Markapur stone slates losing sheen

Ongole: There has been a steady fall in the demand for Markapur stone slates due to the advent of plastic and other material slates. Slates have been an integral part of our primary education till the year 2000. But gradually the use of slates came down due to the use of notebooks and electronic gadgets.

Slates with wooden frames were widely used by the children of primary classes in the past. Since 1930s, slates are being manufactured in Markapur town. The industry reached its peak in 1985 but later the exports came down. In the past Markapur slates were exported to Singapore, Malaysia, America, Britain, Germany and other countries. In 1980’s there were 200 slate industries and 200 slate stone mines in the area. Every month 500 lorry loads of slates were exported to the other places. In those days primary school children never carried notebooks and they used to do homework on slates.

With changing times, use of stone slates came down. With the advent of plastic and cardboard slates which were unbreakable and in different colours, the use of stone slates was declined. At present only 100 lorry loads of slates are being exported from the town every month.

The slate industry provided employment to 50,000 workers of 40 villages on the outskirts of the town in the past. But now only 10,000 people are working in the slate industry. The decline in works will have a cascading effect on other sectors in the town. Many workers were rendered jobless due to fall in demand for slates. A majority of the workers in the slate industry are migrating to other places. The government should take measures for revival of the industry which was a part of culture and providing employment to thousands of people. Though popular, stone slates were delicate and brittle. That is the reason the demand for artificial slates went up recently. The stone slate is heavier when compared to artificial ones. Earlier slates were available in all shops, but now it is difficult to buy stone slates even in books and stationery shops.

The government has been advocating in favour of paperless offices to save trees, but it distributes notebooks and encourages children to use paper. In the past parents used to compulsorily buy slates while joining their children in schools. Due to technological advances, plastic slates, i-pads and other electronic gadgets are slowly replacing the stone slates. If the same trend continues, slates will find a place in museums in future. The government should take measures to promote use of Slates which safeguards our culture, protects environment and provides employment to thousands of workers.

By: Showry