“Know the enemy… and you will never be in peril”: Sun Tzu

The ancient Chinese war strategist Sun Tzu in his book “Art of War” suggested to “Know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril”. The technological gadgets that are causing death to human lives in these days, if are supposed as enemy for human life, we must adhere to Sun Tzu’s strategy.

The globalised world’s industries, such as the most recent trend 5G, the hybrid era, the electric vehicle age, etc., are introducing the less than decadal transition of technological improvement into the economic market. It takes not more than a month for products with intense marketing gimmicks to reach landlocked areas of the world like our town of Kargil Ladakh. For instance, the Apple iPhone, which was announced tonight at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, US may be made available to you in the Kargil market in the upcoming weeks.

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The truth is that 90% of consumers in developing nations like India merely absorb the newest features like a magic wand without understanding any of the technical aspects of gadgets and machinery. For instance, a cutting-edge transformer, smartphone, power tools, and most recent vehicle like SUV, etc.

The machines are used in all industries and fields, including mining, hotels, construction, the agriculture, education, and health sectors. The machines began to require servicing after a few weeks or months. When a transformer malfunctions, our tribal community members, especially the bold ones, try to fix it on a chilly evening without any technical knowledge.

Nowadays we often are used to heard some sort of tragic accidents happening and loss of precious human lives due to vehicle accidents, live wires accidents, gadget battery explosion due to heating and over usage, short circuit, vehicle run over during repairing, falling from electric poles/towers and buildings, death and grievous injuries from power tools (very common), and the list goes on. The accidental victims in majority of these cases belong to prime age of their career and in some cases sole breadwinner of a family. The condition of the parents and family who loses their dear ones in such accidents are heart rendering and bone chilling.

The point is that we need to understand and find the reasons so that we could prevent these human tragedies due to machines. Intuitively, I am sure we all know the valid reasons. But we avoid being rational about the accidental tragedies from machines and mistakes by saying, “CHATY YT PANA”. NO NO NO… WE ARE WRONG… Let’s dare to express some valid technical reasons.

Unprofessional and Untrained people are trying to fix faulty Machines and wires like his/her own diy (do it yourself) project deliberately. Surely friends the faulty transformer and wires of your area, and power tools used in agriculture, carpentry and civil construction site is not your diy project. Please get it fix or repaired from the lineman, technician (mistri) workshop, professional, experienced and trained person.

All machines and gadgets have their user manual booklet with safety and precautionary instruction. General public and users should properly operate the machines, household electronic gadgets as per the user manual. Surely, even your new pressure cooker and your new smartphone will have a user manual in the packaging.

For earning a few extra bucks, guys don’t work for a notorious contractor or a company who lure you with a good package to employ untrained and unprofessional persons at their technical sites and project for cost cutting tactic for profit maximization replacing a trained, experience and professional as they charge and demand higher package. Concerned govt. Agencies and departments responsible for worker and labour welfare should check civil, private companies and corporations construction and project site and religious and social organization (employing volunteers) for workers profile to ensure that they follow proper norm of employees deployment for technical works as per their workers professional profile. Legal action should be taken against agencies who employ unprofessional and untrained workers at technical sites.

Lastly, I appeal my tribal community please don’t employ your grown-up boys and girls at technical projects and works if they have not any formal and professional training regarding the job. Acquire skills from institutes like ITI, polytechnic, and professional colleges and institutes to get a field specialized technician job. Proper tools kits, clothes and shoes should be wear to fix a faulty machines and to work at worksites. Once again, remember for God’s sake don’t try to fix faulty transformer, transmission lines, power tools, water leakage, motor pumps etc in a community and social way.

Dial and inform the concerned authorities and departments to fix them by a lineman, a plumber. By the way dear readers don’t get offended by the Title “tribal man” I am also a tribal man.