Srinagar, Sept. 8 -- It is ironic that in a Union Territory gasping for revival, Omar Abdullah and his ilk find their loudest voice not in matters of development, governance, or performance - but in the shifting of a holiday. A holiday, in a land where half the offices are empty on weekends, where Mondays begin late and where the week ends with Thursday lethargy. Instead of lamenting the loss of one ceremonial day, it is high time we lamented the loss of thousands of productive manhours every single day. Those who don't value time cannot value anything else.

This land does not need another debate over how many holidays we have got per year. We have had nearly three decades of holidays and we can assume that is almost half the lifetime. E...