Sam Pitroda speaks at SP Jain Center of Management's event

Dr. Pitroda made a scintillating talk outlining his vision for future technology trends and how they will have an impact on the social, cultural and political fabric of the communities we live in.

Defining technology and the key factors important to its full expression, Dr. Sam Pitroda said: "Everything we do outside our bodies to have a fuller, richer, more efficient lifestyle is technology. But to germinate and grow, technology needs an environment which is free from human biases, is open to questioning and is capable of celebrating failures as much as successes. The reason the US has given the world all the leading inventions of the past fifty years is because this is exactly the kind of environment that exists there."

Detailing globally important fields of science, he said: "There are 4 key technology areas that will have a huge impact on the way we live and work. These are ICT, or Information and Communication Technologies, Biotechnology, Alternative Energy Technologies and Materials Technologies." He then went on to sketch development scenarios in each of these areas and how what might have been science fiction till yesterday is a real possibility today.

Exhorting technocrats, he said that technology today is too busy solving the problems of the rich, who do not have any real problems anyway. "Technology should focus on providing answers for the poor people of the world. Unless we apply technology to come up with solutions in areas of education, sanitation, clean drinking water and governance, the true potential of technology will never be utilized."

Other dignitaries present at the talk were Dr, Abdulla Al Karam, CEO of Dubai Knowledge Village and B. R. Shetty, Chairman of the NMC group.

Thanking Sam Pitroda for spending his valuable time with the guests, faculty and students of SP Jain Center of Management, Nitish Jain, President of SPJCM said: "Things of enduring value that we see in the world today are all products of the imagination, drive and perseverance of people such as Sam Pitroda. The human civilization owes immense debt to such visionaries."