Has IISc. contributed to society, asks Narayana Murthy

But the 105-year-old institute is “nascent” compared to the institutes of the West, feel students

July 16, 2015 02:49 am | Updated 07:53 am IST - Bengaluru:

Chairman Emeritus of Infosys N.R. Narayana Murthy being greeted by IISc. Director Anurag Kumar in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Chairman Emeritus of Infosys N.R. Narayana Murthy being greeted by IISc. Director Anurag Kumar in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Institutions of higher education, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), have failed to contribute to research or invention to make society a better place, said N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys.

“Have the institutions (in particular IISc. and the Indian Institute of Technology) over the past 60-plus years contributed to making our society and the world a better place? Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe? The reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years,” said Mr. Murthy during the IISc. convocation ceremony held here on Wednesday.

But the 105-year-old institute is “nascent” compared to the institutes of the West, feel students.

Drawing a comparison with the U.S.-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology — where at least 100 major inventions over the past half century have “changed” the world — the software mogul said institutions here fall short.

The problems in the country are immense — from poverty to illiteracy, from polluted rivers to a crumbling healthcare system – and yet, students leave IISc. without having an impactful work in research, he said.

“What is worse is that there is not much that they accomplish when they go into the real world here in India,” said Mr. Murthy.

Students who talked to The Hindu differed in their opinion. They believed that the 105-year-old IISc. was “nascent” compared to the institutes of the West, which have established their reputation, facilities and modes of funding over centuries.

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