When I first read about the Galgotias University robotic dog that turned out to be a Chinese import wearing an Indian nametag, I felt an unexpected wave of nostalgia.
This is exactly the sort of thing a classmate did in Standard Three.
He submitted a drawing of a horse that looked suspiciously like the one printed on my Camlin colour box. When the teacher asked whether he had traced it, he put on his most patriotic face and said, “No miss, inspiration.”
Unfortunately for Galgotias, the international AI exhibition did not have a teacher who could be fooled, it had Google.
Imagine the scene. A proud unveiling. Applause. Speeches about innovation, Atmanirbhar brilliance, and the future of Indian robotics.
The dog trots out obediently. Someone in the audience whispers, “Isn’t that Unitree Go1 from China?” Silence. Screenshots. Comparison videos. Curtain.
What fascinates me is not that someone tried to pass off a Chinese robotic dog as homegrown.
What fascinates me is the confidence.
The swagger.
The belief that nobody would notice.
That is not childish cheating. That is adult boldness.
Somewhere along the way we seem to have mastered a national skill. Denial with straight faces. Hunger Index says we are slipping. No it is false. Human rights groups raise concerns. No it is propaganda. Corruption statistics look embarrassing. No such thing exists.
We have reached a point where reality is merely a suggestion.
And when citizens cheer every rebuttal like a cricket boundary, institutions begin to believe their own press releases.
So why not buy a robotic dog from China and call it Sheru Singh from Greater Noida. After all, if we can argue with data, why not argue with hardware.
The tragedy is not that we got caught. The tragedy is that we did not expect to.
Because in a domestic press conference the matter could have been managed. A committee would have been formed. A clarification issued. A spokesperson would have said the dog was only “inspired” by China but spiritually Indian.
But this was an international exhibition. The world has WiFi. The world has product manuals. The world has YouTube reviewers who dismantle robotic dogs for fun.
And there we were, surprised we were caught.
We like to think this is the tip of the iceberg. A small embarrassment. No, this is the iceberg in full daylight, floating majestically, daring us to call it a snowflake.
The robotic dog is not the real problem. It is the comfort we now have with make believe. It is the applause that follows every convenient explanation.
It is the belief that if we repeat something often enough, even a Chinese dog will start barking in Sanskrit.
Look at the iceberg India. Not angrily. Not defensively. Just honestly.
Because innovation cannot grow in a greenhouse of denial.
And a robotic dog may wag its tail on command, but truth has an inconvenient habit of biting back…!
The Author conducts an online, eight session Writers and Speakers Course. If you’d like to join, do send a thumbs-up to WhatsApp number 9892572883 or send a message to bobsbanter@gmail.com
