India and the glorified typewriter.

When newspapers quote India as a technology giant I secretly scoff at the shallow understanding the general public has of technology. What we are at best is a mammoth market of computer enabled slaves. The term tech giant applies to us as well as "masters of flight" to mosquitoes. They are simply a lot of insects who can float with a bit of control. They come nowhere near the flight control of a hummingbird.

With that said let me explain the situation in what meager words I have. You see, technology is one of the few aspects of human life that changes faster than a lot of other things. Computers especially so. When I envision an office which is computer enabled, I envision an office which completely uses the power and potential of a computer and this is very good at what it does. What I do not envision is Excel sheets and Word document reports.

When I am told that a website has on-line forms I imagine being able to fill those forms without getting off my chair; not having to print and post the forms. When I hear that a public service is e-enabled; I imaging that it is configured for mass access and is able to handle that load. I do not imagine it crashing every two days. What I mean to say is that India may well have produced a few thousand people who can use computers as well as the average international citizen; however, the masses have not yet caught on. What they see is simply a new type of typewriter. They still do not understand the concept of a computer. Being able to automate tasks which you want. A computer is exactly that.

Offices bound by technology generated by companies which do not understand the work they do. Websites handled by administrators who have no idea what is the best technique to use. That is the problem. We have created a populace which views the computer as a magical thing. As a machine which has a mind of it's own. One must break that screen of reverence. One must kill the God in order to understand his mystery.

What I propose is simple. Starting at home I will make my parents understand the computer. Not learn how to use it. Understand what it is. What is the concept of a computer. That is what I will do. With knowledge comes power and once everyone has power one can hope for fairness and the evolution of the human race.