Earthquake opens Indian minds

[Srinath S <srinaths@usa.net>]

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Here is an excerpt form an Asia Times article having the same title. 
http://atimes.com/ind-pak/CB07Df01.html

The silver lining to the earthquake that devastated the western Indian state
of Gujarat - death toll estimates vary between 30,000 and 100,000 - is that it
is helping to rapidly globalize the Indian mind. The country that proudly
claims to be an information technology superpower is at last learning the real
value of information and the meaning of technology. 

India's gallant police teams and fire brigade personnel who embarked on
salvage missions with crowbar-level machinery two days after the quake learnt
that the world is today capable of using industrial robots for the same role
and deploying them within hours of a tragedy. They learnt from foreign rescue
and relief missions about rescue equipment like trapped person locators that
have two sensors - one acoustic for checking breathing and another seismic, to
catch vibrations as low as those made by a fingernail scratching on a concrete
slab. They learnt about portable generators for power tools, the many
different kinds of drills that are used for cutting and breaking, and air bags
that are thin sheets, slipped under a slab and then inflated to lift it. 

Their bosses in the government learnt that the video-conferencing facility
between Bhuj, the epicenter of the quake, and the state government in
Ahmedabad - which was eventually set up - could have solved their
communication problems on the very first day. They learnt that they could have
easily used the Internet for putting out all the information they had on a
website; this would have plugged the communication gaps between not just the
national government in New Delhi and the state government, but also would have
helped international agencies and non-governmental organizations ascertain
what exactly was required and how to direct their resources. 



Ideas for India: Building the future -- together 
http://www.ideasforindia.net/ 

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