What exactly is real competition?

engineering education has the potential to drive significant global change, with engineers playing a pivotal role in the progress of a nation. they are, indeed, the future of our country. however, over time, the focus for many students has shifted toward achieving high marks in exams rather than honing true engineering skills. the notion that a student's ability is solely determined by their exam scores has become widespread, where high-scorers are viewed as gifted, and lower-scorers as less capable.this raises an important question: can marks alone accurately assess a student's competence? today, many students rush through the curriculum, mastering the art of exam-taking rather than truly understanding their subjects. as a result, those who excel at writing exams often score higher, but does that make them better engineers? in such cases, their proficiency lies in passing exams, not in mastering engineering.modern engineering students, however, are not limited to exams. many participate in hackathons and global challenges, showcasing their talents on the world stage. their competition should not just be with peers in their own country but with leading students from top universities like stanford and mit, and even the world's foremost companies and their groundbreaking products.the real competition is in innovation. can our students create better products than apple, design superior cameras or chips than those in the iphone, or invent groundbreaking technologies beyond chatgpt? can they produce satellites, electric cars, or operating systems that surpass those of microsoft, tesla, or google? these are the challenges they should be preparing for. true competition starts after education when they step into the world to innovate and create.for india to outgrow developed countries economically, we need to manufacture advanced technologies domestically. while india currently produces basic machinery, much of the advanced equipment is still imported. to shift this, students must focus on invention, not just securing jobs abroad. with more children born in india than in nations like the u.s., china, japan, or taiwan, our potential for innovation is immense. it only requires self-interest and self-confidence.--sreedhar vembu, founder and ceo, zoho corporation