It is time, we looked at the latent causes. Where does the strength of India lie? Not in numbers, not necessarily in our moral stands on international issues. In modern times, the strength of a nation lies in its achievements in science and technology. This is not to say that other fields do not count.

In the five decades after independence, we have yet to demonstrate our originality in applied science and technology. Though Japan also started like us, yet by cultivating the technology of the West, the Japanese adapted, improved and displayed originality in several areas of science and technology. The generationwhich is at the helm of affairs in science and in our country after independence mostly consisted of self-seekers. By and large with a few exceptions. The science and technology managers in India concentrated in gaining power and influence.

They loved publicity. Most of them stopped doing science while they managed science. Things would have been better had they been humble enough to acknowledge the difference between doing and managing science. Instead they claimed they were the foremost in science and technology, simply because theywere at the helm of affairs. As a result, they ceased to inspire the younger lot. India continues to be a borrower of science and technology, even though its potential for originality is substantial.

Our achievements in nuclear science and technology may be dazzling to our people. But, in worth and originality, they are ordinary and routine. While our own people remain ignorant the people of other countries know all about the pretensions to knowledge of our nuclear science and technology managers. Our subtle way of sabotaging our nuclear goals is to help hollow persons reach and remain at the helm of affairs. International bodies come in as handy tools in that subtle process. The veil of secrecy effectively protects the mismanagement in our nuclear establishments. The talk of national security comes as an easy weapon to prevent any probe into mismanagement. On nuclear matters the media in our country, by and large avoid the mismatch between promise and hence performance in the nuclear field does not get exposed as much as the mismanagement in other fields.