Just some time back we came across the news that the manufacturing of typewriters has finally come to a close; it was the direct impact of a mind-boggling advancement in the world of technology. Nevertheless, a sense of loss did come with the news. Typewriters are no more with us and no one wants to invent the wheel. What typewriters gave us was more than adequately compensated by keyboards and touch pads. But in our state things disappear without leaving an alternative.  It is an outright loss and none any time to lament over this loss. Take the example of the silk industry, once the unit at Solina would employee hundreds of employees, but now it is only a story that we can regale our younger ones with. The news story published in this newspaper yesterday must be a reason of great unease for us all if we retain the sense of loss and profit. We have allowed to disappear an industry that had the potential of earning us great money. The neglect, both at societal and governmental level, has been enormous. The figures related to what the industry once was and what the potential of this industry still is – as given in the GK story- must serve as an eye opener. In a state where the crisis of employment are so stark, losing an  industry that could absorb thousands of our youth, and fetch us wads of foreign exchange, is a tragedy of enormous magnitude. It deserves a national mourning. Pity, we have time for all else, but not the economic wellbeing. We are happy with our begging bowls. We are too good at protesting against the loot of our resources, but have no time to douse the flames that we have ourselves set in our house. We need to stop being suicidal. Rhetoric won’t do any good. It won’t move the wheels even by a turn. We need to give a shoulder to the wheels.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST