It’s not just tech start ups that we have failed to produce. If we contemplate on the issue, Generally we have been short in producing any sort of entrepreneurs and this can be traced back to, more than anything else, our low risk appetite and risk aversion. We and our society place a huge emphasis on ideas like job security and a settled life. Consider the expression when somebody gets married; “The guy is settled now”. We as a nation avoid anything which is uncertain and place and we avoid untested waters like a thief avoids getting caught.
We grow up getting scolded and punished for doing anything new. No Marks if you write something which is not endorsed by the teacher. Even our epics dictate following the rules and denounce anything creative and new. Just remember how Ram is said to be the perfect man, who obeys his father, dose what he is being told to do! And think of what was done to Eklavya when he did something which he was not supposed to do! Our whole culture promotes a system which is not conducive to thinking independently and being creative. We are supposed to be dictated to. Be it our Caste System or the education system. Add to that the education system that was designed to produce clerks and workers and you almost have a recipe not to produce entrepreneurs of any degree, let alone companies like Apple and Google.
The whole thing starts very early. The school system that we are exposed to, makes a big deal out of rote learning and anything which doesn’t conform to the established practices is looked down upon and This is when a kid, no matter in what amount he/she posses creativity starts getting scared of anything new and on his own. When he grows up, his world starts revolving around marks and those marks are very much dictated by what he reproduces, not what he can think and create. I remember times when I was not given any marks by my teacher, even though I pretty much wrote the same thing, it was just not similar to what she had told us to write! In fact, sometimes it went to such an extent that I was declared to be plain stupid and not able to learn! Not to mention the fact that all this was very conveniently forgotten when I topped Class 10th with more than 95%! Cutting to the chase, a kid learns throughout his early years that copying and reproducing anything is what constitutes intelligence!
Growing up, getting good grades in college takes center stage and this invariably leads to bland and rote learning. Even at college, though the situation does improve a bit (I am from an NIT, so this might be biased), most of the professors are still fans of 'You will write what I ask you to write or forget grades'. All this kills any iota of creativity and zeal for entrepreneurship even before it gets the chance to blossom.
Once one gets out of college, his success is measured by the 0's he got in his salary and that is be all and end all of the Indian idea of success. Almost all of the Indian parents would have a heart attack if their sons and daughters were to tell them they are quitting their job to pursue their dreams! Think if Madhavan’s parents facial expression in the movie 3 Idiots when he announces he is going for an internship in Wildlife photography instead of the plum job he was supposed to land into!
The other major issue with we Indians which prevent us from venturing into and chasing our dreams is the notion of what others will think! Chaar Log Kya sochenge is the second biggest impediment and in fact the first one of risk avoidance stems from this concern of what the neighbors and the uncles and aunt will think! The best way to stop this is to not to let this concern creep in and not to voice any such concern for anybody. Let’s each one of us mind our own business and never let anyone else mind our own! I am sure, it would help a lot in removing these kinds of questions from Quora and our mind!
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