The Government of India seems hell bent on applying technology to everything it can lay its hands on. From agriculture to disease management, financial services to drones, it feels like there is a technology solution being developed for all interactions with the government. But as much as it might feel like the government has gone overboard with its embrace of all things technology, this enthusiasm is relatively recent. 

When the first Prime Minister of newly Independent India sat down to chart out the course for the country he had before him a blank slate. He had the opportunity to guide the country down a path that would allow it to come on par with the other nations of the world. But the path we trod was long and winding and it was almost only by accident that we ended up where we are.

Why did it take so long for India to develop into the technology powerhouse that it is today? What were the decisions that we took along the way that sent us down the path we finally followed? And how has all this influenced the way in which technology has changed Indian society?

In this episode of Ex Machina, I discuss the history of Indian science and technology with Jahnavi Phalkey, science historian and filmmaker and Arun Sukumar, a lawyer and PhD student at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. We get into some of the early decisions and all that happened along the way to get us to where we are. 

Over the last decade, the single greatest change that technology has wrought in India has been the proliferation of platforms for society. Starting with Aadhaar but rapidly expanding to include UPI, eSign and the entire IndiaStack, the impact of these platforms on the way in which society functions is undeniable.

As with any technology that has an oversize impact on society, these platforms have deeply divided the nation. The vocal opposition to Aadhaar culminated in its challenge before the Supreme Court and the articulation of the fundamental right to privacy. All of the other platforms have been accused of technology solutionism with opponents citing instances of exclusion, data surveillance and over-reach.

While the government’s arguments before the Supreme Court, in favour of Aadhaar, were enough to ensure its survival, not enough is known about the way the project was designed and the motivations that spurred the team of volunteers that build it. I have been involved in the Aadhaar story in different ways and have heard these stories from different perspectives. They are stories worth telling. 

In this episode of Ex Machina, I sit down with Pramod Varma, Chief Architect of Aadhaar in a wide ranging interview that covers his motivations for getting involved in Aadhaar and how the various elements of India Stack came to be. We get into what he feels about the allegations of exclusion and the claim that a small group of technocrats have hijacked the agenda. 

Not everyone will agree with his point of view but I doubt anyone will fault his candour.

Very early on at the dawn of India’s tech boom we gave the world its first shareable handheld computation device. But despite its promise, the Simputer never made it big. Today, India has the opportunity to change the world yet again in its own unique way, this time in the arena of urban mobility. But in order to do that we will need to fundamentally change the way we think about commuting.

Ex Machina is produced by Vaaka Media. Theme music composed by Erwick D’Souza. Follow us at @exmachinapod.