India needs to have a registry of ideas

Bhanoji Rao

The world is run by ideas. Some are the foundation for inventions and innovations. Given the possibility that international trade in services would become free and rules-based in course of time, the value of ideas goes up. This sector, more than any other, is governed by ideas.

How nice if every potential Srinivasa Ramanujan has a Professor Hardy to recognise and encourage? Often, however, ground realities are different. For instance, my mind goes back to the mathematics teacher in the small town where I have spent my childhood and early youth. His home of two rooms had floors covered with equations most of the time. I had no clue what he was doing and he was too senior to communicate with me on his “discoveries”.

The tragedy is no one of significance has ever really checked what those equations were and what they could imply. Given his simple living and constant contemplation on his work, he probably never thought of corresponding with some great British or American mathematician. I should call it a societal failure (analogous to the failures of markets and governments) not to be able to spot him and preserve his ideas for future researchers.

A friend with a doctorate in agricultural engineering used to dream about a plough, powered by the farmer’s leg movements or a small diesel engine, which is not too much more expensive than the traditional plough and yet could reduce the drudgery of ploughing in small fields. He did not come across a venture capitalist to turn his dream into reality. Banks—even those that call themselves development banks—do not encourage someone with an idea in the absence of right connections and recommendations. On his part, he was not prepared to go through any indirect routes to obtain the necessary support. The billion people of our country must have so many ideas—from the housewife who has a bright idea on ways to reduce the drudgery of chapaati making to the pharmaceutical researcher dreaming about the possible breakthrough to prevent cancers.

There may be some young mind with ideas on how one could approach the teaching of a subject like mathematics via the Internet or on simplifying procedures in regard to customs inspection. Someone totally unconnected with international trade could have ideas on how to market products to the rest of the world; a lady with hardly any access to capital could well have ideas on manufacturing a product; and so on.

Going back to the example of the small town mathematician, one might be tempted to invoke the prarabdha karma hypothesis and propound that it was his fate and destiny not to have his work noticed and gain recognition. We can even extend and link the hypothesis to the nation at large and say that if only the society has been lucky, his work would have been noticed and brought honour to the whole country.

Now let us affirm that our karma is changing, the fortunes of the whole nation are just about to blossom and we would soon have mechanisms in place for recording every worthy hunch, hypothesis and idea. We need, right down at the level of districts, what may be called ideas registries (IRs). The IRs would have two sections—academic and commercial. Academic ideas can be obtained free from an appropriate web site or from the district registry. The only requirement is that the user provides his/her name and personal particulars. With due acknowledgement credits, the idea can be used for further research, teaching or any other acceptable purpose.

Commercial ideas, however, are on a different footing since they could in course of time lead to experimentation and validation plus patenting of processes or products, either by the original registrant of the idea or by some of other person. When an outsider exploits the idea, the person or the institution will be obliged to pay a mutually agreed fee or royalty.

As for the process of registration of ideas, all that one needs to do is to pen his/her idea, as long as the person thinks it has commercial or academic relevance. The ideas registry (IR) will issue an IR number with digits that signify the place of registration, the subject of idea (science, social science, management, engineering and so on) as well its classification (commercial/academic).

Undoubtedly, the idea about IR needs to be looked at carefully and its practicability examined thoroughly. IR may not prevent a variant patent for basmati; it could at the least establish—for all mankind to see—what idea emanated where, by whom and at what time.
As soon as I see the formal establishment of the district-level IR close to my place of residence, I will be among the first to go for registering two ideas, the first under academic and the second under commercial categories.

As for the first, I have an excellent set of time series data on my cholesterol and triglyceride levels with notes and comments on the reasons for the fluctuations. I believe I have some ideas on how one could lower the levels without medication. I would like to deposit my data and the notes in the academic and free category of the ideas registry. People can read it at the district office as well as read and download from the ideas web as and when it is available.

My other idea is what some of my friends have known and tasted. It refers to the tea I make with a combination of a couple of known brands. I never disclosed the proportions, but they all know the name I have been using for it. I dream of billboards with Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit holding the tea mug and saying: “If you like tea, then this is it—Blend Bhanoji”.

When commerce minister Murasoli Maran and his delegation go to Doha in November, they will be meeting and exchanging views with their counterparts from 141 other World Trade Organisation member nations. Perhaps, the opportunity could be used to lobby for international recognition for ideas registries of developing countries.

(The writer can be reached at bhanoji@vsnl.net).