Why IP safeguards are crucial for a विश्वगुरु nation

Protecting Bharat’s Intellectual Wealth

Why IP safeguards are crucial for a विश्वगुरु nation

By Chandan Sharma, B. Pharmacy, PGDPSM

Bharat has long been a land of thinkers and innovators. From the zero in mathematics to Ayurveda, from ancient astronomy to yoga, our intellectual legacy has shaped civilizations across the world. In the 21st century, as Bharat aspires to become विश्वगुरु once again, there is a pressing challenge before us: protecting our intellectual property (IP). Without this, the brilliance of our superbrains risks being exploited or lost forever.

The Cost of Intellectual Loss

In earlier centuries, knowledge was preserved in palm-leaf manuscripts, temples, and oral traditions. Today, ideas live in digital systems, start-up incubators, research labs, and often just in the minds of young innovators. When such ideas disappear—whether due to piracy, lack of funding, or absence of protection—it is not just an individual’s tragedy, but a national setback.

We have already seen how the world has tried to appropriate our knowledge. In the 1990s, foreign firms attempted to patent turmeric’s medicinal properties and even Basmati rice. Bharat had to fight lengthy legal battles to reclaim what was always ours. Yoga and Ayurveda are now billion-dollar global industries, but the communities and thinkers who safeguarded them for centuries often see no recognition or reward.

Even modern science and technology face this risk. ISRO’s cost-effective space missions have dazzled the world, yet without proper safeguards, such innovations could be reverse-engineered and commercialized abroad. Similarly, Bharat’s thriving digital start-up ecosystem—producing fintech, healthtech, and AI solutions—faces constant threats of intellectual theft by global giants with deep legal pockets.

Why Strong IP Protection Matters

Intellectual property is not just a legal formality—it is the foundation of a knowledge-driven economy. It ensures recognition for innovators, creates economic value, enhances global credibility, and protects our cultural legacy. If Bharat truly seeks to be a $10 trillion economy, the protection of ideas must stand alongside physical infrastructure and financial growth.

What Bharat Must Do

Make IP registration affordable and accessible.

Create a National Digital Vault for ideas.

Strengthen fast-track IP courts with strict penalties.

Introduce IP education in schools.

Provide financial support and incubation for innovators.

Celebrate inventors and creators at par with athletes and artists.


Government Initiatives Already in Motion

The government has taken commendable steps: Make in India, Startup India, and Atal Innovation Mission are nurturing innovation, while Digital India strengthens the digital backbone. The National IPR Policy (2016) has laid a solid framework.

Importantly, the MyGov App’s “Idea Box” allows citizens to submit suggestions and innovations directly to the government—a fine example of crowdsourcing national creativity. However, this system must be improved: contributors should receive recognition, legal safeguards, and pathways for implementation, ensuring that citizen-driven ideas are not lost in bureaucratic files.

The Way Forward

If Bharat is to emerge as विश्वगुरु, it must not only produce knowledge but also protect it fiercely. Intellectual property is the currency of the future. Without protection, our cultural wisdom and scientific innovations risk being stolen, misused, or buried.

Bharat has the talent, the vision, and the historical legacy of leadership in knowledge. What it now requires is the will to protect every idea—from a farmer’s tool innovation to a scientist’s lab discovery, from a start-up’s software code to the healing practices rooted in our villages.

The call to action is clear: preserve, protect, and promote the intellectual wealth of Bharat. Because in the knowledge economy of tomorrow, ideas are not just thoughts—they are national assets.