Telangana has witnessed numerous suicides from the area of Pochampally, which was earlier renowned for its famous sarees and a unique style of weaving them. With the competition from cheaper clothes in the market, the weavers lost their consumer base, making the profession unprofitable and leading many of them to leave the profession forever, resulting in a silent death of the traditional skill.

Tradition is a set of rituals, practices, and beliefs that people observe in daily life and has been carried over from generation to generation. Some important skills which were fundamental to livelihood were given utmost importance and were constantly improved upon. However, at any time in history, there has always been a tussle between modern technology and traditional skills. For example, during the Agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago, tribal ways of hunting and gathering were traditional, whereas agriculture was a modern technology.

Even in the 21st century, the tussle continues in multiple sectors across the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors and even in the social sector as well. The advent of modern technology is not inherently bad, but replacing our tradition with blind application of modern methods is not only illogical but also harmful to the lives and livelihoods of the people. Now let us see how modern technology is becoming a threat to traditional skills.

Agriculture in rural India is an excellent way of practicing traditional methods. The practices of preparing green manure using animal dung for soil fertility, using cow dung pellets for fuel, and water harvesting methods like building tankas, Ahar pynes, Chervus are all being abandoned. Modern methods like the use of fertilizers, pesticides for soil fertility, use of LPG for fuel, construction of dams and canals have replaced the traditional methods and are proving to be environmentally unsustainable as well.

Manufacturing in Medieval India was prosperous and Indian goods were famous worldwide. British intervention had destroyed it. Rural India was rich in skills of weaving, pottery, hut making, carpentry, etc. The Kanchi silks, Bidri metal works, sandalwood artifacts, Chekeshang shawls were all famous and household names. Today, with the advent of mass production, standardization, westernization, mechanization, etc., the goods produced are much cheaper and have a competitive advantage over traditional goods in terms of money, time, and availability. It is common these days to see branded products like Nike, Reebok, IKEA, Adidas, etc. in every household.

Services like Health which were once dominated by Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy are now being replaced with Allopathy and modern medicines. Even the traditional methods of preparing foods such as bhujia, achar (pickle), sweets, sambhar, idly etc. are being replaced by instant foods like Maggi noodles, Knorr soups, packaged foods like chips, biscuits and ready-to-eat foods like idly batter, sambhar masala etc. which have developed due to advances made in research and technology, packaging, preventives, efficient supply chains etc.

In society, we can also observe the phenomenon as the earlier ways of communicating and interacting with strangers which was a skill in itself is being replaced with social media interactions and communications. The art of rangoli making, wall painting in houses (Madhubani painting), creating fragrance using flowers etc. are being replaced with rangoli stickers, synthetic paints and room fresheners etc.

Managing the house and its members was itself a skill and elders in the house were respected for their knowledge and the traditional wisdom they had. Now with the omnipresence of internet, information is available online and elders in the house are no longer looked to for obtaining information, thereby weakening the family structure and interpersonal skills as well.

However, not everything can be replaced by Modern Technology. People still want authentic traditional clothes for festivals. In any auspicious event in the house, people look for traditional food, music, rituals etc. There is a resurgence in demand for traditional products as the rise of the brand ‘Patanjali’ stands as an example. There is also an increased focus on organic farming, natural farming and zero-based natural farming. People’s demand for such products creates a necessity for related skills and hence an increased attention towards traditional skills can be witnessed. We need to look at international levels for some best practices.

Japan known for its technology and modern methods of living gives immense importance to tradition. They still are ruled by a monarch; they greet each other in a traditional way. Most importantly, the work culture of Japan is heavily influenced by its Traditional way of treating employees (Eg: KAIZAEN).

Talanoa dialogue, which is a traditional method of forming a consensus among participants has been adopted at Cop 23 of UNFCCC for consensus building, replacing modern methods of corporate lobbying and boardroom meetings.

Modern technology can also be used to promote, enhance and even improve traditional skills. E-commerce and online shopping can be used to promote traditional artisanal work and expand their market. e-NAM can be used for improving agri-markets. YouTube videos can be created to spread the ideas of traditional food making, traditional wisdom and as a way of recording this unique knowledge.

At the National level, the government is trying to protect these traditional skills by granting GI tags, heritage status and taking measures such as providing interest-free loans and procuring handlooms for weavers and creating haats in urban areas and encouraging cooperatives.

Hence, the traditional skills must be protected from becoming obsolete and the use of modern technology in protecting them is a step in the right direction. If anything, we must make the best use of both worlds and carry on our traditions to our future generations.