Measure the Irrelevant

By Vijay Kumar

TWO anecdotes:

A dhabha where, as is to be expected, the food was delightful. A guest after enjoying the meal washed his hands and asked for a towel to dry them. The towel that was proffered was so filthy that he was driven to protest. The dhabha owner was perplexed. He replied "Saab! Hazaron log use kiye hain; abhi tak koi complaint kiye nahi!" (Sir! A thousand people have used that towel and nobody has complained!)

This concerns a seller of gud in a mandi in Rajasthan. Noticing that the whole mound of gud was covered with flies, a young police officer asked the shopkeeper to do something about it. The shopkeeper was unperturbed. He said: “Wo kitna kha sakta hai, saab!'' (How much can they eat, sir!)

"These anecdotes tell us a great deal about our culture. One, as in the case of the dirty towel, we are content with the barest minimum utility and have no concern for quality. Two, as in the case of flies, we measure what is irrelevant. We are backward in technology not because we do not have the materials, not because we do not have the talent, not because we do not have the money, not even because we cannot get the technology. We are backward because, as Mancur Olson has postulated, our culture makes us think poor." - Prof. P V Indiresan, the legendary former director of IIT, Madras, who is our Guest Columnist today. Please see our Guest Column