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THE
NEW ECONOMY: ADAPTERS
Tradition
Meets Technology
If the
new economy is about dotcoms and tech firms, the vast majority of Indians
would appear to live in the dark ages. Yet, if there's one thing we have
in abundance, it's the ability to adapt. To be sure, the bulk of our population
isn't about to dump traditional means of livelihood like farming or fishing
or handicrafts and dash off in search of a dotcom dream. What has happened
recently is that many "old economy" proponents have adapted
to new technology to enhance their lives.
Every
day across the country, an unknown number of traditional businesses are
embracing new technology tools. "Computer mandis" in Punjab
which use the Internet to auction off farm goods, the Global Positioning
Systems in Kerala to track fishermen's nets, mobile phones for placing
orders to a tea-stall-these are only a few samples of this synthesis.
Generally,
they go unnoticed and unsung. Some profiles.
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| KERALA,
Marianadu |
|
"Life
is more certain thanks to GPS."
Thomas
Dasan, 28, Fisherman
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| Tech
tool: Global Positioning System (GPS), bought in January 2000.
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| Investment:
Rs 12,000 |
Being
a fisherman isn't easy. You put out your fishing nets in the high seas
and return later for the day's catch. Relying solely on memory, experience
and a bit of luck, Thomas Dasan would navigate the waters to find his
nets-a process that could take several hours. Now with his Global Positioning
System (GPS), a sophisticated satellite information tracking system, finding
the nets is a cinch.
But Dasan
recently discovered it's more than just a handy tool for tracking nets.
One unlucky night found him on the high seas at midnight when his boat's
engine went bust. Dasan could do nothing except drop anchor and pray.
His prayers were answered when another boat passed by and took him back
to shore. He had no idea how he would find his boat, which he was obliged
to abandon. But he had reckoned without his trusty GPS. Dasan was able
to find out exactly where his abandoned boat was and tow it back, saving
him the unwelcome extra expense of a new boat. "In the old days you
were as good as dead if you got marooned," says Dasan. "Today
it's not a big deal."
Kerala fishermen,
many of who are already using mobile phones to negotiate prices for a
good catch even before they reach the shore, are putting GPS on their
priority list of must-have gizmos. They realise that it would make getting
lost on the high seas a thing of the past.
-M.G. Radhakrishnan
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