New inventions

Inventions are born from the mother of necessity. With the prefix "new" it appears to mean that there has to be inventions with the prefix old. Meaning of invention is intact without any prefix added to it. Oscar Wilde once wrote "originality is hidden borrowings."

Apples fell long before Newton discovered the gravitation pull and invented the theory of gravitation. Bombs were there long before the Atom Bomb was invented. One may say that the splitting of the atom was the original invention in that process.

With the word Nawa Nirmana or new inventions the door is open to admit any new device, creation, design, system or method within the meaning of invention.

The word Nawa Nirmana is commonly used in TV programmes to appreciate new designs, devices, methods, creations, forms or systems of costumes, jewellery, hairstyles, works of art and craft, etc. ignoring split hair attempts to find whether they come within the meaning of new inventions.

Going back to the word originality, couldn't, we see hidden borrowings in every invention. Our well respected Engineer A. N. S. Kulasinghe who has had experience in his field starting from Laxapana, Malayasia etc. invented the world recognised prepressed concrete.

If anyone says that it is no new invention because there was reinforced concrete earlier, we will not accept that idea.

Similarly the reputed architect Jeffry Bawa may have been influenced by shapes of old Dutch buildings, but one will say he has borrowed designs for his architectural inventions. Do we not admire new inventions by him?

As mentioned earlier the original reason for the birth of any invention is its creator, mother necessity.

Quite separately, new inventions of the nation are a necessity for the nation, but not for the whole world.

That is why we have to admit as new inventions the creative devices of the Sinhala shorthand stenography, Sinhala type writer keyboard, Sinhala Braille system, Sinhala Morse and Sinhala Semaphore, as they will prevail here and no where else in the world the necessity being surmounting the obstacle of 54 Sinhala letters as against 26 English. There are many and more unknown inventions in other fields.

It is reliably found from sources close to New Inventions Commission that over 90% of the New Inventions have not been properly utilized and correspondingly loss of human resources is double, treble or more.

Let us learn to salute our own creators or inventors of designs, devices, methods, forms, systems etc. that are new needy and worthy by utilizing them for the benefit of the Government's nation development.

by Y. Amarasena de Silva, Ahungalla.