The Invasion of Machines
By KSS Pillai
I am fascinated by machines operated by a single man uprooting grown trees from one place and planting them in another place without causing damage to them. They prune ornamental trees in gardens, clean sidewalks in a jiffy and harvest crops, without leaving the field with clutters of unwanted plant parts. The machines perform many other tasks that ordinary human workers do shabbily and slowly, costing much more.
Technology has made its presence felt in all fields. Today, it is unimaginable to see the young generation without internet, mobile phones and away from social media. Even Artificial Intelligence, Robots, driverless cars and similar devices that have the potential to replace humans more efficiently have been accepted reluctantly by all concerned.
As a school student appearing for a competitive examination with general knowledge as one of the papers, I had to visit various libraries and refer to different publications, past and present, to gather information. That is no longer the case. The youngsters find information on anyone or anything in seconds by clicking on their laptops or mobile phones.
Gone are the days when farmers had to depend on animal power and age-old tools for different types of work in agricultural fields. Modern machinery improves productivity and efficiency. It has made farming less labour-intensive, allowing better management of crops, livestock, aquaculture, and forestry. While providing better working conditions and higher income to farmers, it also reduces their workload and helps generate new opportunities.
In over-populated countries like India, mechanization had been the nightmare of trade unions. There was a time when they objected to calculators in banks and other financial institutions, fearing that mechanization would result in more unemployment. Time has, thankfully, proved them wrong, and the spread of modern technology has been accepted by all as inevitable.
Though there is hardly any house without gas and electricity, refrigerators, air-conditioners, microwave ovens and other devices, the old generation mourns the disappearance of the past ways of life.
Sturdy workers of restaurants used to prepare batter for idlis and dosas in the evenings for the next morning by manually rotating large grinding stones for hours. As electric grinders have replaced the grinding stones in restaurants and homes, the oldies complain that the dishes are not tasty. There was no ready-to-use powder, and the ingredients for various dishes were prepared on grinding stones freshly. The kitchen was wood-fired, and there was always smoke there. They say that the modern gas or electric stove cannot produce such a taste. It is another matter that the restaurants have altered their menu according to the changed demands of the new generation that asks for beef and parathas instead of traditional morning dishes.
They even complain that the drinking water, dispersed by water purifiers, lacks the taste of water drawn from the wells that used to be an integral part of every house. There was a time when people used to drink water from canals and rivers directly without ill effects. That came to an end with the starting of factories and the use of chemicals by farmers for better yield, causing environmental pollution.