to make a big new product like EV battery or condenser or 6G equipment , engines etc targeting fifty percent global market share in those items. A grant upto Rs 5000 crore individually can be given on acceptance of proposal by board along with big purchase order as was done by Trump in case of Corona vaccine.
Next level 20 corporates twenty proposals with limit of Rs 2000 crore grant .
40 new creative ideas from young engineers on venture capital basis with grant up to Rs 10 crore and another hundred with grant upto 5 crore. Balance money for commissioned text books , arts , films etc . The bar has to be very high and decided in advance but no penalty for limited success say forty percent market share instead of fifty in guide lines. We can try this as
Trust shall beget Trust particularly when done in public gaze by famous and successful people !
This Board should devise checks and balances and decide on devolution of powers. patents etc. All Babus of all hues from Cabinet Secretary to Tehsildar level to be kept out including all intimidating extortionist inspectors . PM should meet Board for review on six monthly basis.
Government and the new Gen Netas have traditionally trusted the Bribe Collector babu , it can trust once the bribe givers industrialists also who head very capable organisations but babus love to keep them under their thumb in begging pose thus destroying creativity. If given a reasonable chance they can deliver excellence .
India has to come out of this historical groove and for that this is not a big money. Sardar Patel and Nehru both understood it and gave full freedom when essential like when North East rail link was to be constructed or Atomic Energy etc. British gave enormous powers to Railway and the Agent was above Chief Secretary in protocol. As news of success starts pouring in India will be irreversibly on way to new renaissance.
Ultimately it will pay for itself and returns will be long lasting in changing the mediocrity oriented mindset of our society.
Moon landing , Brahmos , ICBMs have raised the aspirational level in our youth and it is not fatalistic any more. Our foray in hydrogen , EVs, Iron / Sodium batteries and changing infrastructure has raised our confidence level.