Infectious successes: Lessons for textiles and beyond

Lubbock (USA)

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages India, this infectious disease situation will lead to infectious successes.

In an event organised by the Textile Association (India)-South India Unit, on June 19, 2021, on a summer Saturday afternoon, textile industry’s stakeholders gathered via Zoom to listen to a speech on how the lessons from the pandemic could lead us to positive opportunities socially, morally and economically. Textile industry veteran from Coimbatore, Iakoka N Subramaniam provided pearls of wisdom to about a hundred textile industry professional.

Textile products that save lives such as medical textiles have been elevated to important status and have become items, which the general public can understand. This will lead to new opportunities for the sector, according to Subramaniam. Collective support and contribution to uplift an industry and a society have become necessities, which will lead to growth opportunities for varied industries, added Subramaniam. Tracing the recent history in the past few decades on how the rural area surrounding Dindigul in South India has become a spinning hub, due to a spark from one industry leading to multiple investments and successes, he emphasised the infectious nature of success stories.

COVID-19 has brought out social commitments and entrepreneurial spirits in people, which should be continued, and the chain should not be broken.

In a question from this scribe on how the industry should use lessons from the pandemic towards translating research into useful products and enhancing risk taking attitude among industry people, Subramaniam, pointed out how Coimbatore, the industrial town in South India has been a pioneer in building machinery and textile industry. He added that there needs to be supporting mechanisms from the Government to enable risk aversion, which is practiced in developed nations such as the United States.

The talk was timely as it provided motivation for the industry and the public in general.

About the Author:
Dr Seshadri Ramkumar is the Professor, Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory, at Texas Tech University, Texas, USA. He can be reached on email: s.ramkumar@ttu.edu