TEDTalk: Anil Gupta

2. Watch the TEDTalk video: “Anil Gupta: India’s hidden hotbeds of invention” at  and post your thoughts on your blog.

Fantastic. While I love hearing about major technological advances like the Large Hadron Collider, my favorite inventions are the ones like Anil Gupta shows us in this TEDTalk.

I, too, have found the honeybee an inspiration for some of the talks I have given (sermons or lessons on various topics) but I never thought of it the same way as Gupta. Accurate analogies from nature are always more likely to catch my attention and Gupta’s combination of the honeybee analogy with the inventions that bring immediate and real improvement to humanity is sure to hold my attention.

I’m not surprised at all that these inventions exist because people are generally creative and people throughout the world have shown the truth of the adage, “necessity is the mother of invention.” What is surprising, to me, is that Gupta found these inventions at all. I suspect that his willingness to walk throughout the country is a key to finding these wonderful creators.

Look at this. We saw it in Shodh Yatra. Every six months we walk in different parts of the country. I've walked about 4,000 kilometers in the last 12 years. So on the wayside we found these dung cakes, which are used as a fuel. Now, this lady, on the wall of the dung cake heap, has made a painting. That's the only space she could express her creativity. And she's so marvelous.

I have a friend from high school who is involved in something similar although at much higher technology levels. He blogs here about his life and work although I’m not sure where the line between life and work is for Vic. He lives in London as a jumping off point for traveling throughout Europe looking for interesting things that may be of some use to his employer.

Below is a picture that Vic posted on his Facebook profile showing where he’s visited looking for interesting projects. I believe the orange represents more time spent or more projects viewed.

I’m glad that Anil Gupta and Vic are able to get out in the world – in the countrysides and cities – to see what there is to see and report back to us about the great things people are coming up with… both high tech and low tech.

Here in Taiwan, there is a popular saying when people encounter what seems like an obstacle. In English it roughly translates as: We’ll think of a way. It just takes a short walk through any populated area to see the products inspired by those words such as a plumber who modified his motorcycle to attach a hand truck full carrying his plumbing supplies so he can transport it on the road and then disconnect and use the hand truck to get to the customer’s house.