I must have been in 4th standard when my father introduced a concept that our small town in Maharashtra had never seen before readymade construction.
Precast slabs, ready walls, structures assembled rather than built brick by brick. Back then, I did not understand how new or revolutionary it was. Nor did I realize why I naturally lean toward research and curiosity. Perhaps it was always around me. Perhaps it was him.
Despite being in a government job, he constantly experimented, innovated, and thought ahead of his time.
Today, I was reminded of him.
I came across an award-winning construction project completed in record time. Curious, I explored further and there it was again: readymade slabs, prefabricated walls, modular construction. The same principles now used in flyovers, metro bridges, and large-scale infrastructure.
Temporary factories set up on-site.
Work running 24 hours a day, in three shifts.
Machines operating relentlessly.
Deadlines conquered. Awards earned.
And yes, people involved workers, supervisors, engineers... surely got their rest in shifts.
But I paused at a different question.
What about the machines that ran non-stop for N days?
What about the land that never slept?
What about mother nature, whom we so lovingly call “mother”?
Does she not deserve silence, stillness, recovery?
What about the tiny lives beneath the soil? the insects, organisms, ecosystems quietly sustaining the earth?
What about the birds nesting nearby who never disturbed us, yet are forced to flee?
Who gave us the permission to disrupt everything around us in the name of speed and recognition?
They do not protest.
They do not complain.
But does their silence mean acceptance?
I am not against innovation. In fact, I come from it.
But must innovation always come at the cost of disturbance?
At the cost of noise, pollution, imbalance?
We celebrate “24×7 productivity.”
But should nature also be forced into that schedule?
If we can design silent kitchen appliances,
if we can engineer precision in the smallest devices why can’t we build quieter construction systems?
Why can’t sustainability be as important as speed?
Let things grow at their own pace.
Let progress be mindful, not forceful.
Before approving and applauding such projects, pause and ask:
Who else is paying the price for this speed?
Because the ones who suffer the most are often the ones who cannot speak.
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