<b>Devangshu Datta:</b> Mean machines

Anybody who has ever handled a horse and a car would testify that horse management is more difficult

The industrial revolution has been work in progress ever since the latter half of the 18th century. First, it was mechanised agricultural tools and textile machinery. Then it was mechanised transport. Each innovation brought vast economic changes and massive labour churn. Certain skills disappeared or became quaint anachronisms, while new ones became highly prized. For example, very few people can operate a handloom anymore. There are 150 qualified drivers for every person who has ever sat on a horse. 

Anybody who has ever handled a horse and a car (or a cow and a motorcycle) would testify that horse management is