India’s Great Power Secret Revealed

 

Image by @Grok with my prompts

India is the only “great power” that has never stolen technology to become self-sufficient in defence production.

Which is, perhaps, exactly why we are not self-sufficient in defence production.

And never will be!!

We don’t steal technology—not because we are a civilisational state operating from some lofty moral high ground.

We don’t steal technology because we wouldn’t have the faintest idea what to do with it after stealing it.

After all, we are intellectuals, not visionaries.

Tell us what to do and how to do it.

Give us the tools, the materials, the jigs, the fixtures, the software, and the manufacturing machinery—and behold!

We will become Atmanirbhar in manufacturing the weapon system overnight.

We already figured out how to make all the submarines we operate — Kilo class, HDW Type-209, Scorpene, Arihant class, Arihant Stretch class.

So now, please tell us how to make the Type-214, the submarine that is so very good.

When we negotiate Transfer of Technology (ToT), we don’t actually want a transfer of technology.

We want a transfer of technicians—people who can assemble, integrate, and service the system locally.

What would we do with the technology anyway?

By the time you’re willing to transfer it, it’s already old.

We prefer to buy your latest technology—under the comforting label of ToT.

And when we negotiate local manufacture, we don’t threaten to reduce your market share.

Oh no!

We guarantee its permanence.

This is how it works:

You supply all the expensive components and materials making good .profit

We assemble your system under ToT (Transfer of Technicians).

We sell it to our armed forces at exorbitant prices making good profit.

And then we proudly pay fat dividend cheques to our own government.

What you call a win-win arrangement.

Our concept of R&D is simple: Read and Do.

Read the manuals.

Do exactly what is written.

Neither our government babus, nor our corporate leaders—and certainly not our politicians - their Arjun eyes permanently fixed on the next election - have any appetite for a riskier interpretation of R&D.

Historically, India’s rich and powerful have always been traders—experts at currying favour with whoever happens to rule, regardless of where they come from.

They don’t take risks. 

They work exclusively on cuts.

Why change culture, heritage, or tradition now?

I could go on.

But do you really care…?