The year 1933 witnessed the beginning of an exodus of scientists, academicians, and intellectuals from Germany. The scale of the exodus, and the quality of people who left Germany, mostly to the US and Western Europe, was so significant that they deeply influenced the development of Western Europe and America in the post-World War II period. History might repeat itself, again.
In recent times, reports have emerged that many academicians are looking to migrate from the US to other parts of the world. The present geopolitical situation may not be as grave, or as delicate as it was in 1933 Germany, but a perceived threat to academic freedom is prompting many academicians to consider relocating. A recent survey carried out by Nature magazine confirms that the brain drain may already be underway in the US. More than 75 per cent of a large number of scientists said that they were looking to move at the earliest opportunity.
In the 1930s, many of the displaced scientists from Germany went on to make ground-breaking contributions—only now, on foreign soil. Among them, Albert Einstein, James Franck, and Erwin Schrodinger were already Nobel laureates, while five more won the Nobel Prize later for the work they did abroad. Their acceptance in the UK and the US was partly helped by dedicated organisations set up specifically to support their relocation. It is an undisputed fact that the innovation culture in the US and Western Europe in the post-war period led to their rapid economic growth, and this group of migrants played an important role in promoting such culture.
Inviting scholars to India
Interestingly, some of the leading academicians had even considered migrating to India in the 1930s. One such person was Max Born, who went on to win the Nobel Prize in physics in 1954 and was American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer’s mentor. Born spent six months during 1935-1936 at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, at the invitation of Indian physicist CV Raman.
Raman had recently moved to IISc and was keen to attract global talent to the institute. When Raman offered Born to move to Bengaluru in 1935, initially for six months and later permanently, Born had no hesitation in accepting the invitation. Indeed, Born’s six months in Bengaluru were marked by a series of lectures by him and deep academic discussions with Raman and his colleagues.
Similarly, when Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya understood the plight of intellectuals in Germany, foreseeing the immediate need to act, he offered Albert Einstein to visit the newly established Banaras Hindu University. This was in anticipation that Einstein would be pleased with the academic environment at the BHU, and eventually might be persuaded to accept a faculty position there. Both Raman and Malaviya had exceptional foresight on the contemporary situation and were willing to invite outstanding individuals to their institutions.
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US brain brain
If the brain drain does happen now, it could undermine the US’ position as the world’s most innovation-friendly country—and as its largest economy. Independent analysts have commented on both these aspects. Consequently, countries in Europe have taken swift action on the perceived brain drain from the US. For example, the French President Emmanuel Macron has already extended an open invitation to the best brains to relocate to France.
Is India prepared to accept a large number of talented academicians—and that too, at short notice? The situation in the 1930s was quite different than that of today. Back then, a few responsible individuals had the foresight and courage to make such decisions. Moreover, universities and institutions in India had just begun to be established, creating space and opportunity for many to find a place within them.
Despite this, Raman had faced serious hurdles in bringing Max Born on a long-term engagement. On the other hand, the academic organisations are much more mature now compared to the 1930s. The maturity has also brought unintended bureaucratic hurdles in spotting outstanding talent and offering positions in our institutions.
A new and innovative approach may be necessary if India truly wants to take advantage of the situation and attract the best global talent. The government can set up special-purpose mechanisms and rapidly implement decisions on exceptionally talented academics to return. Many newly established private universities, possibly free of the bureaucratic processes, may take the lead.
Undoubtedly, attracting such outstanding individuals, considering the current peculiar geopolitical situation, will only have a positive long-term impact on the growth of the Indian economy. Only time will tell if India seizes the opportunity or lets it slip away once again.
Shekhar C Mande is the retired Director General of CSIR and currently a professor at the Savitribai Phule Pune University. He tweets @shekhar_mande. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
If India can attract actual liberal-secular scholars it will be good – people who actually believe in free markets and the freedom of speech and thought unconstrained by the politics of the left or the right.
While we know the big names that left Germany in the 1930s, we don’t know if the profile of people unwelcome in the US will be anything similar. India can do without a few hundred “scholars” of gender studies etc or people for whom scholarship lies in raking up division instead of ending them. India already has too many such people dotted all over the political spectrum from the deep left to the far right.
Further, many of the scholars such as Theodore Adorno who went to the US from Europe in the 1930 have proved to be not much of a blessing.
I’m not convinced it’s a good idea to invite big names from US academia to join Indian institutions. Those who truly understand the current challenges within our academic system may never agree to come. And if a few do come out of love for India, many will struggle to survive in this broken system.
Instead, why not support the brilliant minds who have already returned—those who genuinely care for the country and are committed to building its future? Unfortunately, we often devalue them once they are back.
Investing in the talent we already have, and empowering those who have chosen India despite the odds, will be far more beneficial than chasing temporary prestige by bringing in global names who may eventually return to their home countries—leaving us exactly where we started.
India wants the vest brains too – only in the STEM disciplines. We must not get the social sciences and humanities “intellectuals” from the West. This virus has destroyed many US universities and thanks to President Trump a major corrective operation is under way now. We do not wish for this liberal-secular activist virus to spread in India. The government must take care to not allow these parasites into Indian institutions.
Also, the social sciences and humanities departments at all IITs/IIMs/IISc/NITs must be disbanded. The nation simply cannot afford to allow the liberal-secular virus to contaminate these institutions of national importance.