In nineteenth century, Japan’s Meiji elite aggressively pursued a strategy of bunmei kaika—‘civilization and enlightenment’—through rapid industrialization, adoption of Western technologies, and even its way of life. It didn’t destroy Japanese civilisation, it made it stronger.

In Japan premium placed on instruction & acquisition of knowledge led Japan to adopt a formal system of education. All this is unlike India where industrialisation is seen as a threat to ‘real India’ & universal schooling is opposed & some archaic Gurukul model is romanticised.

Interestingly Swadeshi didn’t appeal to likes of Madan Mohan Malaviya. Malaviya believed in import & adaptation of foreign tech. He was admirer of Meiji restoration.He believed in Indian capitalist class plus efficient bureaucracy spearheading modernisation & industry like Japan.

Malaviya advocated that import of foreign machines as well as technical experts to run them. ‘Here we have to imitate and not to initiate’, he argued. This is a remarkable thinking coming from the Hindu-right. So unlike the Gandhian view or later romanticism of feudal past in HR.

M. Visvesvaraya was was an unapologetic capitalist who called socialism and communism as threats to national security. He eviscerated the commonly held views longing for the rural life and the feudal peace and quiet of old times as essence of ‘real India’.

Congress National Planning Committee was set up in 1938 for a ‘complete survey of the Indian economy’ by Prez Bose. Visvesvaraya was to head it but pro-soviet scientist Meghnad Saha persuaded him to step aside for Nehru so that committee has ‘political appeal’. It was a mistake..

Nehru didn’t share the vision Malaviya & Visvesvaraya of technology rapidly transforming India’s socio-political landscape. Visvesvaraya resigned midway. Nehru took complete control of technological trajectory but lacked vision. He even ditched Saha’s dream of industrialisation.

And then came the dreaded Gandhians who opposed even the limited vision of Nehru for introducing ‘violent’ machines into India & breaching ahimsa. Nehru had to painfully explain it to Gandhi that he isn’t fascinated by technology but using machines is just a necessity!