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Dr. S.S. Kalbag
The Great Divide
Everyone in India realizes this great divide between the India that launches rockets,
is ready to enter the 21st century and the other India that still goes on a bullock cart
and is yet to come out of the 17th Century. Our teeming millions will be a liability
unless, we raise everyone to the level where they all contribute and our large
Population becomes an asset and strength.
No nation can progress fast if three fourths of it is to be carried as a burden. This
divide must disappear and the whole of India must reach the state of modernity that
only a small urban part has now reached. This can only happen through the medium
of Science and Technology. But what kind of Science and what Technology?
What Kind of S & T?
Most scientists and technologists would immediately think of new research and
Development that may bring about this desired rural development. The policy makers
on their part think the S & T group as responsible for this task. This is where, I think, we have
taken the wrong turn. The new developments in Biotechnology, Space research,
Microelectronics, the computers and all the rest of the Hi-tech will no doubt be of great help to
the rural area. But this is not the most Important need nor will it bring true development to our
weaker sections. True
Development must put the people and their land on the development path so that Thereafter they
can contribute to development and not just be the beneficiaries. It Should not be just delivery of
wealth and health. If this be our concept of development, then what we need to give them, are the
Methods of science and the culture of technology. The method of science includes, Observation,
measurement, recording, classification, comparing with earlier Experiences, making hypotheses
and testing the hypothesis through new Experiences. The culture of technology should cover
writing down specifications for material, product and process, performance indices, planning for
future and
consideration of how resources, material and energy and finances have been used. The above
description sounds like a tall order, to be taught to rural segments who have yet to get the basics
of education. Jean Piaget, who was a biologist, and devoted 40 years to research on development
of intelligence in the child and the adolescent has found that the above method of science is in
fact, the natural method of thinking in the human brain, from the birth to adulthood. It is only
wrong environmental conditions that divert and "derail" this process. And our education system,
by its stress on reproducing correct answers in the examination, helps this process of diversion
from the inborn method of science. The culture of industry is only a logical application of the
method of science. So briefly, rural development must give higher priority to implanting the
methods of
science and technology than to development of new technology. In fact, without the former the
new technology will be difficult to deliver. This has been our experience. True Education is the
Primary Infrastructure for Development: We, as a nation, have been looking at education,
particularly technical education, as a means to satisfy the manpower needs of our planning. I
believe real development of the nation springs from a well developed human resource. Having
decided that we need to sow the seeds of science and technology in the rural population, in order
to cultivate the scientific approach in thinking, how do we go about it?
The learning process is not just listening or pen pushing but experiencing and acquiring skills.
Intelligence development also depends on giving wide exposure to the student in the formative
periods. Therefore, giving multiskill training relevant to everyday life, is an excellent medium
for education. Science is based on acquiring experiences. We have found that giving practical
experiences in technology and explaining the principles of science involved in them is effective
in giving them the excitement that true education should be. Furthermore, when they acquire the
threshold level of skill, in a technology, they can practice the skill in a real situation, by giving
services to the community, paid for by them. This benefits both the education system and the
community and brings us closer to the above concept of development. We have tried this
approach to education in our program at Pabal village, in the Pune district and found the results
exciting. We have chosen to give skills related to water resource development, construction,
workshop technology, energy systems (electrical, IC engines, biogas etc.), environment,
agriculture, animal husbandry, home and health; we also give lessons in the use of engineering
drawing system in
conveying more information than only words can. The schools in this system give a variety of
services at cost and build up assets in the community, at affordable cost. This is really not a new
method. If one ponders, this is the basis of our medical education, where teaching is linked to a
hospital, thus ensuring real life situation and community service. Why should this basic
principle, not be extended to all other branches of education? It can also be considered as an
extension of the old system of training through apprenticeship. We have shown that such a
system is feasible within the existing constraints of finance and other resources. Our experience
shows that the rural youth, including the school dropouts, are capable of delivering to the
community, results that even our
colleges could envy. They bring out latent creativity and inventive talent, where it exists, and
nurtures demand for new services until they grow to become commercially viable. This gives
rise to new opportunities for a career. This is not development by giving grants to set up industry
on subsidy basis. It is using the grants to give education that produces new opportunities for
gainful employment, through local effort. And what is significant, is that such a system of
education
reduces the cost of both education and development, both rural development and development of
new locally needed technology. The results of this experiment have been good enough to find
acceptance for these principles in government and private education agencies. Schemes have
been drawn up by both the Maharashtra State and the Centre for adoption of some of these
principles in more secondary schools. Technological Literacy In this age of specialisation, I
would like to insist that specialisation becomes compartmentalisation, unless we build it on a
multidisciplinary base. Our education should aim at a Jack of All trades and then Master of One.
Young children being asked to select their future career as a one-time decision when they do not
know anything about the different options is not only foolish but unjust. Elementary practical
acquaintance with skills needed in everyday life is both educationally and economically
desirable. This should be given by the school level education. Develop Inventors While
discoveries one needed to push the frontiers of knowledge, inventions are required to make every
day life easier. Every person can and should make his small
inventions. One should try always, to find ways to make even the petty jobs better, This is an
approach, a way of working, not confined to scientists and engineers. It is needed in everyday
life. It is little inventions that do not even attract the name of an inventor, that build bigger
inventions. The population at large appreciates science not for its discoveries, but for the
inventions that spring from the new knowledge. Inventions cannot grow, if new ideas are not
nurtured through practical testing. We want to cultivate the inventive ability in all our
population, including the rural, so that they not only develop their segment of the society and
region but also contribute substantially to taking India forward. For this we should give not only
technological literacy but also the equipment facilities for testing out ideas. The multiskill
workshops in the village school serve this admirably. We have seen village dropouts making
many new small and simple "inventions" for the betterment of their own life.
This must happen on a much wider scale. Local Receiver for New Technology We have often
found that even after developing new technology, we have problems of delivering it to the people
and the areas where it is needed. Just broadcasting a progress is no assurance that it is received.
We need receivers located where the program is targetted. We want the development knowledge
to be received all over. So we need to have this technological literacy in all villages, so that they
can test,
adapt and use new technology, having a base of the pro-requisite skills and technology culture.
Thus the multiskill school level educations we are proposing, acts as a Receiver for all the new
technology developments and can tune in to the developments relevant to local needs. Effective
Rural Development will promote S & T Growth While S & T is needed for rural development, it
is equally true that S & T growth also needs true rural development. We need many more
creative scientists. Rural development we visualise will increase the "catchment" are as for our
talent search
and contribute substantially. We need more funds and a prosperous rural base will make them
available, instead of a poor India that is often at the receiving end. If S & T can raise our
population out of the sea of poverty and high above it, people will have faith in science as their
saviour; this faith is fast being eroded now. S & T always grows in an environment of growth in
all intellectual activity, in an environment of 'renaisaance'. Such an environment can happen only
when our rural
areas also develop on their own.
Summary
In conclusion, development of India and development of Science in India, both
require that we focus on giving the methods of Science and Technology to our vast
population. This is best done by using the secondary school education as a medium
and introducing multiskill modern technology as part of the education.
The same facility in the school gives modern essential services to the community at
cost, nurturing demand and also encouraging local problem solving. A technologically
literate rural population is also more receptive to new technological developments.
The feasibility of this approach, both conceptually and economically has been shown
by operating it in a few villages in the Pune region.

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We are all aware of the substantial investment that we as a nation have made in S & T education
and research. It will also be generally agreed that the benefits from this huge and continuing
investment do not flow to all sections of our society in equal or fair measure. While part of our
nationalives in the late 20th century, another part is still living in the medieval ages. No nation
can progress much beyond the "national average". When these differences are too wide, they
create not only social tensions but slow tensions but slow down progress and make it expensive,
as we are finding. How can the whole nation benefit from whatever S & T we have invested in?
This is
the question that worries not only politicians but also scientists. There is one group that feels we
must set up separate establishments for "Appropriate" technology for Science for Rural
Development etc. There have been demands for establishment for "Vedic Science" Indian
Science" or "Indian Medicine" etc. While there is a case for funding organisations for specific
objectives, I think we should not consider "Appropriate Technology" or "Ayurvedic Medicine"
as a separate kind of science with different basics, where normal scientific principles are not
valid. Terms like "Appropriate Technology", "Renewable Energy" etc. in relation to use to of S
& T for rural Development have produced some distortion in our efforts. It is my objective to try
and show how the methods of S & T investigation used in basic and industrial research are badly
needed for the development of the Rural India. How can we get more S & T effort channelised to
developing the backward regions
and sections of society ? Is it only necessary to allocate more funds specifically for that ?
Briefly my thoughts in this regards are :
1. We should spread scientific methodology through education to all sections of society, in a way
so that it is absorbed into the culture.
2. We must have a system which poses the right questions/ problems to the right people.
If these things can be done, I believe a lot of benefits will flow even from the existing S & T
establishments to rural societies. What is more, this will elevate the overall quanlity of our S & T
effort and make it more original and less of a blind follower of the west. There are two ways in
which we apply S & T progress. First, we have some novel technique or product that fascinates
us. We are therefore on the look out for an opportunity to use this information to our greatest
advantage. Here solution of the problem is secondary and a successful application of our "idea"
is the main obejctive.
Most of our effort in S & T application falls in this category. In the second situation, we have a
problem that seriously bothers us. We look at it, analyse, diagnose, think of alternatives, and
select the best idea to meet the required situation. Relatively less effort goes into this kind of
problem solving.
Both methods are valid, proven tools and are complementary. The overdependence on one
however will impede progress. My belief is that at present we mostly look for "problems" to fit
known solutions, but not the other way around. Primarily this is because the "problem"
awareness in the scientific community is biased by poor information flow from our rural
segment. Therefor published scientific information from (mostly western) Journals becomes the
major inspiration for selection of new
projects for investigation. We have to select problems to tackle on some basis ± because we have
finite, limited resources. This is therefore a crucial decision. What are the scientists expectations
? I belives every scientist hopes for recognition and appreciation by his peers. Recognition
comes from success in a challenging situation. If the work is trivial, success is not valued. If it is
too difficult, success is elusive. A breathrough is what makes the scientific work respectable. I
am suggesting the following guidelines for selecting projects which I belives will meet the
aspirations of the scientist and the needs of the society.
1. We should be able to utilise our strength ± viz technical skill. There must be a challenge. The
exercise must sharpen our skill and we must thus "grow" by solving or even attempting to solve
that problem.
2. If solved, the program should experience expontial growth. All successful products or
techniologies show a sigma type growth curve. If our solution depends on charity or subsidy, the
growth will be at best linear.
3. We should look at on going activities for "Problems" to tackle. They usually have relevance
and urgency. Even small improvements have big impact.
4. We should involve costing and economics from selection stage of the project. Without cost
consciousness development development efforts can go astray.
5. All activities have bottlenecks ± limiting parameters. When these are tackled there is progress
and new parameters become limiting. Removing bottleneck is therefore a continuing activity that
ensures continuous progress until the law of diminishing returns make it unattractive.
6. Drudgery is an evidence of the crucial nature of the activity. Drudgery is removed by
improving productivity. This also reduces the cost. Measurement of productivity of every
operation therefore brings out areas needing development.
7. Any project must have a well defined "user population". The specification of this population
defined the boundaries within which we have to find our solution. Our sights should always be
fixed on this population for all decision making.
8. We often get confused by the issue Capital Vs. Labour is the Human Resource and time.
Money is only a token of assets built up in the past through human resource and time + natural
resources. Our choice of technology should be based on what combination of available resources
produces the fastest growth of assets.
9. We should not be biased by luxury vs necessity arguments. Electricity was a luxury 100 years
ago, now it is a necessarity. If something has the potential to make an impact on the quality of
life, S & T can take up the challenge to bring it within the range of every ones purse, and make it
a necessity.
10. Finally we should select a project, that has a reasonable chance of sucess. This is necessary
for morale as also for keeping open the flow of funds. The criteria of success of the project is in
its success in implementation ± the success in the market place not an laboratory test results. S &
T is a hard task master. Unless all the "nuts and bolts" are property tightened it does not yield
results.
The information system is the nerve centre of any S & T program. It is not often realised that the
information system is as important for the selection of the problem as for solving it. The
foundation of any information system is the source and quality of information. If we are going to
solve the problem of the rural society then this section of the society will be the ultimate source
of our information. It is a fact that at present this source is not capable of giving relevant
information in usable form. Such
information now comes from estamates and is usually old, obsolete, imcomplete and often
unusable. The first requists for our information system is therefore a population educated in the
methodology of science viz. trained to observe, measure, record, classfy, compare and interprete
simple information. This in my opinion is the true scientific temper. If this is absorbed by evena
section of the youth in the villages, we could build on that a reliable information system that will
define, quantify and
document all "problems" perceived at the village level. A referral system is then envisaged,
whereby these defined problems go to an appropriate S & T establishment, where the level of
knowledge and the skill match the challenge posed by the problem. Backing up this referral
system should be a computerized information storage and retrieval system, that collects and
updates on a continuing
basis, technical and economic information, performance indices and make this available to
anyone on demand.
Such a system has been elaborated and is under consideration of the Govt. of India. If and when
accepted, it will be possible to bring before the scientific community a range of problem, along
with reliable background data, so that they can pick up challenging tasks of relevance to the rural
society.
I have no doubt that when the awareness of opportunities for the application of good science
spreads among the scientific community, the complexion of the scientific research in our country
will change to bring greater benefits to our own rural societies. Let us remember that Louis
Pasteur laid the foundation of microbiology by helping to solve the problem of rural France ±
wine making. Similarly investigation of the causes of malaria in India lead Ross to world class
research. Embryo transfer in cattle, tissue culture, new plant strains through genetic
manipulation, new techniques
for ground water exploration and development, meteorology and a host of other fields hold
promises of significant impact on our rural economics. Vakey component of the above scheme is
to educate and develop the human resource ± the rural youth and to bring them into the
manistream of Science and technology. For this we have tried the following strategy.
1.| Work in live situations ± clear targets and continues feed back
2.| Train tutors in villages, who then teach
others ± second order tutors.
3. Take simple problems first and "grow" with
experience.
For this our model is the followings Education to be the cutting edge of Development *
Learning by Doing * Multiskill training * Problem solving crientation * Education integrated
with community service.

Towards this end we have evolved a "Rural Technology" course program that given a broad
spectum technical education and gives access to the world of modern technologies, to the rural
youth. This course is now recognised by the Board of Secondary Education, Maharashtra and is
also given as a one year course to school drop-outs and three years course for VIII, IX and Xth
std in the formal schools. A quick run through the slides will given an idea of the kind of skills
and services the
program covers Site : Pabal, is a village of about 3000 in a drought prone area of Pune District.
Not too near, not too far, about 53 kms. to the north, but 20 kms aways from the nearest
highway.
1. Water ± map reading, understanding geology is basic, Geophysical testing can be demystified
and village youth can be used to give a useful service to the farmers ± water prospecting.
2. Workshop skills are very strategic in the modern age. Welding, drilling, drilling grinding
turning are not only needed for repairs and maintenance but also to develop the inventive ability
and uncover talent in the youth. 3. Energy and Trans port : Diesel cart as a farm vehicle for
transport, pumping
and agricultural operations are some of the projects undertaken. 4. Welding forms such a key
operation that trainees have brought their own material, built a welding transformer, for less than
Rs.2500/- and taken it back to their village to start their own workshop. 5. Engineering drawing
is an important component of training. It stimulates visualisation and is the universal language of
technology. 6. Low cost housing and sanitation is another subject of training. All the campus
structures are experimental and erect through trainee and staff effort. Steel frame houses with
forrocement panels is one design in low cost housing. Geodesic dome structures covered with
forrocement is another alternative. The steel kit for this is available for Rs.2845/- for the 280 sqft
dome, (completed costs 10,000) Low cost sanitation forms part of the construction
practicals.
7. Agriculture includes post control, drip irrigation and use of hybrid seeds.
8. Animal husbandry : Poultry is the main theme here, besides cross bred goats
and cows. Trysem courses are also held. In the poultry training chicks are
reared in deep litter and the cage system and the proft is shared by the
trainees. Special modular 100 and 200 bird poultry houses have been design
and tested for small poultries. Artificial Insemination in goats is practiced
(collection of semen + insemination).
9. Knitting and sewing attracting a number of girls. They also get health and
child care education, if part of the Rural Technology course.
10. All staff live on the campus and eat together. This is part of their education.
The staff have a weekly seminar on technical subjects and have a review
meeting for work planning and budgetting.

Vidnyan Ashram is a centre of the Indian Institute of Education, Pune. This program
was started under a grant from the Department of science & technology, Govt of
India, and a donation from Hindustan Lever Ltd and is now continued under a grant
from CAPART, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.