Honey Bee

Transcription

Honey Bee

Contents
Five fingers
30th SHODHYATRA: Neglected horizons,
promising sprouts ............................................................ 4
CENTENARIAN: A time without shoes and tea ........ 9
SEVENTH BIENNIAL AWARDS: Curiosity
unconstrained ................................................................. 10
CLUSTER: Assistive technologies: samvedana,
sambhavna aur swabhimaan ..................................... 23
PROFILE: K V Paulose - Experimentation in
standardising cardamom cultivation ........................... 25
RENEWING OLD TIES: Revisiting our innovators ... 26
PROFILE: Breeding varieties for frugal
farming ........................................................................... 28
HUMS: Gujarati ............................................................. 30
SHODHYATRA 29 PART-II ............................................. 31
I had to write a cover story and somehow no
intriguing story was coming to my mind. Tired
of thinking, I went to bed. In my dreams, I saw
that the five fingers of my hand, which normally
shared a warm friendship, got into a serious
argument. Of course, the subject is the same
old one that has been plaguing all living things
since the dawn of time -who is the biggest of them all. The
thumb responded first with a contemptuous look on its face
and with a perceptible sneer wondering why there should be
an argument at all about it. “Without me”, the thumb said,
“you all are powerless. Try doing anything without my support
and you will know!” The middle finger laughed out loud at this
statement and said, “I am the tallest here and strategically
placed at the middle. Haven’t you seen that in any group photo,
the most important person occupies the middle seat? Do I
need to say anything more?”
CULTURALLY ALIVE: Gopal - A street artist ............... 33
CHIN ................................................................................ 35
NEWS & VIEWS ........................................................... 36
RECIPE ........................................................................... 39
DIALOGUE ...................................................................... 41
Editor
Anil K Gupta
Editorial Advisors
Riya Sinha Chokkakula, Vijaya Sherry Chand
Associate Editors
Chintan Shinde, Anamika Dey, Marianne Esders
Editorial Support Team
Kirit K Patel, Sadhana Gupta, Jyoti Capoor, Nitin
Maurya, Vivek Kumar, Ravikumar, Hema Patel,
Ramesh Patel, Vipin Kumar, Rakesh Kumar
Maheshwari, Nirmal Sahay, Chetan Patel, Parshottam
Patel, Mukesh Chauhan, Chinmay Somani, Anjum Dhamija
Graphics and Design: Unnikrishnan Nair
The ring finger listened to all this with a disinterested yawn.
He looked around with authority and, flaunting his expensive
diamond ring set in platinum, said, “You people seem to forget
that I give you all the status that you enjoy. All of you get
noticed only because of me!” The mercurial index finger was
furious at this preposterous statement. “Status, my foot” he
thundered. “Don’t you guys know that when our man is roused
to fury, he uses me to put his adversary in his place? And
when someone seeks his direction, he uses me again to show
him the right path to take. I am the symbol of his power and
authority”, he said. Listening to this, the little finger said, “I
am the smallest and slimmest of all. I am the best.”
Adapted from http://www.indusladies.com/forums/cheeniyas-senileramblings/29038-the-story-of-five-fingers.html
Why was the little finger so confident? -Ed.
See page 29
Honey Bee Regional Newsletters
Cover Design: Anamika Dey
Illustration: Palash Graphics
Administrative Team
R Baskaran, Bhoomi Shah, Sumitra Patel,
Devshi Desai
Editorial Address
Honey Bee, C/o Prof Anil K Gupta
Indian Institute of Management
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, Gujarat, India
Phone: 91-79-66324921; Fax: 91-79-26307341
Email: honeybee@sristi.org, hbncon@gmail.com
http://www.sristi.org
2
Aama Akha Pakha (Odia)
Dr Balaram Sahu
Keshari Enclave, B- Block, Flat No-401
Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar-12 Odisha,
balaram.sahu@gmail.com
Loksarvani (Gujarati) and
Sujh-Bujh Aas Paas ki (Hindi)
SRISTI, P O Box No.15050 Ambawadi
Ahmedabad - 380015 Gujarat
loksarvani@sristi.org
Hittalagida (Kannada)
Dr T N Prakash
Department of Agricultural Economics
University of Agricultural Science, GKVK,
Bangalore - 560065 Karnataka.
prakashtnk@yahoo.com
Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)
Mr P Vivekanandan
45, T P M Nagar,Virattipathu, Madurai 625010 Tamil Nadu
vivekseva@dataone.in
Ini Karshakan Samsarikkatte (Malayalam)
Fr Hubby Mathew & Mr T J James
Peermade Development Society, Peermade,
Idukki - 685531, Kerala
hmathew@gmail.com
Palle Srujana (Telugu)
Brig Pogula Ganesham VSM (Retd)
C/o Ms. Aruna Ganesham, 102, Vayupuri,
Sainikpuri Post Secunderabad-500 094
Andhra Pradesh
ganeshpogula@hotmail.com
A Dialogue
onInnovations,
People’s Creativity,
Published by Riya Sinha Chokkakula on behalf
of SRISTI
AES BoysExperimentation
Hostel Campus,
Near University Library, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380015
Honey Bee Vol 23 (4) & 24(1) October
December
2012 & January
- March 2013
Printed- at
M/s Elite Printers,
Ahmedabad
& Innovation
EDITORIAL
Invisible women, visible wisdom
F
ailures can lead to small breakthroughs when one
starts listening to the unheard voices within. I
remember, during the Shodhyatra in Alwar,
Rajasthan, women were not present in the night meetings.
We started making a presentation about the innovation
gathered from other regions and the women continued to
be absent. We made a polite request to the men present
to call the women so that they could join us but excuses
continued. After a while, we stopped the presentation.
By now, the audience was enjoying nice videos and
photographs of innovations. They insisted that we should
resume and the women would come eventually.
However, we also insisted that we would wait till they came
and only then we would resume the presentation. Not
surprisingly, many women soon came to see the
presentation. We were embarrassed. Why did it take so
long for us to practice this simple satyagrah, the insistence
on a fair rule?
Only a few women innovators or traditional knowledge
holders have been recognised so far in various award
functions. Among children participants in the IGNITE annual
competition, the situation has been slightly better. At least,
the future seems to hold more promise. Yet, can we afford
to continue ignoring the creative voices of women from all
sections of the society?
I am not sure that further wait for enhancing the share of
women in the category of outstanding achievers will be
justified any more. We had noticed this flaw thirteen years
ago in 2000,
“Honey Bee Network has realised that one of
the reasons why we have been able to
discover lesser number of innovations by/for
women is that they are always culturally
coerced to adapt rather than transcend the
technological constraints. Women are no less
creative than men. It is just that their access
to the tools for fabricating new devices has
also been impaired. The formal institutions
have not bothered. Grassroots innovators do
not share this attitude and have innovated
several contraptions to bring solace, both
physical and economic, to them.”
However, our tactics or strategies in this regard have not
been quick enough. Despite millions being spent on
women welfare and development, women knowledge and
creativity still remains subdued if not completely ignored.
If other women groups or other organisations have ignored
the knowledge of women, then it does not give us any
solace. We need to make a difference.
Let me mention some of the steps that we plan to take
in the times to come to overcome this asymmetry: a) In
the summer scouting period, we will now focus only on
the knowledge and creativity of women and farm workers,
the two groups whose share in the knowledge system and
awards has remained very low. We will not ignore the
knowledge of others but we will not actively seek that; b)
the idea competitions which have helped us unearth many
creative girl children, will be organised among women as
well to uncover their hidden talent. The feasibility we have
asserted should not become the enemy of desirability.
Once ideas emerge, ways to implement them will also
emerge; c) unique traditional knowledge and other ideas
of women will be taken up for value addition and social
diffusion on priority so that better examples can be created
about the innate worth of these ideas. Once we start getting
results based on their knowledge, hopefully other women
who may have similar ideas may come forward to share
their ideas too. For instance, an improved variety of carrot
developed by Santosh Pachar in Rajasthan, or paddy
selections by Ariyammal and Pushpam, Tamil Nadu, herbal
medication for poultry diseases by Oinsam, Yumnam and
another representative of the Nambol community, Manipur,
have been recognised in this year’s Seventh Biennial
Grassroots Innovation Award function. The motivation for
other similar creative women might increase, provided they
come to know of them. This time, seven girl students are
also being recognised at the Award Function for their ideas.
As these technologies or ideas mature, the creative voices
of women might be heard better; d) there is also a need
to benchmark the technological constraints faced by women.
Assistance should be given to women if they have ideas
about addressing these constraints. Last year we
announced three challenges for making better wood stoves,
tea plucking device and manual paddy transplanting devices.
Although these problems mostly affect women, there were
few entries from them. It is nobody’s argument that problems
faced by women should not be addressed by men. Yet, it
is a matter of concern if women do not have an access
to the problem-solving process for issues affecting them.
We hope that readers will send more concrete ideas to
galvanise and harness women’s wisdom in, not just child
care and food processing but also, in all other areas of
human survival. We have to work towards a day when the
share of women awardees would be equal to that of men,
if not more.
anil k gupta
When did you think of a new idea last?
Honey Bee Vol 23 (4) & 24(1) October - December 2012 & January - March 2013
3
SHODHYATRA-30
Neglected horizons, promising sprouts
January 12-17, 2013 Churachandpur to Tuilumjang,
Churachandpur district, Manipur
Rarely have we come across more creative children as we did during
the 30th shodhyatra in Churachandpur, Manipur. In one of the economically
most disadvantaged region, children had amazing dreams in their eyes
even in some of the villages which had no schools. Thirst for knowledge
and neglect by the state were paradoxical in a region which has been
seriously conflict prone. The shodhyatris were hosted with warmth in every
village including the one which had not been visited by any outsider for
the last forty years. The innovators were keen to share their ideas, and
markets had almost failed to notice the enormous potential of ecosystem
services based industry. Starting from an orphanage in which kids from
hitherto inimical tribes lived together, the yatris realised that peace was
possible and prosperity could follow provided youth were engaged actively
in the process of reconstruction. Will the peace be allowed to prevail,
find out….
Mary Kom, no, many Mary Koms! When
we visited the birthplace of the Manipuri
Olympian, we realised why this region
has given the nation one of its most
loved sporting heroes. The place has a
liberal gender-inclusive culture where
women wear what they want, voice their
opinion and actively participate in
political processes.
With poor infrastructure, economic
hardships and a history of violence, the
region has not lost its vivacity. The
government may be apathetic, but civil
society is very vibrant. Several initiatives
have sprouted in the last decade to
overcome ethnic divide and bridge the
gap by love, generosity and inclusive
education
and
community
development. Contrasting these
concerns, are the warm and hospitable
people and the magnificent natural
environment. Amidst these contrasts
we began our sojourn - a journey within
and without!
The starting point of this shodhyatra
rested in a mosaic of jhum plots
interspersed with wild bananas,
bamboos, cotton silk trees, mango trees
… yes, mangoes! We were surprised to
see mango trees at that altitude. We
began our journey charged by the
mystic, innocent smiles of children of
1
the Sanga Muon Inn (SMI) children’s
home. The kids had lost their parents in
the social conflict between the Kuki and
Naga tribes. The children’s home is run
by the Kuki Women Union1 with the
motto, “Mother of the motherless”.
Some of the children from here walked
with us all through the shodhyatra and
participated in idea competitions and
other activities. We could sense that the
kids were a spirited and self-reliant
group.
We met H Paokholien Lhungdim, a wellknown carpenter from Moul Nom village.
He has developed a rice cooker wherein
steam from a common drum cooks
25kg of rice each in two different
cookers. Cooking time for the first batch
is one hour but reduces to 45 minutes
in successive batches as the water is
already hot. This cooker is used in
community functions to cook large
quantities of rice.
In the next village, Kaprang, we met Pu
Tongkhothang Kipgen, a 73 year old
herbal healer recognised for the
treatment of many chronic diseases like
tuberculosis, cancer, heart problems,
and diabetes. As our journey unfolded,
we could not help notice the neglect that
the region has suffered for ages. In the
seventy kilometres that we walked, we
Those interested can contact the director at smi_bijang@yahoo.com
did not come across any hospital. The
region was bereft of regular supply of
electricity in most places, lacked proper
education and healthcare. Yet, the
people hardly complained. Somehow
community educators seemed to be
doing a good job, how else could
children be so creative!
In Khotuh, we were the only visitors after
World War II, when the Japanese, in
their war against the allied forces, had
attacked the region. One cannot resist
drawing analogies between the times.
Back then the war was between the
British and the Japanese but the
common man suffered. Today, the
conflict is with and within the state and
yet again, the locals are bearing the
brunt. We met an elderly woman who
recounted that disease incidence had
increased in the post war period.
At times, due to social tensions, the
roads are blocked for days. But this
isolation has made them self-reliant.
The isolation causes localised inflation
in the market. So, people tend to grow
their own food; almost every household
has a kitchen garden. Paddy, potatoes,
turmeric, pineapples, tapioca, chillies,
yongchak (Parkia roxburghii), tomatoes,
sugarcane, and areca nuts are the
main crops. People use bamboo and
or lhingnu@yahoo.com
A Dialogue on People’s Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation
4
Rice cooker by H Paokholien Lhungdim
other natural products from the
surrounding forests. When the agarbatti
making machine was demonstrated,
many villagers showed interest in getting
it. The multi-purpose food processing
machines of Dharamveer also evoked
In N Pangsang village, we met Pu
Hempao Tothange who has formulated
a growth promoter from bamboo
vinegar which increases the size
of root and tuber crops up to three
times.
Here, Dharamveer Kambhoj, an
innovator, made sweets from locally
available gooseberries and shared with
the villagers. This was an effort to create
awareness about his machine and also
to showcase products based on locally
available resources. We also met a
herbal healer, Pu. Jang Pao Haokip who
shared 25 medicinal plants which were
reported to treat diarrhoea, arthritis,
wounds and urogenital problems.
Sadbhav SRISTI Sanshodan Laboratory
is conducting experiments on the
practices we received and will share the
results (and benefits if a product is
developed) with the communities from
which we received the practices.
In Lhanjang the children surprised us
when they brought 30-35 plant samples
along with their uses. They had written
it in their local language. On realising
that we did not know their language, they
sat with us and helped us in the
translation. A plant locally called ko
chang (Lilium distichum) has edible
A woman weaving shawl
considerable interest because huge
tracts of lemon grass were found in the
region besides many other fruit trees.
All the villages invariably had a bell. In
case of an emergency, for example, if a
fire broke up in some house, people
would ring the bell to inform the
other villagers and seek help. Of course,
at a place where network receptivity
is sparse, there are hardly any
better alternatives. We also came
across beautiful handicrafts and
handlooms.
Tubers after treatment with
bamboo vinegar as growth promoter
Pu Hempao Tothange
Is marriage between traditional knowledge and modern science possible?
5
In another village, we met a kid,
Seigoulien, who thought about a double
sided bottle; a scissor which can cut
both sides and a scooter with two rear
wheels. She looked at the world quite
differently. Will our teachers tolerate her
queer ways? Lhingnei Vah suggested
having spectacles with adjustable
vision. Tin Dei wanted to design a
foldable pen. Another girl thought
of spectacles with a torchlight to read in
the night. Some other ideas were a solar
airplane and a gun in which the target
should be reflected on the inner side of
the goggles.
Kids in idea competition in Khotuh
roots and food made from it is relished
by the locals. They also use chives
(Allium tuberosum), locally called “maroi
nakupi”, which taste like a mix of garlic
and onion and are believed to help in
lowering cholesterol. We came across
numerous varieties of chillies too.
Chutneys and special delicacies are
made from the pods of yongchak. These
fetch a very good price in the market. But
the plant is affected by fungus and pests
and the whole plant dies about ten years
after the pest infestation (The Sangai
Express, Sep 28, 2012). The villagers
asked for a solution to this. They said
that if a solution to this can be found they
would like to plant this tree in the whole
region if solution could be found, since
as it fetches a very good price.
In Lhanjang, we also met an ex- service
man in full military dress. He fought the
Second World War for the British and
he and his wife who have been married
for 66 years are more than 90 years old.
We conducted idea competitions in the
villages and many good and creative
ideas came out from this remote corner
of the country. We went to villages like
Khotuh where, notwithstanding the right
to education, there was no school in any
direction for four to five kilometres. It was
not surprising that during the idea
competition, most children articulated
the vision of a school in the village. Can
one really complain if some young people
get angry and lose confidence in the
peaceful resolution of the developmental
challenges?
The
children
made
beautiful
paintings. In N. Pangsang, kids
designed their village. They described
where they wanted the school, the
dispensary, and the houses. Then,
there was a folk dance by young
enthusiasts who also taught the
shodhyatris a few steps. And some of
us could not refrain from wearing our
dancing shoes which were long lost in
dealing with the ups and downs of life.
Despite all the violence in the region,
the communities still find a way to
celebrate life together with the whole
community.
The level of hygiene and sanitation in
the region is remarkable. Though the
region was amongst the most
economically
backward
every
household had toilets and urinals. In
Songpi, we drank tea made from
pomegranate leaves. In Khotuh village
there was no school and the children
had to walk five km to attend school.
They thanked the shodhyatris for giving
them a reason to come together. As a
parting gift, they gave walking staffs to
the shodhyatris.
Ex-serviceman Songkhojang Kuki with his wife
6
These staffs helped the yatris a lot to
walk the hilly terrain and clear the bushy
ways when they were stuck up on the
hilltop on our way from Lhangjang to P.
Sejol. Shodhyatris were very thankful to
Ng Lhing Nei Chan Mate, fondly called
Chachan, who had sent an SMS to
someone in the village and informed that
the yatris had lost their way. The people
of P Sejol sent three groups through three
ways different ways into the jungle.
Chachan is a class 12 student from
Hengkot village and she accepted our
invitation to walk with us. We appreciate
her support to understand the local
language and culture.
After the morning meeting, the entire
village of P Sejol stood in a line and
shook hands with all the shodhyatris.
When the kids got a globe as a prize for
the idea competition, they immediately
started searching for their region on the
map.
Children searching for India on the globe
traditional rice husker using the flow of
the stream to run the husking pedal.
Water filters were generally there in all
the households. We felt that the region
In Tuilumjang village, our last
destination, we met a carpenter who
made beautiful sculptures and
carvings. Gl. David Mate, a famous
singer of this region sang for us. Gl.
David Mate is currently studying in Delhi.
Another villager played beautiful
melodies by using two leaves as his
musical instrument.
Though the region receives ample
rainfall it faces scarcity in the lean
months, perhaps due to inadequate
rainwater storage or harvesting
structures. Yet, we came across a
A water driven rice husker
might be facing a lot of water related
diseases. But, that was not the case.
Distressed by the history of violence in
the region, they welcomed shodhyatris
and suggested that such activities
should be taken up twice or thrice a
year so that their children get inspired
and enlightened by the positive
vibes of creativity. We are trying to set
up a community innovation centre in
the region with different villages having
different innovative devices so that the
people can learn from each other.
Engagement with Manipur may open
eyes of urban consumers and others
to the immense potential of beautiful
handlooms, sustainable lifestyles, and
hospitable culure. It is just a matter of
caring. Do we really care?
When did you consume organic food last?
7
PLANT PROFILE
Yongchak: A plant in pain
Parkia javanica Lam. (syn. Parkia roxburghii G. Don., Parkia speciosa,
Parkia timoriana (DC.) Merr.)
Common name: Tree beans, Hindi: Khorial Assamese: Khorial,
Mizoram: Zawngtah, Manipuri: Yongchak, Indonesian: Galuga,
Javanese: Galuga Filipino: Cupang, Malay: Kedawung. Thai: Karieng
The yongchak tree is 15–35 m high and the trunk is 50–100 cm in
diameter and has pinnately compound leaves and hanging flowers. Its
pods are twisted and 35–45 cm long, 3–5 cm wide. They have a pungent
smell. The plant can live up to 80 years and bears fruits after 6 to 8
years. It is abundantly distributed in the North Eastern region of India, especially Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Origin: Probably originated in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia
The pods of yongchak are eaten in nearly all its developmental stages and are a delicacy in Manipur. Its significance can be
made out by the lines of a poet
“karamna kaogani yonchak eronba
karamna kaogani yonchak kanghou
haobagi pangkhei leitraba
yonchak ni meitei yonchak”
(http://mwca.blog.com/archives/445/)
(How can I forget yongchak eronba
How can I forget yonchak kanghou
The taste does not end i.e. You can not forget the taste
Yonchak meitai’s Yongchak)
NutrientProfile
Constituent(%)
Moisture
protein
Fat
Ash
Carbohydratesand
fibres
Energy(Kcal)
Pod
6.7‐8.4
12.1‐18.8
1‐15.5
6.1‐7.4
52.9‐71.1
MatureKernel
10
28.8
33.5
5.7
22.0
342‐426
505
Source: Nutritional Information, Food Chemistry, 62(4):477-481, 1998
Eronba and Kanghou are popular Manipuri dishes; Meitei is a community in Manipur.
The indigenous recipes using yongchak are prepared mainly with fish. Yongchak can be eaten in the form of flowers, tender
beans or as dried matured beans (locally called bomb). The two most common delicacies using yongchak are:
Yongchak Singju: 1. With a yongkhot (peeler) peel the fresh yongchak skin from all the sides. 2) Remove outer areas with a
knife. 3) Cut it into small pieces. 4) Mash it together with chilli (preferably boiled), ngari (steamed fermented fish) and salt. 5)
Garnish with onion, fresh pea and coriander leaves.
Yongchak Iromba: 1. With a yongkhot (peeler) peel the fresh yongchak skin from all the sides. 2) Remove outer areas with
a knife. 3) Cut the single fruit into 3-4 pieces. 4) Boil with chillies, ngari and potatos, or with broad beans or other vegetables
as per taste. 5) Boil again to remove any remaining skin of the yongchak and potatoes. 6) Mash all the ingredients together
7) Add salt and garnish with onion, fresh pea and coriander leaves.
For healing wounds, Mizos crush the pericarp of the fruit and mix it with a little water. This is then applied on wounds and
scabies. The younger pods and shoots are known to cure diarrhoea, dyssentry and food poisoning 1. The seeds can be used
as a remedy for abdominal pain and dyspepsia2 The Gayo hill tribe of Aceh (in Sumatra), Indonesia use the fruit to treat
headache, colic and kill parasitic worms.3 Parkia roxburghii has also been reported to inhibit the proliferation ( of a cancer
hybridoma cell line HB98 (65.47%), a B-cell cell line.4
The plant has started withering and its population is in major decline for the past few years. This may be due to increase in
the number of pest attacks perhaps as a result of rising temperature. Pests/insects like Common Stem Borer, Asian Long
Horn Beetle locally known as (Kangchek Manbi Til), bark eating caterpillar (maku chabi til) affect the plant. Almond moths eat
up yongchak flowers (kakshi). The seedlings are prone to Verticillium Wilt disease. Scientists have also inferred that the
presence of large quantities of nitrogen helps the insects to bore through the bark and survive inside for years. In the
yongchak plant, symptoms of withering may appear even 10 years after the insect has infested the tree4. Please send your
suggestions and solutions to save this plant at honeybee@sristi.org
1
2
3
4
5
http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/8497/1/IJTK%204(1)%2075-80.pdf
http://www.ino.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Health_Systems_Strengthening_Guideline_Herbal_Medicine_6._Annex.pdf
http://library.thinkquest.org/26252/evaluate/3.htm
Kaur N, Singh J, Kamboj SS, Agrewala JN, Kaur M, 2005, Two novel lectins from Parkia biglandulosa and Parkia roxburghii: isolation,
physicochemical characterization, mitogenicity and anti-proliferative activity, Protein Pept Lett. 2005 Aug;12(6):585-95
http://www.coa-cau.org/press-release/153-withering-yongchak-cau-scientists-major-breakthrough
8
CENTENARIAN
A time without shoes and tea
Levhaat is located about 25 km from Chhota Udepur city.
A relatively new concrete road leads us to the house where
Ditliben lives with her son and daughter-in-law. Ditliben
Tersingh Rathwa is definitely more than hundred years old,
her daughter–in-law vows. She knows this with certainty
because her father and Ditliben were of the same age and
her father had turned hundred a few years back. He
passed away last year.
As she comes out of her small hut, we notice Ditliben’s
frail physique. Yet, despite her frailties she manages to
move around with a walking stick. She takes a seat and
smiles. She does not understand why we are there to meet
her.
She relaxes and tells us about her life. She had a very
difficult childhood. She lost her mother at a very young age.
Her father too passed away soon and she was orphaned.
She had to struggle to meet her daily food needs. She
would ask her neighbours if they had some food left for
her. The neighbourhood was also very poor. As kids they
used to play with pebbles because they did not have any
means to buy toys.
When pressed about the changes she has seen over the
years, she says that she has seen really bad times in her
early years. Her later life, she says, was much better. In
her remote village, there was hardly anything available
when she was young. They wore very little clothing and
never wore shoes. If they ever saw shoes in the village,
they knew they would either belong to the British or to the
hawaldars (constables). The food she used to eat in those
times did not have much variety. They used to have rotlas
made of kodra [Paspalum scrobiculatum Linn.] and shamel
[Echinochloa colona (L.) Link]. They never saw white rice.
They also did not know of tea!
She fondly remembers the times when British officers
used to pay visits. Some missionaries would visit as well
and they were very kind. Sometimes the local king’s men
would come and they would be taken for a few days for
forced labour.
Ditliben had a harsh but very active childhood. Most of the
day she would grind flour or go to fetch water. She
remembers she started doing all this at the age of 5. They
used to walk around 20 kilometres a day since nothing
was close-by and they did not have any means of transport
availabe.
She says that the farmers at the time never used chemical
fertilisers. They used neem juice for most common ailments.
For fracture, they used to fill a cloth with fenugreek flour
and tie it around the broken area. They cooked kunvariya
Ditliben Tersingh Rathwa
ni bhaji [made from Senna tora (L.) Roxb.] which was rich
in nutrients. Shantilal Pandya, a retired teacher who visited
accompanied us confirmed that the plant contained iodine
and proteins.
The water level, she concedes, has gone down. So has
the rainfall. Rainfall also is delayed nowadays, she adds.
The climate was good back then. Now the winters are
colder, too.
Marriages back in her time were simple affairs. The bride
and the groom exchanged a piece of jaggery to signify
completion of the formalities of the wedding. The girls
would then go in the cart while the groom came home
dancing with the men jiving to the beats of drums. In their
culture, she adds, drums were beaten even on death.
Her life was very simple, she says, like her food which had
only salt and very little, if any, spices.
[Scout: Chintan Shinde. Special thanks to the entire teacher’s
team of Anand School (especially, Kesharshibhai Rathwa, Manish
Parmar, Ritesh Solanki, Arunbhai Rathwa Dhandhuka and
Shantilal Pandya retired teacher, Tejgagh for assisting with the
scouting.]
9
GRASSROOTS
INNOVATION AWARDS
Shri Pranab Mukherjee,
The President of India
Curiosity unconstrained
In this seventh edition of the Biennial Awards for Grassroots Innovation and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge, National
Innovation Foundation received about 20,000 entries from 33 states and union territories. These were mainly about
animal care, human health, agriculture and engineering. Energy and household appliances were the next two major
categories. President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave away 54 awards to 64 individuals and the representatives
of five village communities. Gujarat tops the list followed by Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Bihar and then other states.
Fortunately, this time there are 13 women and girls [about 20 per cent of total individuals], which is higher than
ever before. Our hope is that in not too distant a future, the share of women will exceed that of men.
The Lifetime Achievement Award
Posthumous award
Annasaheb Bhavu Udgavi
Belgaum, Karnataka
Tree climber: a grassroots innovation going global
Late M J Joseph alias Appachan
Kannur, Kerala
First recognized in childhood by Pt.
Jawahar Lal Nehru, then Prime
Minister of India
in sixties,
Annasaheb
has been a serial
inventor. He made a foldable
horizontal charkha in 1962 which
could be packed into a box. It was
later modified into ambar charkha.
He tried an indigenous drip irrigation
system in the mid seventies, much
before the concept was popular in
the country.
Recognising the need to develop water saving device,
developed in eighties a rotor sprinkler rain gun which a
few industries adopted (without giving him the share of
benefits). It could sprinkle water up to a radius of 140 feet.
The water droplets helped in controlling pests by washing
the eggs of insects. As if that was not enough, he also
got a state award for developing a high yielding variety of
sugarcane ‘Gangavathi-6081’. Curiosity could never get
better of him. He travelled 800 km to Goa to test his device
to generate electricity through sea waves eight years ago.
He also developed a rotovator for sugarcane mulching and
trashing and earthing. What a life! Always smiling,
Annasaheb still has many more new ideas up his sleeve.
M J Joseph had developed a device under the guidance of
his father that helps in climbing coconut or areca nut trees.
The palm climber consists of two metal loops that are meant
for holding the legs. A film made on his innovation by Discovery
Channel is very popular(http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=zWo9Nh1TgyU). Recently, both the innovator and his
father unfortunately passed away. NIF facilitated sale of his
climber to customers in USA, Maldives, Thailand, Australia,
Brazil, Mexico, etc. His widow and brother are still continuing
with the production of the climbers. Some of the state and
other agencies have copied it without any benefit sharing.
Given the increasing labour constraints, its social value has
increased over time.
Multi purpose processing machine
Dharamveer Kamboj
Yamuna Nagar, Haryana
Extraction of juice/pulp, essential oils, etc., from various edible
and non-edible fruits and herbs is an essential requirement
of Food and Pharma Industry. This multipurpose portable
processing machine works on a single phase motor and is
useful for processing various fruits, herbs and seeds. It also
works as big pressure cooker with temperature control and
auto cut-off facility. One can extract essential oils and other
10
components from flowers and medicinal plants. The machine
is available in two models with juice extraction capacities of
50 kg/h and 150 kg/h of fruits/herbs respectively. It can be
used for processing Aloe vera, mango, amla, tulsi,
ashwagandha, satavar, other herbs, flowers like rose, chameli,
lavender, etc. Farmers find it very useful for in situ value addition
in their produce thereby ensuring better returns. Dharamveer
has sold more than 150 machines in different parts of the
country.
Bamboo splint making machine
Paresh Panchal
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Bamboo sticks are major raw
material used in the Agarbatti industry.
For making incense stick, electric
high capacity machines are available,
but not low powered machines for
the rural poor who use knife for the
purpose.
Paresh has developed a set of two
machines, one for stripping the
bamboo pieces and second for
making incense sticks out of them. The capacity is about 30
kg/day (3200-3500 sticks of 1.5 mm thickness per kg). The
blade life is about 10000 kg sticks (10-12 months). Both the
knives, which is
a tedious, time
consuming and
risky method.
Ralte and Sailo
have developed
a
manual
machine that
can
slice
bamboo strips
and also make
splints from the
strips. About 50
of these strips of
1.2
mm
thickness are stacked together and loaded onto the machine
vertically. Using this machine, a person can make
approximately 5000 splints of the same thickness per hour.
Tractor operated reaper windrower with reel
Bhagwan Singh Dangi
Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
Often, in a standing crop, soybean pods
shatter due to non-availability of labour
for harvesting the crop in time, leading
to reduced yield and loss. To solve this
problem, Bhagwan Singh developed a
self-propelled reaper windrower in
2005. With the help of NIF, he later
modified this into a front mounted
attachment for tractor.
In this machine, a windrowing unit facilitates gathering of
harvested crop at the centre of the machine. It has a cutting
width 2.25 m and field capacity of 0.35 ha (at a forward speed
of 1.93 -2.10 km/h). As per tests in the soybean crop at CIAE
(ICAR) Bhopal, harvesting losses have been found to be at
1.04% with negligible uncut losses.
machines are easy to operate & maintain, and most suitable
for rural areas. He has both manual and powered versions.
Bamboo stripper cum splinter
Lalbiakzuala
Ralte
&
Lalpiangliana
Sailo
Aizawl, Mizoram
Bamboo splint
making has been
done manually for
years
using
When did you consume organic
food last?
11
Serial Innovator: Walnut cracker, walnut peeler, tree cum
pole climber and others
Mushtaq Ahmad Dar
Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir
Manually cracking open dry walnuts
take a lot of time and effort while the
sap of green walnut skin burns hands
and stains clothes while peeling.
Mushtaq Ahmad Dar has come up with
machine that not only peels green
walnuts but also breaks open dry
walnuts of varying sizes. The cracker
can process approximately 80 kg of
walnuts/h with an efficiency of about
85 per cent while the peeler has a
capacity of 70 kg of
green walnuts/h.
Dar
has
also
developed a tree and
pole climber. This is a
small portable device
which enables easy
climbing on trees or
poles. It uses body
weight to lock the
climbing steps. The
device
is
light,
inexpensive and easy to
maintain.
The
technology was also
licensed
to
an
entrepreneur
in
Ahmedabad
(India
Innovatix), who has
come up with an
improved version of the
climber in consultation
with Mushtaq.
He has also
developed an
auto air kick
pump, which is a
device to inflate
the tyres of
vehicles having
kick or auto start
mechanism. The
p r e s s u r e
generated
inside
the
compressor is
used for filling
the air in the tube
with the help of
this auto air
pump. His auto
compression
sprayer makes
use of the body
movements
while walking to oscillate a dead weight attached to the
sprayer. This builds sufficient pressure for spraying pesticides.
He has developed innovative tongs for household use too.
Serial Innovator: Windmill, modified stove and others
Bharatbhai Agrawat
Junagadh, Gujarat
Bharat started helping his father in
repairing agriculture implements
since he was in 6th standard. He has
built many devices including an
innovative windmill for lifting water
from wells, a 5 HP power tiller cum
tractor, a lemon cutter and a cactus
fruit collector among others. The
windmill uses single acting and
double acting reciprocating pumps
Serial Innovator: Natural water cooler, auto air kick pump,
auto compression sprayer and others
Arvindbhai Patel
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Arvindbhai Patel is a serial innovator
and has come up with a number of
innovations, a few of which have also
been licensed multiple times. The
natural water cooler is a low cost,
energy efficient, environment friendly
device based on the principle of heat
exchange. Evaporative cooling
depends upon the external
temperature and humidity. The cooler
has been tested by SPRERI (MNRE
Approved Test Laboratory) and is available in different
capacities (upto 150 l).
12
depending on discharge requirement and can pump out 20002200 litres of water per hour. The modified stove has three
different chambers to maximise the utilisation of the heat
produced during fuel combustion. He has also been working
on a compressed air system for pumping ground water and
power generation through windmill.
Serial Innovator: Geared rickshaw, e-bicycle, bicycle that
speeds up after bumps and others
Kanak Das
Morigaon, Assam
A conventional
rickshaw
is
difficult to pull
over
inclined
terrain. Kanak
Das
has
modified
the
conventional
cycle rickshaw by
incorporating a
gear, making it
easier to pull.
The gear shift is
more
easily
enabled by a
c l u t c h
mechanism
compared to the
earlier geared
rickshaw. He has
earlier
been
recognised for
modifying a bicycle to move faster on a bumpy road by
harnessing the energy in shock absorption. He also developed
an e-Bike, where potential energy due to the weight of the
rider on a bumpy road is stored in a battery. This can be used
to run the bicycle or for any other task. He has also modified
a power tiller and developed a paddy thresher, and has many
more technological ideas to his credit.
Manual paddy transplanter
Ranjit Mirig
Sambalpur, Orissa
Facing labour scarcity for transplanting
paddy seedlings in the field, Ranjit
developed a paddy transplanter. He
developed the first prototype in 1986
and kept on modifying it till he could
develop a successful model in 2008.
Facilitated by NIF, the transplanter has
been further modified with the help of
IIT
Kharagpur.
Transplanting five
rows in a go, the
machine has a field
capacity of 0.3 acre/
hr and requires two
persons for its
operation.
Double shuttle loom
Mobile groundnut thresher cum collector
Ngangom Nabakumar Singh
Bishnupur, Manipur
Mohanbhai Savjibhai Patel
Surendranagar, Gujarat
Noticing the problems in traditional
shuttle loom, Nabakumar thought of
improving it to enhance productivity and
reduce labour. His ‘double shuttle
loom’ works on the same principle as
that of any other standard manual
shuttle loom. However, his loom is
wider with the provision for two sets of
warp rolls doubling the output in the
same
time. Certain changes
in the configuration and the use of a
ball bearing system have made this loom easier to operate
than other conventional looms.
After digging, the harvested groundnut
crop is left to dry in the field. Using
conventional threshers, a lot of
manpower is needed to collect the
harvested groundnut crop at one
location. Mohanbhai suffered losses
due to the inability to collect the already
dug up pods in time, given scarcity of
labour. To overcome these problems,
he developed a tractor mounted PTO
powered mobile thresher, which has a
separate chamber for the collection of groundnut pods and
stalk. Six persons are required for threshing four tons of crop
Do you ever think whether your grandchildren will ever be able to see the species that are getting extinct?
13
simmering. Over 400 paddy husk stoves have been sold
locally.
in a day using this machine as compared to 20-22 persons
for threshing using conventional machines.
Fuel efficient water heater
Durlabh Singh Puri
Solan, Himachal Pradesh
Living in a cold hilly area, Durlabh
Singh had a conventional hamam, or
water-heater, which used wood as fuel.
He observed the wastage of heat in
conventional hamams and came with
his improved version. His water heater
uses
the
radiated
heat and
smoke to
h e a t
additional water to different
temperatures. The water then can
be drained out through multiple
outlets. The thermal efficiency of
this water heater is 58% as against
38.5% in conventional hamams
with the CO/CO2 ratio (0.035)
being within the prescribed safety
limit (0.040).
Innovative printer head for golden embossing
Ravindra Ganpat Chopade
Mumbai, Maharashtra
With increasing work load, Ravindra
started searching for alternatives to
conventional punching type method for
golden embossing on student thesis
and project reports. Failing to find any
such machine in the market, he decided
to make it himself. His machine is a XY
plotter with a modified soldering iron
as the writing head. Located near IIT
Mumbai, he decorates the work of
Paddy husk fuelled stove
Ashok Thakur
East Champaran, Bihar
Ashok observed in his area that a large
amount of paddy husk was discarded
as agricultural waste. He modified a
common stove using wood dust as fuel
for using paddy husk instead. The stove
weighs about four kilograms and
consumes one kilogram of paddy husk
in an hour. TERI University during tests
found its thermal efficiency to be 23%
in cold & hot start and 32% during
techies and that’s how NIF discovered him. The formal system
may become more open if every technology institute starts
discovering creative people in their hinterland.
Tender coconut breaking cum coconut water cooling
machine
Mahadeviah Vinod
Bangalore, Karnataka
The innovator has developed a machine that breaks a tender
coconut, draws out its water and cools it instantaneously.
14
The cutter has been customised for cracking the coconut.
The coconut water passes the cooler through the collecting
tray. Then it passes through ice covered pipes and gets cooled
to about 14-15 0C. At its maximum capacity, the machine can
cool about 400 glasses (200 ml) of coconut water.
Natural non stick pan (Hariyali Handi)
Dhanak and Bhil communities
Parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
To provide nonstick coating on
their clay utensils,
traditionally these
communities have
been
using
naturally available
lac obtained from
the secretion of an
insect
Laccifer
lacca, growing on
the Pohim tree.
Fish dryer
Devan Singh
Imphal West, Manipur
Traditional sun-drying of fish is a time
consuming process where the fish
also needs to be protected from
animals while drying. The innovator
Lac
generally
contains resins (7080%),
sugars,
proteins and soluble
salts (2-4%), wax (46%)
and
other
extraneous matter (914%).
Scientific
evidence proves that
it is non-toxic. The
innovation lies in the
selection of a particular kind of lac and the process of applying
it on the clay surface using natural binding agents.
has developed a closed
vessel dryer that dries the
fish uniformly in a
significantly lower time
than the traditional
method.The dryer uses
charcoal and paddy husk
as fuel and is available in
three
models
with
capacities
ranging
between 3-10 kg/h.
Electric loom for manufacturing bandages
Low cost remote control for electric switches
Bommagani Mallesh
Nalagonda, Andhra Pradesh
Mallesh has made a remote device to
operate electric switches to help his old
mother
w h o
w a s
unable
to get
up to
do the
same.
In the
present model of his
remote, five electric switches
can be operated. Using the
remote one can also regulate
the speed of the fan.
While similar switches
may be available in the
market, Mallesh sells them
at an extremely affordable
cost.
Salam Rajesh Kumar Singh
Imphal, Manipur
Rajesh has been running a bandage
manufacturing unit since 1999. With
increasing demand, it became difficult
for him to meet it due to shortage of
skilled weavers for his eight semiautomatic looms. He then developed
an automatic handloom by modifying a
manual one and incorporating a half
HP single-phase motor. The machine
When did you confess to your children last that you did not know the answer to their question?
15
has provision to vary shuttle speeds depending on the type of
cloth being weaved.
Auto rickshaw suitable for lower limb physically challenged
Tractor operated groundnut digger
Sanjay Kumar D Tilwa
Rajkot, Gujarat
The innovator saw people facing
labour scarcity during groundnut
harvesting, which itself was a tedious
K. S. Sudheer
Thrissur, Kerala
Sudheer has a physically challenged
friend who lost his lower limbs in an
accident. To help his friend earn his
livelihood, he modified an auto
rickshaw so that it can be controlled
using hands only. He has attached the
brake assembly to
the steering handle
using a hydraulic
cylinder. The brakes
are
applied
by
pressing
the
steering handle of
the auto rickshaw downwards. This innovation can help many
more physically challenged people to be self-reliant.
Modified knapsack sprayer
Mohan Muktaji Lamb
Beed, Maharashtra
Mohan observed that many of the
existing sprayers are difficult to operate
and the nozzle gets blocked frequently.
The pressure also dropped after short
spell of use. He has made certain
modifications in the knapsack sprayer,
which include changes in pressure
reservoir, resulting in higher pressure
and the provision of changing the
stroke length for varying the delivery
rate. Two booms can be attached to
his sprayer, which can cover 1 ha/7 h with a single nozzle and
over 1 ha/ 5 h with both the nozzles.
job. He developed a
tractor
mounted
groundnut digger. It
has a telescopic
propeller
shaft
suitable for tractors of
35 hp and above, with a field capacity of 0.4 acre/ h.
Power tiller operated turmeric harvester
P Ramaraju
Erode, Tamil Nadu
Ramaraju noticed that in his area,
people faced acute labour shortage
during harvesting season of turmeric
rhizomes. Delay in harvesting resulted
in loss of yield and adversely affected
the quality of rhizomes. He tried an
available machine, and attached it to a
power tiller for harvesting turmeric. But
he could only obtain about 50 per cent
efficiency then. He continued with his
experiments and developed a prototype
with field capacity of about 0.2 acre per hour and claimed
efficiency of over 95 per cent. A local firm has been selling his
machine (over 200 units sold) paying a royalty to him.
16
Black pepper plucking tool
Multi angle power weeder
P R Nadaraj
Erode, Tamil Nadu
Pratheesh C
Palakkad, Kerala
While developing the weeder, Nadaraj
used to experiment with different
arrangement of blades to observe the
nature of soil turning. He finally
designed the multi angle weeder
suitable for crops at
different
growth
stage. It is a self
propelled
diesel
engine
operated
weeder having Lshaped
blades
arranged in a spiral configuration. It can be adapted to
weeding at different growth stages of the plants.
Pepper is either plucked manually or
using a regular nipper. A nipper drops
the pepper on the ground while manual
plucking damages the pepper.
Pratheesh developed a plucking tool
with a triangular cup below the blades
to hold the cut pepper bunch. It is a
simple adaptive tool but it improves
efficiency without affecting quality of the
harvested pepper.
Raking machine for poultry farms
Sureshbhai Narotambhai Patel
Valsad, Gujarat
Raking is necessary to keep poultry in
good health. However, scarcity of labour
makes manual raking difficult. To
overcome this constraint, Sureshbhai
Soil scrapper cum loader
Resham Singh Virdi, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan and Kuldeep
Singh, Mansa, Punjab
U n e v e n
agricultural land
is difficult to sow
and manage.
The innovator
w
a
s
approached by a
farmer
to
develop a land
l e v e l l i n g
machine, like the JCB machine. After a continuous effort of
many years, Resham Singh succeeded in making this
developed a 1hp
single phase motor
operated
raking
machine, which can
cover 15,000 sq-ft per
hour employing two
persons.
Wind mill for house-hold power generation
C. M. Subramanian
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu
As his new house was far away from
existing electrical lines, the electricity
board asked Subramanium to deposit
a certain amount towards the cost of
electric poles. Since it was beyond his
machine, which could not only level the land but also fill tractor
trailers with soil. His machine is a tractor (>50 hp) PTO
operated machine with cutting depth of 10 cm and width of
120 cm. It takes about two minutes to fill an 11 ft x 6 ft x 2.25 ft
size trailer consuming about 5-6 l of fuel per hour. He has
already sold about 40 such machines.
capacity, he gave up
the idea of obtaining
an electric connection
from the electricity
board. Instead, he
Will you stand by the IPR’s of the peasants?
17
started working on a low cost windmill to meet his household
energy needs. It cost him about Rs 70,000 to develop this
windmill. It can be installed near the house or on the roof with
a RCC foundation and produces 0.8-1.2 kVA (80 volt @ 10-15
A) electric power at a wind speed of 3-3.5 m/s. The turbine
blades can also be stopped from rotation or the direction of
rotation can be reversed from the ground itself by electric
brakes.
a high yielding one (2000kg/ha-dry) where the capsules are
exceptionally green in colour and bold in size, fetching
premium price. This drought tolerant variety is most suitable
for low elevation areas of Tamil Nadu.
Improved variety of carrot (Laxmangarh Selection)
Smt. Santosh Pachar
Sikar, Rajasthan
‘Chinnar-20’- An improved drought tolerant paddy variety
The carrot variety has been developed
by Smt Pachar adopting the root-to-seed
method of planting. The criteria of
selection of carrots for seed production
Smt. Ariyammal and Smt. Pushpam
Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
Ariyammal, her husband (late Chinnar)
and Pushpam used to cultivate ADT-46
paddy variety where they identified
certain plants with a purple colour,
good tillering and finer grains. Using
recurrent selection method, they
were: long root-length,
sweetness, vermilion
colour and softness. The variety is well adapted to high
temperature. The length of the carrot is up to 1.5 ft with the
percentage of forked roots being quite less. It is sweet in
taste and fetches high market price due to its quality.
checked the stability of
characters for five
years.
Herbal preparation for controlling borer in vegetable crops
This variety is a short
duration variety well
suited for rain-fed and
wetland cultivation. The variety is drought tolerant with high
yielding capacity. The plants have purple pigmented leaves
and culm. Therefore, weed removal is easy (this use of purple
paddy plants for weed removal is well known traditional
knowledge). The grains are fine and long with good cooking
quality. It is being cultivated by about 50 farmers over 150
acres of land in Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts of
Tamil Nadu.
‘Patchakai’- an improved cardamom variety
L. Ramaiah
Theni, Tamil Nadu
During harvesting
cardamom in his
field,
Ramaiah
observed parrot
green, large sized
capsules.
He
harvested
them
separately and grew
them the next year.
After a few years, he
identified a clump
having a large
number of bold
sized capsules and a good growth habit. He started
propagating suckers of these selected plants. The variety is
Jokhu Shah
Jokhu Shah uses fermented extract of
two local plants (name withheld for IP
reasons) for controlling shoot and fruit
borers in vegetable crops. In the
validation tests, the formulation was
found to reduce the population of pod
borer (Helicoverpa armigera) by 38%
and that of mealy bug by 52% as
compared to the untreated control.It
also showed a moderate larvicidal
effect against the larvae of borers (Spodoptera litura and H.
armigera).
Herbal preparation for controlling insects and pests in
paddy crop
Madhav Lal Shav
Madhav Lal uses the extract of the
leaves of a local plant (name withheld
for IP reasons) to control insects in
vegetables, pulses and paddy. In the
validation tests, the formulation was
found to reduce the plant hopper
population by 42% and the leaf folder
population by 24% as compared to the
untreated control. The herbal
18
Herbal preparation for controlling pests in paddy, bajra and
vegetable crops
paddy crop. A 37% reduction in the population of leaf hoppers
was observed as compared to the untreated control in Okra.
The formulation was effective in reducing the population of
larvae (77%) and fruit damage by 53% at farmer’s dose. The
leaf folder (C. medinalis) of paddy was controlled up to 54%
compared to the untreated one.
Kodarji Kaluji Pagi
Panchmahal, Gujarat
Herbal preparation for controlling leaf folder in paddy and
fruit borer in vegetable crops
Kodarji uses the leaves of a local plant
(name withheld for IP reasons) with the
leaves of Azadirachta indica (Neem) for
effective pest control in paddy, bajra and
vegetable crops. A reduction in the
larval population was observed after 48
hours of spray. A reduction in fruit
damage/plant as compared to the
untreated control was also noted. The
use of the formulation also effectively
reduced the fruit and shoot borer
(Leucinodes orbonalis) population and was effective in
controlling the leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) of
paddy. The effect against borers (Spodoptera litura and
Helicoverpa armigera) was found to be moderate in laboratory
conditions.
Rajesh Mishra
Herbal preparation for controlling insects and pests in
paddy crop
G Chandrashekhar
Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
Raghunath Prasad Nirala
West Champaran, Bihar
Chandrashekhar uses coconut oil
extract of fruits and flowers of a local
plant (name withheld for IP reasons)
to control nematode, gram cater
pillar and mealy bug in cotton,
brinjal, tomato and pigeon pea.
The
formulation
helped
in
controlling borer- H. armigera and
mealy bugs significantly in the
field conditions. The preparation
was also effective against nematode
(egg hatching) under in vitro conditions. The herbal
preparation tested at SRISTI lab showed moderate larvicidal
effect on borers (Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa
armigera) larvae under in vitro conditions.
preparation had a moderate larvicidal effect against borers
(Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera) in laboratory
trials.
Raghunath Prasad effectively controls
Gundhi bug (Leptocorisa acuta), leaf
hopper and other pests in paddy using
extract of a local plant and ash of a part
of another plant (names withheld for
IP reasons). A reduction of 31% in leaf
hopper and 55% in larval (H. armigera
and Earias vittella) population was
observed in the validation test as
compared to untreated control. Also,
the fruit damage in Okra was reduced
by 53% as compared to the untreated control. The herbal
preparation helped in in controlling the leaf folder (C.
medinalis) of paddy by about 34% compared to the untreated
one. The herbal preparation was also found to have moderate
larvicidal effect in the lab against the larvae (Spodoptera litura
and Helicoverpa armigera) .
Rajesh uses crude leaf extract of
a local plant (name withheld for IP
reasons) and Azadirachta indica
(Neem) for controlling leaf folder in
paddy and fruit borer in vegetable
crops. The herbal preparation
controlled leaf folder (C. medinalis) of
paddy by about 51% compared to the
untreated one.
Herbal preparation for controlling nematode, caterpillar and
mealy bug in cotton, brinjal, tomato and pigeon pea
Herbal yield enhancer
Tulsyabhai Somabhai Pavar
Dang, Gujarat
Herbal preparation for controlling
insects and pests (leaf folder and
stem borer) in paddy
Vijay Prasad
Hazaribag, Jharkhand
Vijay Prasad uses the leaves of three
local plants (names withheld for IP
reasons) to control insect-pests in
Tulsyabhai uses young aerial roots of
a plant (name withheld for IP reasons)
to increase the crop production. The
validation tests demonstrate that the
seeds treated with the extract of the
aerial roots germinated more
vigorously.
19
Herbal preparation for controlling insect pests in
agricultural crops
Herbal medication for bloat in animals
Smt. Yasodaben Srirambhai Chaudhari, Shri Yashwantbhai
Bhavanbhai Gauli and Shri Sudhakarbhai Kauchabhai Gauli
Dang, Gujarat
KM Chellamuthu
Erode, Tamil Nadu
Chellamuthu uses a combination of
plants (name withheld for IP reasons)
for controlling insect pests in
agricultural crops. The validation tests
demonstrate significant efficacy of the
herbal formulation against insect pests
in different crops.
Herbal medication for promoting poultry health (coccidiosis)
Smt. Oinam Ibetombi Devi, Smt. Sarangthen Dasumati Devi,
Smt. Nameirakpam Sanahambi Devi (Community
representatives)
Nambol, Manipur
The healers use a local plant (name withheld due to IP
reasons), which is ground and added to bird feed. The
The community
uses a local plant
(name withheld
due to IP reasons)
for curing animals
affected with bloat.
The tests indicate
enhancement in
numbers and the
activity of rumen
microbes after the
administration of the formulation. The medication was also
found to substantially reduce gas production/accumulation.
Herbal medication for curing mastitis (bacterial) in animal
Borra Petha Rajanna & N Govindan
Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh & Madurai, Tamil Nadu
medication can be fed to the birds for four to seven days.
The validation tests showed better anticoccidial
efficacy in comparison to the untreated birds and the
standard drug Salinomycin (in terms of minimizing
intestinal lesion). A significant reduction in faecal oocyst
output and mean body weight gain was observed in treated
group.
The
healers
apply the paste
of a local plant
(name withheld
due
to
IP
r e a s o n s )
topically over the
inflamed udder
twice daily for
two to three
days.
The
formulation was evaluated for its efficacy in clinical mastitis
caused by gram negative bacterias, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia, and gram positive
bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. The clinical conditions were
reported to improve after the medication was administered
indicating its therapeutic efficacy.
Herbal medication for promoting poultry health (coccidiosis)
Herbal medication for curing anoestrus in cattle
Sudhakarbhai Kauchabhai Gauli and Jeevalbhai Mavajubhai
Gauli
Dang, Gujarat
The healers grind dry leaves of a local
plant (name withheld due to IP reasons)
and
mix
with
bird
feed.
The test results showed that
the medication minimizes the lesions
due to Eimeria tenella, a disease
causing protozoa for Coccidiosis.
The medication was found to
significantly reduce fecal oocyst
output confirming its anticoccidial
efficacy with significant body weight gain in the treated
group.
Khumaji Badaji Kataviya, Badaji Didaji Kataviya, Babubhai
Badaji Kataviya
Sabarkantha, Gujarat
The healers administer a part of a local
herb (name withheld due to IP reasons)
to animals affected with anestrus. The
animal shows signs of estrus in eight
days. To validate the practice, some
clinical conditions were identified with
signs of flaccid uterus, smooth ovaries
and with no estrus behaviour. The
clinical cases were administered
medication for four days. The animals
resumed oestrus cycle in eight days and got inseminated.
20
Herbal medication for preventing and curing retention of
placenta in animals
Harshadbhai Patel
Anand, Gujarat
Harshadbhai dries and grinds leaves
of a local plant (name withheld due to
IP reasons) and feeds the dried powder
to the cattle directly or with fodder.
Twenty animals in advanced stage of
pregnancy were selected where twelve
clinical cases were observed in control
group and 8 clinical cases were
observed in test group. The average
duration for expulsion of placenta in
control animals was 21.58 hours where it was just 4.02 hours
in the treated animals.
Students
making the driveway clean. The
cycle may optionally include an
extra dustbin attached to the front
to collect large scraps and pieces
of garbage. NIF has also engaged
designers to develop a working
prototype.
Rice grain sorting/cleaning machine
Recycled composite material made from multi layer film
plastic packaging waste
Mohd. Sajid Ansari
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Seeing his mother hassled while
cleaning rice every day, Sajid thought of
making a device to help her. This
automatic electric machine separates
broken rice grains and other physical
impurities from unbroken rice grains.
At first, he faced problems while making
the prototype but after some hits and
trials, finally he made a working model.
NIF has also engaged designers to
improve his prototype.
Hetal Vaishnav
Rajkot, Gujarat
By appropriate heat treatment of
multilayer film plastic packaging waste,
Hetal has converted it into a composite
plastic material. This material can then
further be used for making various
articles and sheets with the help of
extrusion, injection or compression
moulding. Hetal got this material tested
at different laboratories and has also
filed a patent for the same.
Crutch with shock absorbers, bell and light
System to prevent people from using mobile phones while
driving
Archana Konwar
Dhemaji, Assam
Troubled seeing her physically
challenged friend walking in discomfort
using a crutch, Archana thought of this
idea. Her idea is to have a crutch with
shock absorbers for the comfort of the
user and also a bell to alert other
commuters and a light to be used during
the night. NIF has also engaged
designers to improve her prototype.
The Cycl-O-cleaner: bicycle based cleaner
Riya Kothari, Nimran Kang, Kaamya Sharma & Mehr S. Mehta
New Delhi
The four friends have thought about an idea to have a bicycle
with two brooms attached to the back wheel. The brooms
rotate as one pedals and the brushes sweep away the dust
Divyam Gupta
Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh
In order to prevent people from using
mobile phones while driving, Divyam
suggests placing touch sensors on the
gear lever and the steering. This means
that both the hands need to be either on
the steering wheel or on the steering
wheel and the gear lever. If anytime, the
driver’s hand is not on either steering or
gear lever (for more than designated
duration), the system will infer that either
the driver is using a mobile phone or not carefully handling
the steering. Based on this, the system can take a pre
programmed action. This action may be slowing down the
vehicle and bringing it to a halt after some delay, moving to
side by giving indicator or simply giving an alert alarm to the
driver.
21
Pressure detector for water pipelines
Himala Joshi
Nainital, Uttarakhand
In many places in India, water is supplied
for only one or two hours in a day.
People have to keep turning taps on
every few minutes to check the water
supply. Himala has thought of a
pressure detector fitted in the pipeline.
It rings an alarm immediately on
sensing the flow of water, thereby
alerting people.
models, certificates
etc., there. Among
the many things
they
have
d e v e l o p e d ,
prominent ones are
hoe cum shovel to
dig and lift soil
using
this
convertible tool; a
water bottle, which
you can easily fold after use; an apple catcher (fruit plucker)
with clutch operated blades and a net to catch the cut fruits,
and an easy injection breaker.
Breathing sensor apparatus to assist physically challenged
Healthy air machine
Susant Pattnaik
Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
G Brahadees
Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu
Susant’s system consists of a circuit,
which uses changes in breathing
patterns to actuate circuits representing
options such as food, water etc. It thus
enables
paralyzed/physically
challenged people articulate their wish
and be self-reliant in routine activities.
The technology has a range of
applications like operating a
wheelchair, electronic appliances,
prevention of accidents, detecting thefts, etc.
Susant has designed a proof-of-concept electronic circuit
of a wheel chair, which can be navigated through
commands given by changing breathing patterns, just like a
morse code.
Travel bags with folding seats
Nisha Chaube
NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh
Brahadees wanted to make an air
machine, which had useful features of
both, air conditioners and fans, and at
an affordable cost. He observed that
in the case of the air conditioner, only
about 10% of the cooling was being
used by person and the rest was
being absorbed by the other articles in
the room, which was actually a waste
of energy. This made him to develop
the ‘Healthy Air Machine’ using the
concept of spot cooling. This machine is portable and can
be moved around in the house as per requirement.
He has also integrated components like bacterial filters,
UV germicidal lamps and incorporated certain other
functions like vacuuming, winnowing, etc., in the same
machine.
Foldable & portable multipurpose device
Who has not faced problem in finding
a seat at the railway or bus station!
Considering the problems commuters
face every day while waiting for buses/
trains at stations, Nisha has suggested
incorporating light-weight folding seats
in travelling bags so that the same can
be used when needed. NIF has also
engaged designers to improve her
prototype.
Hoe cum shovel, foldable water bottle, apple catcher and
others
Refaz Ahmad Wani and Ishfaq Ahmad Wani
Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir
Young Refaz and Ishfaq are twin brothers and serial
innovators. The brothers have started a small science club
in their house in a small room. They have kept all their
Pankit B Gami & Ekta Patel
Tapi, Gujarat
Pankit and his
friend
Ekta
have come up
with an idea for
a multipurpose
foldable device
as they both
found
it
inconvenient
travelling in
crowded trains
with
no
reserved seats. They have come up with a foldable
multipurpose device, which can be used as a chair, table,
hammock, mini stairs, easy chair or a stretcher to carry
items. They have made three prototypes of their device. The
final prototype was made of stainless steel so that it would
be more durable since it is a portable device.
22
ENABLING THE
DISABLED
Assistive technologies: samvedana, sambhavna aur
swabhimaan
People with disabilities have to deal with many obstacles. Sometimes, this leads to direct or indirect discrimination. At other
times, it leads to sympathetic stares. Discrimination and stares are both hurtful. In this section, we have sampled innovations
from the past issues of the Honey Bee Newsletter which address problems of people who have disabilities. Hopefully, these
ideas mature one day and open a realm of possibilities for making people’s lives more equal while keeping their selfrespect intact.
Retrofitted car for physically challenged people
Biju Varghese, Mukoothuthara, Kerala
While travelling
with his friend at
the age of 20, Biju
was hit by a
speeding bus. He
ended up with a
damaged spinal
cord and both
legs completely
paralysed. One
day,
on
the
National Geographic channel, he saw the ‘Airforce One’
(airplane used by the President of the USA) being
manouevred by the pilot using only his hand. Biju observed
that mere fingers were controlling all the major operations.
This triggered him to develop a modification kit for a car. After
discussing it with local car mechanics, he came up with a
device by which the retrofitting brake, accelerator and clutch
controls of a car can be
actuated with a single
hand. The clutch is
operated with the palm
making it possible to
apply full strength
downwards.
The
accelerator is operated
with the fore finger, while
the middle as well as
adjoining finger takes
care of braking. For his retrofitted car kit, Biju Varghese has
received the National Award at NIF’s biennial award function
as well as the India Positive Award 2012 which was organised
by CNN-IBN. More information about his innovation can be
found at http://carfordisabled.com/
Retrofitted car for physically challenged
Mujib Khan, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Mujib Khan, an automobile mechanic, lives with his wife and
four children. His legs have been affected by contracting polio
since his childhood. He has never let his disability stop him
from living a productive life. In his quest to make a vehicle
accessible to handicapped drivers, he secretly started
tinkering with his parents’ car. Finally, he made a successful
modification.
Mujib Khan modified the
accelerator, brake and clutch
arrangement in such a way
that the controls are
transferred to hand by means
of levers, wires and linkages.
His device is characterised
by comfort through simplicity
and ease of operation.
Drivers without disabilities
can switch easily to operate
the vehicle in a conventional
fashion. Mujib has retrofitted
over six dozen vehicles till
date.
Walking stick to assist visually challenged
Wazeer Hayath, Tumkur, Karnataka
Wazeer
Hayath’s
innovation is a foldable
stick, which through a
pre-recorded voice
system can alert a
visually impaired user
about the presence of
water or a pit ahead. On
detecting
public
movement closeby,
one can even request
the public in the vicinity
to move away with the help of a toggle switch and
the pre-recorded voice. The walking stick also has
a provision for a light which alerts people about
the movement of the visually impaired user.
Device to assist people with low
vision
Jyoti Ranjan Sahoo, Bhubaneswar,
Orissa
While observing the students of a
blind school, which is close to his
house, Jyoti, a student of class nine,
got the idea to make a device to
assist people with low or poor vision.
Some of the people he observed were
suffering from glaucoma. He wanted
to do something to help them.
23
Jyoti then developed a system to assist people with low vision
in their day to day activities. His system makes use of a zoom
camera and an LCD. The camera zooms in distant images,
which get displayed on the LCD screen. This arrangement of
Camera cum LCD is attached to a helmet worn by the visually
impaired person. The pictures on the LCD aid the visually
impaired person in perception and motion.
Whille making this device, Jyoti Ranjan faced much difficulty
as he could not get all the material he wanted. He also did not
know the details of software programming but somehow
managed to search what he needed to know on the internet.
Jyoti got this system tested at many hospitals, where doctors
have appreciated his work and given suggestions to optimise
the device.
Mowing the lawn uphill – A spiky story from Switzerland
The mountains that make Switzerland so beautiful are a pain for those who wish to mow the grass in their
steep lawns. The traditional method of cutting grass is to use a brush cutter. A brush cutter is quite difficult
to use, and the cut grass has to be collected later. However, it is almost impossible to operate a lawnmower
in hilly areas. In uphill direction, the machine does not pull properly and often slips off. This demands the
person operating it to push continuously with lots of force.
If only a lawnmower could climb uphill, the task would be much easier. Matthias Nott from Basel, Switzerland
has thought of an interesting idea. The rear wheels of the lawn mower receive the power from the engine,
but are typically made from hard plastic. The engine is powerful, but the mower does not have enough grip
to get that power to the ground. Matthias Nott put a string of small wood screws (3.5 mm) around the
rear wheel, about 5 cm in distance in a zig-zag pattern. The screw heads are left above the surface of
the wheels on both sides.
With this modification the lawnmower can now climb very steep lawns without any problems. The farmers
to whom Nott showed this technology were impressed. They were so used to the traditional method of removing
grass by hand with a brush cutter that they never thought of better ways of doing it. Nott claims that this
modification can be applied to any engine with hard plastic wheels which has traction issues. Matthias
Nott has expressed his desire to help anyone who wants to try out this idea. He can be contacted at
matthias.nott@sap.com.
Odd Ball
Hunger for recognition
Two years back I won the IGNITE
award but nothing ever since! If only
life was as simple as this game!!
Two years back
Why can’t I win
NO! Why
everyOhtime?
always on
99!!
As tricky as
life my friend!
IGNITE
AWARDS
NIF
Its just a
game,
play it for
fun!
24
PROFILE
K V Paulose: Experimentation in standardising cardamom
cultivation
them if the result was not up to the mark. In this way, he
discarded many chemical practices and slowly moved towards
low cost cultivation practices like mulching, lopping or pruning
of trees for shade regulation, pest and disease resistance,
etc. Over two decades of hard work, he has stabilised these
practices. His innovations are described below:
About two decades back, he noticed that the fields could not
retain rainwater. He observed that retention of water was higher
in areas covered with leaves and twigs and that this soil
exhibited good plant growth. Ever since, he has stopped
removing fallen leaves and twigs from his field. This practice
has helped him in retaining rainwater and has also improved
the texture of the soil with compost of organic matter.
Cardamom farmers with about five acres of land incur about
7-8 lakhs as annual expenditure on farm inputs like chemical
fertilisers and pesticides. However, in spite of a larger farm
land of 40 acres, Paulose from Rajakumari, Idukki District,
Kerala spends just a few lakhs to manage the entire farm.
With less spending for chemical inputs he not only maximised
his income from cardamom cultivation but also doubled the
productivity of plants by adopting low cost cultivation practices.
Paulose (44) studied up to high school. He later took up
farming. In the beginning, he cultivated pepper and ginger in
half an acre of land. However, he had to stop growing those
crops due to persistent labour unavailability. He, therefore,
started cardamom cultivation.
His family owned 6 acres of cardamom plantation. He
isolated a few clumps of cardamom plants with long panicles
and bold capsules and expanded this new variety to his new
farm. He experimented with the application of fertiliser,
protection of plants and mulching and evolved many low cost
practices. His income has grown steadily which enabled him
to acquire the nearby land of about 28 acres.
He built a pucca house and procured two vehicles for ferrying
labourers. He was recognised for the productivity of his
cardamom in India for the years 1995 and 2009 by the Spices
Board India. In three decades of cardamom plantation, he
has developed many eco-friendly practices which have
reduced the cost of inputs and maximised the yield.
He often noticed planters practicing various operations viz.
terrace making, ridges & furrow formation, spraying
pesticides, soil application, etc. He adopted such methods
for a few clumps in a small area of his farm and discarded
The accumulation of fallen leaves and twigs forms a cover of
mulch of about one-foot depth. These leaves are decomposed
directly on the field. This increases the humus content and
reduces the soil bulk density. The soil in his field has an
organic matter content of 4.05 % as compared to 2.6% for the
normal fields. The top layer of the soil in his farm comprises
about 10 cm of decomposed plant material accumulated over
more than 20 years. The quality of the soil texture is so good
that when rolled in hand it crumbles whereas in other fields
the soil sticks together in a ball.
So far, around 200 farmers have visited the cardamom
plantation of Paulose over the last 6 years. Most believe that
piling up such thick mulch in a cardamom field could take ten
years. However, it is possible and sustainable in the long
run. Between Oct 2012 to Feb 2013, there was a severe
drought in the region. Yet, while the neighbouring cardamom
plantation was wilting, Paulose did not experience much loss
of yield.
Innovations in shade regulation in cardamom plantation
Paulose has developed new techniques to regulate shade in
cardamom plantation by planting trees like jack fruit, silver
oak, and mango. The trees are normally pruned or thinned
before monsoon. However, Paulose prunes during winter.
He claims, while pruning, the crop may be slightly damaged.
Pruning in winter gives the crop enough time to recover before
monsoon.
Apart from this Paulose has significantly reduced the use of
chemical pesticides to control stem borers. He uses natural
predators and parasites of the stem borer for their control.
The incidence of parasites for stem borer in his farm was
47%. He has also developed a new plant variety which is
resistant to thrips.
Contd.. on page 30
25
RENEWING OLD TIES
Revisiting our innovators
HBN met Usmanbhai in 2001 and knocked at his door again
Usmanbhai Noorabhai Bhorania
Taluka Wankaner, District Rajkot.
Usmanbhai (54) studied till 10 th
Standard. As a hobby he learned about
how to heal humans and animals with
herbs. He would experiment with any
new information/practice he could get.
Usmanbhai took primary veterinary
healthcare training in Wankaner. He
met with an accident two years back
which restricted his mobility. He says,
it has now become difficult for him to
go around and search for the materials
he needs for healing throughout the
year. For example, the seeds of Palash
(Butea monosperma) can be collected
only in the late winter or early spring
season in order to store them for later
use. Usmanbhai says that these days
people do not want to take this pain
of collecting the plants because
medicines are available everywhere
whereas the material needed for these
remedies is not available in any store
and needs to be collected individually.
Previously, veterinary health care was
not available so easily. People had to
walk miles to get their animals treated,
so they used to go to herbal healers
or seek home remedies to treat them.
All the animals were kept in the
courtyard. Therefore, in case they were
restless, the family members would
know immediately and seek help. The
healers used to live with the animals
but now a days it does not happen so.
Allopathic
medicines
provide
immediate relief so people do not
used herbal medicines now, he says.
Usmanbhai’s village, Bhalgam, has a
population of 2000-3000 and the
Panchayat takes care of administrative
matters. The pond in the village
supplies drinking water to two more
villages. A small seasonal rivulet
named Boreu flows near the village.
The forest is scattered with scrubs like
bawal (Acacia sp.) and also nearby.
Cotton is the main crop grown here.
The village is around 25 km from the
taluka town Wankaner and is situated
next to the highway. Agriculture and
animal husbandry are the main
occupation. Few have taken to drive
autos to earn their living. As the area
receives less rainfall, only rainfed
cotton is sown at some
places. The village gets
labour from outside
(from Dahod and
Godhra)
only
during the cotton
picking season,
otherwise they
themselves
take care of
t h e i r
agriculture.
Maggot infested wounds
Oil extracted from Neem fruits (neem
oil, limbodi oil) and cotton is used. A
piece of cotton is soaked in the oil and
then stuffed inside the maggot infested
wound. The innovator says that the
wound has to be tightly stuffed with the
cotton so that there is no room for air.
The maggots get asphyxiated and die
or come out when the cotton is pulled
out. Other villagers know about this
practice but do not use it because they
do not get immediate results.
Usmanbhai has taught people this
practice but he says that people do not
adopt it as modern medicine gives
fast relief. Others use tirty oil (because
of its bad smell repelling the insects)
instead of Neem oil.
the paste is slimy it is a good binding
agent. It helps in coagulating the blood
and also in binding the broken parts
together. His son who also is a
pashuvaid (animal healer) makes use
of this practice as well.
Anoestrus
About 250g of rye (Brassica juncea)
seeds are mixed with the fodder for
five to six days continuously.
Usmanbhai says that rye helps to
release the ovum and hence the animal
comes to heat. He started using rye
by intuition as he knew that rye is used
in winter to bring warmth to the body
and has high oil content. He thought
that it may help to treat anoestrus in
cattle and experimented on about 50
cattle. Finally, he concluded that this
practice gives positive results. In the
Healing broken horns
The healer uses Berjo (Pinus longifolia
Roxb.) which yields the gummy tincture
benzoin. He takes 300-400g of Berjo
and grinds it, upon which it turns into
a slimy liquid. The liquid is applied
around the broken part which then is
tied with a clean cotton cloth. The
liquid stops bleeding and helps in
healing the wound and the horn. The
liquid is applied only once when the
horn is bandaged. It takes around a
week until the injury is completely
healed. Usmanbhai reasons that as
26
neighbouring villages, people feed
excreta of hens for the purpose. Some
also feed boiled bajra (pearl millet).
When people discuss their problems,
he suggests to them to use rye seeds;
and hence teaches and diffuses the
practice.
Ephemeral fever
Usmanbhai used to boil one teaspoon
ijmeth (menthol), 100g ajwain (bishops
weed) and 100g jaggery in about half
a litre of water. It was then administered
Galactagogue
Usmanbhai
grinds about two
kilograms of Millettia pinnata (L.)
Panigrahi seeds into powder for
storage. About 50g of this powder is
then mixed with the fodder and fed
daily till the whole two
kilos are consumed.
In this practice also,
he has started using
kalonji (Nigella sativa).
He says that he knew
that kalonji is helpful
in
digestion,
improves eyesight
and
increases
haemologin. He
feels that these
positive effects
help in lactation as
well. He says that
kalonji is “amrut”
(elixir of life) for
cattle.
A study in dairy cows found Nigella
sativa to have potential antibacterial
properties (Azadi et al., 2011. American
Journal of Animal and Veterinary
Sciences 6 (1): 31-34) -Ed.
to the animal, once a day for three
days. He now uses kalonji seeds
(Nigella sativa) mixed with jaggery and
the other ingredients to give immediate
relief. He had seen people using these
for treatment of humans, so he
thought that it could work for animals
too. He noticed that it helps in digestion
too.
Yoke gall
Juice extracted from jowar (Sorghum)
leaves is applied on the affected part
for 8-10 days. During this period, the
affected animals should not draw
Foot and Mouth Disease
Leaves of custard apple (Annona
reticulata) are ground with a little water
and then mixed with hing (Ferula
asafetida). This paste is then applied
on the hooves.
Prolapse of uterus
Juice is extracted from heena leaves
(Lawsonia inermis) and mixed with
ghee to make a lotion. This is applied
on the part of the uterus protruding
out. Then the uterus is maneuvered
into its position by hand.
Bone fracture
Skin disease/eczema/kharajwa
Usmanbhai used to burn dried leaves
of Palash (Butea monosperma) and
mixed about 100g of the ash with
groundnut oil/ghee to make a lotion
out of it. He would apply this lotion on
the affected part, twice a day till it
healed up. Usmanbhai changed the
practice and now mixes garlic with the
other ingredients. He boils garlic cloves
in oil and then mixes them with the
ash of Palash. He then applies this
lotion on the affected part. Usmanbhai
started to use garlic because he
noticed that it has a very pungent
odour. When he got good results in
some cases initially, he adopted the
practice.
ploughs or carts or any other heavy
load.
Palash (Butea monosperma)
Bark of Palash
( B u t e a
monosperma)
is ground and
applied on a
broken limb.
This is then
cushioned
with
some
cotton
and
bandaged
neatly till it
heals. Along
with this, juice
extracted from
100g leaves of
aval (Cassia
auriculata) is
fed to the
animals for 1015 days.
When did you meet an innovator last?
27
PROFILE
Breeding varieties for frugal farming
Apart from experimenting and
developing new crop varieties in the
field, Arya practises herbal and
traditional treatments of patients in his
region. The knowledge of those
treatments he has inherited from his
father and also developed through his
own interest and enterprise.
Mahavir Singh Arya (b. 1951) from Neva
village in Churu district of Rajasthan, is
a farmer who has developed many
varieties of wheat and mustard. Arya
was born in a poor family. His father was
a freedom fighter and was a
knowledgeable farmer who used many
herbal and traditional methods of
treatments for plants as well as
humans. During the British rule the
family’s land was confiscated leaving
them landless and forcing the family into
a life of poverty. Their financial struggles
forced Arya to discontinue studies after
class 10.
Already famous in his village and
surrounding area as an enterprising
farmer, seed producer and a simple
man, Arya still puts in lots of effort to
develop new varieties of plants. Due to
acute scarcity of water, he and his
neighbours face many problems. Arya
still works the fields of others, some of
whom are located in neighbouring
villages. This way he has managed to
preserve some of the varieties
developed by him.
BOX 1 describes the journey of Mahavir
from an ordinary farmer to an innovative
plant breeder. BOX 2 lists major mustard
and wheat varieties developed by
Mahavir Singh Arya as well as the
general algorithm that he followed.
Arya is ably assisted and supported by
all the members in his family. It is only
when he has to uproot and discard
some plants while making variety
selections, that he faces some
resistance from his family. They
complain about him wasting plants,
which have been produced after hard
labour and care. He then explains the
reason behind the selection process,
making them knowledgeable and
passing on his experience, too.
Other farmers often invite him for
guidance and assistance. Hence, he
spends much of his time travelling.
His wife mentions that he does not
have much time for the family. However,
the family understands his devotion to
the cause and supports him in his
activities. They would like him to help
as many people as possible. They
know he has been working hard for
the past many years and hope that his
efforts will be appreciated by the society
one day. Keeping their expectations
firmly grounded, they have the humble
wish to have a tube well in the village.
That way problems related to water
scarcity can be solved for the entire
village and Mahavir and his family are
able to carry out experimentation
without hindrance.
Box 1: A JOURNEY OF EXPERIMENTATION FOR MAHAVIR SINGH ARYA
Today, Mahavir Singh Arya has a meagre
landholding of less than a hectare. He
has a small but beautiful home in the
village, has married off three of his
daughters and the other children are
studying in school. Raising a large
family with six children drove him to
experiment in order to maximise the
yield of his limited land. He is now
famous in the region for producing
bumper harvests using innovative
agricultural methods and practices.
Apart from working in his own field, he
also works for the development of his
region.
He claims to not have used any
chemical fertilisers. He manages to
generate good yield using organic
manure. He also advocates the use of
organic manure to others in the village.
Visit to Hisar Agricultural University in 1985
•
Learnt plant breeding after carefully observing crop growing patterns
•
Sowed T-59 mustard variety
•
Sowed golden variety seed brought from Delhi
Developed a new variety called ‘Sunahari’
Began experimenting with breeding various cultivars
•
Visited various research institutes and agriculture universities
•
Developed ten new varieties of mustard by crossing the varieties available in and
around Delhi
•
In 1987, he met a trader who told him about a tall high yielding local variety of wheat
•
Acquired seeds from the trader and crossed them with the Sonalika variety
•
The first cross gave some plants which were tall and resistant to disease
In 1990, Mahavir Kisan Mahan, a variety with stable characteristics for height
and disease resistance, was developedContinuing on the same lines he
developed 15 varieties of wheat
28
Box 2: The algorithm of breeding followed by Mahavir Singh Arya and the
varieties he developed
Inuits and unicorns of the Arctic Ocean
Selection of two varieties (based
on quality and characteristics of
interest)
Crossing the two varieties
Courtesy: Isabelle Groc
Selection of plants with the best
quality and characteristics in the
F1 generations followed by
selection of the same
characteristics for three-four
generations (F2-F6)
Distributing them to others for
sowing
Naming and isolation of stable
varieties in terms of
characteristics
Mustard Varieties
————————————————
Mahavir Kishan Chandravarni, Mahavir
Kishan Pittavarni, Mahavir Kishan
Kanka,, Mahavir Kishan Harsh,
Mahavir Kishan Sunahari
————————————————
Maturity Period: 130-150 days, Yield:
18-24 quintals per hectare, Disease
Resistant
Wheat Varieties
———————————————
Mahavir Kishan Mahan, Mahavir
Kishan Vardan, Mahavir Kishan Kranti,
Mahavir Kishan Vikash, Mahavir
Kishan Pragati
———————————————
Maturity Period: 135-160 days,(95110 days for Pragati variety),Yield:
40-80 quintals per hectare. All tall
varieties except Pragati (which is
a dwarf variety)
Answer to the cover story question:
The little finger knew that when people
fold their hands in prayer, it is the closest to the deity. That is the reason it was
so confident.
Isabelle Groc (2013)“Being There: Scientists Enlist Inuit for Long-Term
Observations of Arctic Wildlife”, the Scientific American, February 13, 2013.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=science-and-traditionalknowledge-collaborate-to-understand-arctic-wildlife-slide-show
The article underlines the oft-observed fact that knowledge of local conditions
and biodiversity can be greater among indigenous communities than the
academic state-of-the-art. An Inuit hunter from Qanaaq, Greenland captured a
phenomenon in narwhals (Monodon monoceros) that was not yet documented
for the species.
The hunter observed a thin gauze-like layer
coming off the narwhal’s body. Narwhals
shedding of skin had not yet been
documented in conventional scientific
records. Since Inuit hunters spend so much
time around the mammals, they are more
likely to observe these rare momentary
Martin Nweeia,
sightings. Scientists, on the other hand, do
Researcher, Harvard
not spend as much time observing on the
ground. In the article, some interesting
University
arguments are put forward explaining why
indigenous people can have an edge over scientists: Classical scientific inquiry
works by isolating one aspect of the environment and studying the same. On the
contrary, traditional knowledge looks at things in their entirety of interrelated
aspects. Therefore, indigenous people are more likely to be at ease with
observing complex interactions in their surroundings. This finding is also in
accordance with Martin Nweeia, a dentist and researcher at Harvard and the
Smithsonian Institution, who says, “One voice from an Inuit hunter can be more
significant than 100 scientists.”
“One voice from an Inuit
hunter can be more
significant than 100
scientists.”
Working upon an Inuit’s observation that tusking between narwhals is not a sign
of aggression but a ritualistic behaviour, Nweeia has been able to infer that the
tusk is a sensory organ and is capable of detecting changes in its surroundings.
The article goes onto cite testimonials of many scientists who have collaborated
with indigenous people and received important insights. One such insight is
that narwhals may get cold when satellite tags are embedded onto their backs
by drilling holes.
Nweeia also argues that sticking to a conventional scientific approach of having
large sample sizes may not always be the right approach. He adds that Inuit
hunters have spent their whole lives around narwhals and their knowledge cannot
be questioned. Their lives depend on this knowledge. Hopefully, more
practitioners of the formal scientific institutions would see merit in the words of
Nweeia and realise the importance of the knowledge base of indigenous
communities in deepening scientific understanding.
29
Honey Bee
Loksarvani
(Gujarati version of Honey Bee)
SRISTI, P O Box No. 15050
Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380015, Gujarat
loksarvani@sristi.org
Okra grows rapid, Oleander kills aphid
Trigonella foenum (Methi) protects
Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra)
Use of Nerium indicum (Oleander) to
control aphid
Shri Janakkumar Vrajlal Chauhan
Village: Mayurnagar, Taluka: Hanvad,
District: Surendranagar
Pin: 363330
Shri Maheshbhai Jairambhai Lakhatriya
Village: Devipur, Taluka: Hanvad, District:
Surendranagar
Pin-363330
Janakbhai uses flour/fine powder of
Trigonella foenum-graecum (methi) in
Aphids are observed more in vegetable
plants, especially in winters with cloudy
atmosphere. The
curling of leaves
indicates
the
presence
of
Aphids. When such
a situation arises,
Maheshbhai
Lakhatriya uses
Nerium Indicum.
He takes two kg of
Nerium Indicum
leaves
and
crushes them. This
is mixed with 5
liters of water and
allowed
to
decompose for five
to six days. Then
the mixture is
boiledand diluted
with water in the
ratio of 150 ml
mixture per 15
litres of water and then sprinkled. It gives
good results against aphids and other
sucking pests. Maheshbhai further adds
in Abelmoschus esculentus (bhindi)
crop. He soaks one kg of fine powdered
flour of methi in water for three days.
This solution gradually becomes sticky
and dense (thick). On the third day,
it is diluted for easy sprinkling and
sprayed with a broom. Usually, one kg
methi flour is enough to sprinkle on one
“Vigha”.
Fenugreek appears very resistant to
attacks by insects and animal
enemies. The peculiar smell of the
fenugreek plants and seeds may be a
possible factor for their resistance to the
attack of insects ( Snehlata et.al, 2012.
International
Journal
of
Current
Pharmaceutical Review and Research, 2(4),
169-187)
that by keeping the mixture airtight, the
rate of decomposition increases rapidly.
Nerium species have been found
effective against woolly aphids.
Scout: Ketan V. Sur
Contd.. from page 25
Paulose knows that honey bees
pollinate cardamom flowers. He
allows natural colonization of bees
and has instructed his workers not
to disturb them. Honey bee boxes
are placed randomly to facilitate
cross pollination. There are more
than 300 honey bee colonies in his
farm thriving on the soil mounds or
under the branches of shade
providing trees.
Due to minimal weeds and no
requirement for chemical inputs, his
labour requirement is very low. He is
only 3 labourers compared to 90
labourers in other much smaller
fields.
He has been getting sustainable
yield of 1600 kg/acre. In an average
he harvests about 2-5 kg of dried
cardamom. The fruits are thicker, and
round with heavier seeds.
Farmers like Paulose are on daily
basis setting up new benchmarks
for efficient yet sustainable farming.
Stories like these tend to inspire
farmers elsewhere and push them
to set their standards higher. Such
peer pressure for innovation can be
very healthy for agricultural growth.
Documented by
P.Vivekanandan, SEVA, 45 TPM Nagar,
Viratipattu,Madurai- 16.
Dr Vardarjan,
Scientist, ICRI,
Myladumpara, Kerala
30
SHODHYATRA
A road that walks! 29thShodhYatra, May 23-30, 2012 – Part II
Continued from HB23(3)...
Walking through the forest, the shodhyatris noticed labourers
drying and bundling tendu leaves used for making
beedis.The contractor would buy a bundle of fifty leaves and
pay Rs 75 for hundred bundles. A person could make a
maximum of 60 bundles a day. The leaves had to be dried
for two to three days before being bundled. The whole
process had to be carried out in about eight to ten days
in a year.
On the way from Sunkota to Bhadakoi, villagers told about
a popular soyabean variety viz., Patel 85. Nobody knew the
original source of the variety. There were two other varieties
that farmers grew here viz., Atal and Sonia. The first one
produced pink flowers while the latter had dark greyish
flowers. After hearing beautiful songs from Shantilalji, the
yatris learnt that Nayapura was a village free of liquor. The
community shared various practices on health, food, and
clothes. For instance, the extract of seeds of palash [Butea
monosperma (Lam.) Taub.] with neem [Azadirachta Indica]
was reported to be effective against skin diseases like
eczema. The seeds of lotus flower can help controlling
diarrhoea. Several indicators of rain and other climatic
factors were shared. One such insight was that when a
chameleon’s neck turned black, rain was expected after
two-three days. The number of times it moved its neck up
and down per minute seemed to indicate the days after
which rains might come.
basil, etc. In Gularpura, a recipe competition was organised
in which several interesting recipes of local plants were
shared. In the biodiversity competition, Vivek and Puja
brought 30 and 18 plants respectively with their uses. In
Panchor, we gave a small quiz to the children asking them
to modify the design of a matchstick to make it last more.
Quickly came the responses. Ajay suggested putting the
powder on both sides of the stick and Jitendra suggested
having a liquid phosphorous in a pot to soak the stick and
dry it as many times as necessary. The response from the
children was very encouraging. Ajay also suggested why
we couldn’t have a moving road instead of the conventional
means of transport. Ankit thought of a machine, which floats
on water and clean it. He also suggested a remote
controlled tractor. Notwithstanding their low economic
conditions, the aspirations and imaginations of the children
were not constrained.
In Lodadhi village, communities shared much knowledge
involving use of clipped human nails, leaves of Vincarosia,
31
Dharamveer Kamboj was very popular, not only because
of his machine, but also for his saga of struggle which
touched many. Beginning his life as a rickshaw driver, how
he moved ahead as the developer of the multi-purpose
food processing machine inspired everybody. Many felt that
the shodhyatra should be longer so as to spend more time
with the people. Some volunteered for follow up and some
offered to help in the organisation of a future shodhyatra.
On the way back, a colourful house reminded us that what
we learnt was much less than what remained to be done.
Ajay and his friends
After giving a knowledge register to the sarpanch, the yatris
moved towards Bejala village. An unusual spectre was a
dance by horses trained for the purpose. A farmer had
purchased the horses and trained them to dance at various
ceremonies. Some of the shodhyatris were discomforted
with the idea of animals being made to perform in this
manner. In Chanakaran, we met Prahalad Sharma who had
developed a machine to separate husk and other impurities
and clean the grains. In Sotia, a knowledge register was
shared with a local teacher.
In the feedback session on the last day, yatris shared their
reflections. Kantibhai used an interesting metaphor and
said that many people were like Sahdev, who knew many
things but shared only when asked. Some of the shodhyatris
were overwhelmed by the fruits and other things they got
from local communities with no expectation of reciprocity.
The yatris noted instances where villagers acknowledged
learning from their daughters-in-law, who brought new
knowledge with them.
If many more shodhyatras are not organised in different
parts of the country regularly, a lot of knowledge would get
lost. The erosion of knowledge was never more rapid than
in the current times. Time will tell if the shodhyatra
stemmed some erosion, made a few embankments of
empathetic boulders. Through the hard soil, hard times,
soft hearts and timeless memories, the shodhyatra
continues.
A call for innovative ideas and technologies for the elimination of child labour!
SRISTI in collaboration with ILO is organising an open, nation-wide
Case and Idea Competition involving leading engineering colleges and
research institutions, individuals and groups in a transparent manner.
Ideas are sought for alternative technologies that could eliminate
child labour in construction, textile, handloom, manufacturing,
sanitation, street vending, tea dhabas, and other sectors.
Deadlines
7th April, 2013: Last date for submission to nochildlabour@sristi.org
15th April, 2013: Workshop of contributors of shortlisted ideas and experts
30th April, 2013: Compilation of ideas in a publically available digital book
Send your ideas to: nochildlabour@sristi.org
For more details about rules and eligibility, please visit the following link:
http://creativityatgrassroots.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/884/
32
CULTURALLY ALIVE
Gopal: A street artist
anything that comes from unexpected
quarters! It takes time to sink in.
How does it feel that on the eve of
republic day, when you are talking to a
“beggar” (that’s how people address
him), you learn that he was born in 1947,
the year of independence? One cannot
help but draw analogies between his
life, journey and struggle after more than
six decades of sovereign existence. As
the saga unfolded, my exasperation
kept on soaring like that of mercury in
the desert summers! Chinaswamy
Gopal, the man in rags, sits outside
Rajiv Gandhi park, about half a kilometre
from Bahauddin Science College, which
is distinguished as the oldest science
college in Gujarat. He cleans the nearby
Jain temple that pays for his food.
Passersby and visitors occasionally
throw a few coins, sometimes in
appreciation of his art or in respect of
the gods/goddesses he draws now and
then. With these coins he buys the
chalks and colours he needs. He says,
“People mistake me for a beggar, that’s
their view. I can’t change. But mind it, I
am not a beggar, I am an artist.” And for
the readers, I want to share that these
words are not translated from any of the
regional languages, he actually said
these with a typical European accent.
For a second, it was difficult to grasp
what he said. I must admit that we fail to
identify or recognise or appreciate
Gopal was born in Bangalore in 1947.
He remembers growing up seeing the
Secretariat being built. He says that the
labourers worked in very bad conditions,
many died while carrying the stones
(granite). He lived with his mother and
grandmother. His father died when he
was very young. He left home in 1971 to
work for a blacksmith cum trader from
Bengal who used to make horse shoes.
He was given the task of hitting the
hammer when the shoe was made. He
stayed with the blacksmith for the next
four- five years and then left the job. All
through the years, he travelled to
different places taking up odd jobs; he
worked as a farm labourer, welder,
driver and sculptor. He worked in Nepal
for sometime where he met a few
Europeans. From them he learnt
English. He met a German tourist who
taught him a few tricks with matchsticks.
It was quite amusing to see him
performing these tricks. He could
actually give a tough competition to the
dexterity of a seasoned magician, I felt.
About 20-24 years ago, he met with an
accident. Labour became his antonym
of survival. Since then, he has travelled
to different places, taken up some job
like that of sweeping or something which
can bring in his food. He makes
drawings with chalks, colours, rangoli
colours, rice, etc. He came to Junagadh
three years back, prior to which he used
to draw near Rajkot station. Gopal
sleeps under the stars in the park,
wakes up at four. After ablutions, he
cleans up the temple and then drinks
tea. It takes about 15-20 min for him to
make the drawing on the floor and then
he sits there. There might be famous
artists who paint amazing pictures, but
his techniques were so smooth and
fast. The ease with which he made the
sketches can hold anybody’s attention.
He drew a “5” and then asked us, “What
is this?” It appeared astonishing that he
was asking me such a simple question,
a question that is better asked to a
nursery kid. So, as if doubting my ears,
I asked, “What?” to which he repeated,
“What is this?” I said, “FIVE” and then
within seconds he made it into a lion
and then he made it sit, sleep, stand,
wiping a part and drawing it in another
form. Next he made a mouse which
turned into a squirrel, rabbit, caterpillar,
deer and a kangaroo in just a couple of
minutes. He drew a beautiful girl who
held a diya in her palms, then greeted
‘Namaste’ with folded arms, after that
turned into lord Shiva, Hanuman and
Ganesha, successively. He says, “To
learn any art form, the mantra is simple.
Passion and practice.” Gopal assured
that with practice I too, would be able to
learn his art.
He showed us different tricks with
matchsticks and glasses. He could hold
our attention all throughout. A small boy
was loitering around. Seeing him, I
asked Gopal, why didn’t he teach his
art to kids like him. Gopal replied that
he had tried but it was a matter of
interest and also it was easier for them
to beg instead of practicing this.
Occasionally, he paints in the nearby
shops. He used to light incense sticks,
probably to keep away mosquitoes and
also invoke religious feelings in the
passersby (of course to earn a few more
coins) but stopped doing so when he
noticed that the careless dupatta or
anchal caught fire - no, humans are not
careless! They don’t see the art which
is so prominently present, they don’t see
the lion and the birds; with the faint hope
that the gods will draw their attention,
the artist lits up an incense stick. But
that does not help either. Their clothes
caught the smothering darts, may be in
protest for the deliberate blindness!
He fondly remembers his sculptures in
some temple near Surat. We invited him
to Ahmedabad to teach his art to the kids
around, to which he agreed but said that
he would visit only after two months
when the summers set in. He said that
Ahmedabad is colder than Junagadh,
so its better for him to stay in Junagadh
for a couple more months. He said, “I
33
will clean up, shave and come to
Ahmedabad and teach you and other
kids the art. I will get some work in some
temple and in the evening, I will teach.”
I could make out that he thought that the
parks in Ahmedabad would be too cold
for him to sleep. He wanted to go back
home but the postponement took years
and “Now,” he says, “no one would be
alive, neither my grandma nor my
mother. No point going back now. Death
is near and I should wait for it to happen.”
At the fall of the day, he lit up a small
lamp nearby his art work wishing that
some passerby will see the artist in the
beggar!
[Scout: Anamika Dey, Bhimabhai Dhrangi]
Gift Honey Bee to the ones you
love and care for; what could be
a better way to celebrate
creativity and show your love ?
IGNITE Awards (Children’s Innovation): Kite Flying Awards
Rohan Jolly from Angels Public School in Delhi (7th grade) was awarded
the Kite Flying Award at the IGNITE Awards ceremony on November 10,
2012, at IIM Ahmedabad. He came up with the idea of a cellphone
embedded in hand gloves. The Kite Flying Award is given to kids who have
imagined things without being held back by constraints of current day
feasibility.
Almost every year, Rohan and his parents visit their grandparents’ home
in Kashmir which is hardly ten kilometres from the Line of Control between
Indian and Pakistani administered territories. The place is covered with
snow for ten months in a year. During a visit to his grandparents’ place,
Rohan realised that in such an extreme cold weather, it was difficult to
remove glovesand press the buttons of his mobile phone. But, the keys
on the cell phones are too small to be dialled wearing gloves. Moreover,
taking out the mobile phone during snowfall may expose it to water and
it might stop functioning. Rohan then had the idea that a cellphone could
be incorporated within waterproof gloves so as to enable the user to dial
numbers without taking off the gloves. This way phone and hands do not
have to be exposed to snow and freezing weather. This is an exceptionally
observant idea.
Rohan is a big fan of the cartoon series Tom and Jerry and watches football
and cricket. Yuvraj Singh is his favourite sportsman. He is also very curious
about knowing more things. His father says that Rohan watches many
programmes on Discovery Channel. He gives full attention to programmes
where they explain how things are made. There might be many Rohans
in our neighborhoods only waiting for an opportunity to be appreciated.
34
CHIN
Dual mode bicycle - The journey of an informal innovator
Li Yan hails from Handan, in Heibei
province, China. Since his childhood,
he has loved inventing things. On one
occasion he was angry at something
and was holding onto the handle of a
bike so hard that he ended up twisting
it. This made him realise that power
can be transmitted through the handle
as well. He had often seen that much
effort was required to push the pedal
while carrying a heavy load or climbing
up a slope. He wondered whether it
would be possible to move the front
handle in such a way that it generates
extra power for the pedal. He realised
that he needed a fulcrum on which a
lever could be placed and transmission
of power through the handle could be
possible. After many trials, he finally
succeeded in making a handle
powered bicycle.
He had then realised that the handle
sometimes moved too fast making it
difficult to control. When he tried to
reduce the mobility of the handle, it
moved too slow to generate any power.
After pondering for many days about
this problem, one morning he woke up
at 3 am and realised that he could use
a brush to control the movement of the
handle better.
He did not have sufficient savings to
go through with his innovation all by
himself. On occasions, he had to
borrow money from friends. But there
was no point in the development
process where he doubted himself.
He has also developed a tandem
bicycle deploying the same handle
principle.
Childhood
He had a few problems in the initial
model for turning the bike while driving
it. However, during the early part of his
life he was a car mechanic and with
his experience he designed a shaft
that kept the handle steady while
turning.
As a child Li was always on the
lookout for making new things. At the
age of 12, he made an apparatus to
light a firework safely. He used a
tungsten filament. The heat of the
filament lighted the wick of the firework.
He liked to experiment with circuits as
a child. At the age of 10, he
successfully made a doorbell after
studying a circuit diagram in a book.
He used a car horn in that setup. His
mother was very supportive of his
hobbies to make new inventions and
he would come up with ideas for
creating something new all the time.
Product development and marketing
He was not quite sure whether he
should take his products to market.
He felt he did not have the necessary
finances for the initial investments and
working capital. However, he has
carried out market surveys and he
found that many people are interested
in his innovations.
The positive
feedback has encouraged him and
now he wants to introduce the product
into the market. However, he admits
that though there are many provisions
in the national policy to provide credit,
it is still very difficult to access credit.
He believes that it would be better to
find a manufacturer to whom he can
license the product. He feels he also
does not have enough drive left to
become an entrepreneur at his age.
However, he derives satisfaction in the
fact that he has made a truly useful
product.
35
NEWS & VIEWS
The Second International Conference on Creativity and
Innovation at Grassroots(ICCIG), China and India
The second ICCIG Conference was
organised at Tianjin (Dec 3-4, 2012),
China and Ahmedabad (Dec 7-8, 2012),
India. The Conference aimed at gauging
the state-of-the-art, reinforcing the
Network’s values, and consolidating the
lessons learned over the last 24 years.
The conference was formally
inaugurated by Prof Zhang Jiaxing, the
President of TUFE. He emphasised the
fruitful association of SRISTI and TUFE
since 2004. He talked about the need to
tripping machine, Gujarat], Dipak Bharali
[Magnetic bobbin for design making in
handlooms, Assam] and C Mallesham
[Asu making machine, Andhra Pradesh]
were also present.
Many Chinese innovators, collaborators
and policymakers actively engaged with
the Indian and other international
delegates. Some of the innovators
featured in the Network’s publications
like Chen Guangxing, Lv Shengzhan,
students, posters of HBN, SRISTI & NIF,
videos of Indian innovators and
grassroots based products from HBN
was also arranged. The attendees were
made aware of the CHIN database of
3000 practices made by TUFE.
Dr. Yoslan Nur of UNESCO talked about
the policy implications of integrating
GRIs in the national innovation
ecosystem. He reiterated how critical
innovation is for poverty alleviation. He
also talked about the threat of copying
of simple low tech innovations –
problem of IP, special fund support for
GRI and NGO as a driver for promoting
GRI. Prof. Roberto Rendon Medel from
UNAM, Mexico, dwelled upon the various
kinds of social networks in the context
of grassroots innovation.
Prof Jose Vargas-Hernandez from
Mexico highlighted the need for sociocultural aspects to be involved in the
development plan. He added that social
capital
needs
protection
and
conservation. Soyeon Yang of the Hope
Institute, South Korea, put forward ways
to solve social problems by
collaboration of various sectors.
Motomura Takuto, Founder Granma Inc.,
talked about ‘grassroots to Global (g2G)’
and how he was inspired by HBN’s work
and vision.
mobilise students to participate in the
innovation activity of GRI. He also
discussed a common avenue platform
for innovative solutions.
Prof Gupta emphasised that of the 70
countries outside India where HBN has
set foot, the greatest support has come
from China.
Over 65 delegates from different
countries viz. India, China, South Africa,
South Korea, Zimbabwe, Switzerland,
Japan, Mexico and Germany took part
in the conference. Innovators
associated
with
the
Network, Mansukhbhai Patel [Cotton s
Ding Wendou, and Li Rong Biao were
also present at the event. Dignitaries
from the Chinese academia, industry
and polity expressed their views and
concerns about grassroots innovators
and methods for their inclusion. Many
interesting projects by TUFE students
were showcased. Some of these were
not only novel but also had maturity and
pragmatism of the kind associated with
seasoned practitioners.
Li Jun, Director of Competition
Department talked about a Science &
Technology competition for innovation
based activity. An exhibition displaying
innovators of China, projects of TUFE
Prof Anil K Gupta proposed a shodhyatra
in Hunan province or central China to
understand knowledge system.
Dr. Anand Prakash, Chief Secretary,
Andaman & Nicobar, India spoke on the
administrative actions taken by the
government for protecting and
promoting the traditional knowledge of
the islanders.
Dr. Vinita Sharma from the Department
of Science & Technology, India, threw
light on various technological examples
like micro-propagation of banana, a
Rural Technology Park, honey hunter
36
dress, etc. where DST has supported
projects for inclusion and uplifting of
grassroots, poor communities and
women.
The Chinese section of ICCIG ended on
a high note with innovators admitting to
have gained better understanding of Prof
Liyan Zhang and her team’s work in
China and passionately demanding a
stronger network there.
Twenty five years back HBN sowed
seeds in India. Now green shoots are
emerging in many pockets around the
world.
In the second part of the Conference at
IIM Ahmedabad, about 150 participants
including innovators and teachers from
different countries participated in the
discussions over two days. The
sessions started on a nostalgic note.
Prof Kuldeep Mathur recounted his
association with Prof Anil K Gupta and
the early days of struggle which he and
the other members and supporters of
the Network went through to make the
Honey Bee Network a thriving reality.
The Ahmedabad section of the
conference deliberately allowed for
interactive sessions. Discussions took
place on topics of incentives to
grassroots innovators, intellectual
property protection, alternative models
of incentives and attribution, structures
of dynamic and static multilingual
databases, strengthening online and
offline platforms, identifying policy gaps,
making innovation ecosystem more
robust, respecting and promoting
cultural creativity, education, and tools
for promoting a creative pedagogy.
In his introductory speech, Prof. Kuldeep
Mathur described the challenges faced
by Honey Bee Network during the initial
stages of the journey. Although there
was a huge inventory of traditional
knowledge and practices, the challenge
was collecting the available information
on innovations and documenting them
into a database.
Dr. Susantha Goonatilake, President of
Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka,
emphasised upon the importance of
open source network in grassroots
innovations. Amrutbhai Agrawat, Life
Time Achievement Awardee, NIF, shared
experiences of his journey with the
Honey Bee Network from 1988 and
appreciated the support and respect
given to grassroots innovators by the
Honey Bee Network.
Dr. Vipin Kumar, Chief Innovation Officer,
NIF, stated that NIF has been
maintaining a national register of more
than 1,70,000 grassroots innovations
and
practices.
International
collaborations have been made through
the grassroots to Global (g2G) program
for technology transfer and the
awareness building across the world
for grassroots innovation. Prof. Anil K
Gupta then stated the various policy
gaps in the Honey Bee Network and
possible ways to bridge them.
Dr. Sang E Lee from USAID expressed
her organisation’s interest in helping
grassroots innovators, who have
developed innovative solutions to social
problems, in terms of economic as well
as technical support. She added that
innovation is not only in the product or
technology form but also the process or
novel mechanism which led to the
change in current practices for reducing
drudgery. She said, the media,
especially social media which now
comprises many ICT initiatives, can play
an important role in showcasing various
innovations and help in its diffusion and
possible commercialisation.
In the chair speech, Prof. M R Dixit, CIIE,
IIM Ahmedabad, talked about the
desirability of linking the formal and
informal sector. Dr. Dinesh K. Abrol,
NISTADS, cited the example of CSIR
which has established a network of 18
laboratories to link the formal sector with
the informal sector. Finally, Prof. Dixit
added that the two sectors may not
always give the expected results, a
couple of examples showed that the link
may not always yield the right results.
However, it is important to open the eyes
of the formal sector to the ingenuity of
the informal sector. Prof. Sanjay Verma
of IIM-A, Alexander Grots and K C
Bhanoo together raised a very important
point that technology today is reaching
masses at a much faster pace
compared to finance. Alexander Grots
stated that ICT makes the innovation
work. It needs to be assessed whether
information technology has reached the
grassroots to act as a proper medium
of communication in India?
There was a session on cultural
creativity chaired by Dr. Paul Shrivastava
and Dr. Mallika Sarabhai. Paul
emphasised on looking at the earth as
a piece of art. Mallika performed a skit
highlighting male chauvinism using a
plot from mythology. The session was
brought alive by puppetry and bhavai
music.
When did you meet an innovator last?
37
Dr. Adrian Smith, SPRU and STEPS
Centre, and Prof Shamnad Basheer,
Chair Intellectual Property Law, NUJS
talked about patents. Basheer
described various types of patents and
argued about the quality of patent
applications!
The Ahmedabad Declaration was
drafted taking into view ideas from
Tianjin and Ahmedabad. The
declaration can be viewed on the
following
link:
http://
iccig.wordpress.com/ahmedabaddeclaration/
Collaboration between NIF and Tata
Agrico
a g r i c u l t u r a l
implements. Dr Vipin
Kumar
(Chief
Innovation Officer NIF), T V S Shenoy
(Chief Agrico Div.) , Dr
Sumitesh Das (Chief
Global
Research
Program)
were
present during the
signing of the MOU
along
with
the
innovator of the sugar
cane bud chipper Mr
Roshan
Lal
Vishwakarma
of
Madhya Pradesh.
Renewal of technology transfer
An MOU was signed on January 6, 2013
at the Tata Center, between the National
Innovation Foundation-India and Tata
Agrico to collaborate in the areas of
GIAN West & NIF facilitated the renewal
of technology transfer of Solar Natural
Water Cooler of Arvindbhai Patel,
Ahmedabad to M/s Khodke Agro
Products Pvt. Ltd.,
Amrawati.
Under this the entrepreneur would
have exclusive manufacturing and
marketing right in the state of
Maharasthra.
The IGNITE-12 Award Function was organised
by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF)
on November 10, 2012 at RJMCEI auditorium, IIM
Ahmedabad. The former President of India, Bharat
Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam conferred the awards
on the 36 winners. Overall 14889 student
submissions from 282 districts of 30 states and
union territories of the country were received in
the period between September 11, 2011 to August
31, 2012. In addition to the main awards, a new
category ‘Kite Flying Awards’ was introduced by
NIF to recognise those ideas which do not appear
to be rational today but may become a reality
tomorrow. Some other children were selected as
‘special mentions’ during the event. NIF filed
patents in name of the students for all applicable
cases. The patent related documents were
handed over to the children. Prototypes were also
developed in as many cases as possible. Dr
Kalam inspired the audience by his memorable
lecture on how each one of us is born with
IGNITE 2012 Award Function
greatness. He exhorted everyone to dream big, no matter what, by saying,
“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires, will come to you”
He added, “Education gives you wings to fly. Participation in a programme like IGNITE gives an opportunity to think of out of the box
solutions. Achievement comes out of fire in our sub-conscious mind that “I will win”. So, each one of you assembled here and elsewhere,
will have “Wings of Fire”. The wings of fire will indeed make you a great inventor, or a discoverer who will be remembered by the society
for their unique societal contribution.” He concluded with the famous verses of 13th century Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi modified to
suit the occasion:
Wings to Fly
“I am born with potential. - I am born with goodness and trust. - I am born with ideas and dreams. - I am born with
greatness. - I am born with confidence. - I am born with wings. - So, I am not meant for crawling, - I have wings, I will fly I will fly and fly”
38
RECIPE
Health and taste together
Mahua Jalebi
Ingredients: Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers, wheat
flour, salt, sugar (as per sweetness required).
Method
Roast mahua flowers
in a pan and then boil
them. Drain the water
completely and keep it
in a vessel and mash
boiled flowers with
hands or crush them.
Heat the mixture. Now,
use the boiled water of
mahua flowers in
wheat flour to make the
dough. Add some salt
into it. Squeeze the
jalebi batter out in the hot oil in a pretzel shape to about
2 inches in diameter. Fry the jalebis until golden-brown on
both sides. Transfer into the warm sugar syrup (only if
additional sweetness is required). Let jalebis soak in the
hot syrup for a few seconds and take out. Serve hot.
Note: Mahua flowers are naturally sweet. So sugar syrup should
be administered as per taste.
Contribution- Sumanbai Gond, Village- Samapura Dist. Sehore,
Madhya Pradesh. This was documented during 29th Shodhyatra
Jamonia Dam - Talab, Sehore District, Madhya Pradesh.
She secured the first
position in the Recipe
Competition held during
the Shodhyatra. When
shodhyatris, impressed
with the mahua jalebis
asked Suman, would she
like to come to Sattvik,
the annual traditional
food festival organized by
SRISTI,
another
participant,
Manisha
Verma, replied, “Yes, I
may
consider
that
provided there is a prize
like in the TV program,
Master Chef.”
Multigrain pizza
Ingredients
Base- 250g mixed grain atta (To make 8 pizza bases),
¼ tsp carom seeds, salt as per taste, 1 tbsp curd, water
for binding
Sauce- 1 cup curd, 2 tbsp gram flour, ¾ tsp sesame seeds,
garlic- 4 cloves crushed, salt as per taste, water 2-3 cups
Topping- 300g Yam, 100g brinjal, 100g green garlic, 1
medium sized pomegranate seeds
Oil, mustard oil, salt as per taste, black pepper as per
taste, chat masala to sprinkle on top.
Method
Base- Take atta in a large bowl and add salt and carom
seeds in it. Add curd and mix well. Now add water to knead
it like dough. Cover and keep aside to set. After resting the
dough, divide it into 8 equal portions and roll each dough
ball into a roti of about 3 to 3.5 inch in diameter. Cook these
rotis/bases on a tawa with a few drops of oil. Cook till both
the sides become crisp and golden brown.
Sauce- Add salt and pepper to curd and keep it aside.
Roast the gram flour in a pan till it emits aroma. Remove
it from the flame and keep it aside. In a separate pan, add
little oil. When oil is sufficiently hot, add sesame seeds
and let them sputter. Now add garlic and sauté for some
time. Put the gram flour and mix well. Now slowly add water
to the gram flour and stir continuously to avoid lump
formation. Put the salt and let sauce thicken on medium
low flame.
Now, that is some ambition in a tribal village where many
people have not gone outside the district, some
never outside the state like Sumanbai. Perhaps someday
someone will make a popular dish out of the recipes and
share benefits with the contributing communities. The
demand for mahua flowers in this way might wean many
of the tribals away from liquor as well.
When did you confess to your children last that you did not know the answer to their question?
39
Toppings- Yam- Peel and steam them in a pressure cooker.
When cooked, cut it into small cubes. Roast these pieces
on tawa with little oil till they turn crispy. Season with salt
and pepper and set aside.
Contribution: Stuti Shah (Participant in
Sattvik, 2012)
Brinjals (Eggplants/Aubergines)- Cut the brinjal into round
slices, sprinkle a little salt on them and let them rest for
few minutes. Roast these slices on the tawa with a little
oil till they are cooked and golden brown on both the sides.
Green garlic- Take the chopped green garlic and sauté it
in a little mustard oil. Season with a little salt and set aside.
Assembling the pizza- On a base spread a thin layer of
curd followed by a layer of gram flour sauce. Put a slice
of brinjal and then cover the pizza with a layer of yam
pieces. Sprinkle green garlic and pomegranate seeds and
a little chat masala and serve.
High in protein and zinc
Recipe Competition,
Steamed multigrain basket chat
Ingredients:
Basket- ¼ cup ragi flour, ¼ cupcorn flour, ¼ cup barley flour,
¼ cup jowar flour, ¼ cup pearl millet (bajra) flour, 1 tbsp
soy flour, 2 tbsp ginger garlic chilly paste, ½ tsp carom
seeds (Ajwain) , 1 tsp sesame seeds, Salt-As per taste,
Mix green leafy vegetables. Puree- As per consistency.
Contribution: Stuti Shah (Participant in Recipe Competition,
Sattvik, 2012)
Rajma tikki
Low in calorie, rich in antioxidants, high in fibre.
Ingredients
250g Rajma (kidney beans), 1 medium sized potato (boiled
and peeled), 2 medium sized finely chopped onions, 1
tsp finely chopped ginger, 2 finely chopped green chillies,
100g finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, 1 tsp roasted
cumin seeds powder, 1 tsp coriander powder.
Method
Soak rajma overnight and then boil with a little salt. Drain
the boiled rajma and keep aside. Heat a little oil in a pan
and sauté ginger, green chillies and onions in it till it turns
golden brown. Add the boiled rajma and potato in it. Saute
till the moisture has evaporated. Add salt, coriander leaves,
coriander powder and cumin seed powder in it. Mash
everything together. Once the mixture has cooled, take
small portions and form small tikkis. The mixture should
yield almost 60 tikkis. Shallow fry the tikkis till it turns
golden brown. Serve hot with green chutney.
Filling- Finely chopped cucumber, onion, 2 tbsp beetroot
and tomatoes , 2 tbsp sprouted green gram (mung), 2 tbsp
pomegranate seeds, wood apple, dates and tamarind
chutney- as per taste, green coriander chutney- as per
taste, 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbsp sev,
salt as per taste.
Method- Mix all the flours and add ginger-garlic-chilli paste,
salt, sesame seeds and carom seeds in it. Make dough
by adding a small amount of water. Make small baskets
from the dough. Steam them in a steamer. In a bowl, add
finely chopped vegetables, chat masala, coriander leaves
and mix well. Boil the sprouted mung and add the boiled
sprouts in bowl containing filling mixture. Now, add this
filling in baskets and top it with both the chutneys. Garnish
it with sev and serve.
Contribution: Hina Raval (Participant in
Sattvik,2011)
Recipe Competition,
Share your recipes, which have preferably at least one
uncultivated plant as an ingredient or has some
nutritional value. You can also share stories which
convey concern for nature or some intriguing aspect
of human creativity. Mail to us at honeybee@sristi.org
mentioning “recipe/story” in the subject.
40
DIALOGUE

Medicinal plants in our garden
Mamta Shrivastav
mamtashrivastav1234@gmail.com
I’m a student of BAJM and a regular
member of Honey Bee. My father is a
herbal healer and we have our own
herbal garden in which we grow herbs/
vegetables and prepare various
Ayurvedic products. We have some rare
medicinal plant species collected by my
father. He has a lot of experience in tribal
medicines. I want to share these with
Honey Bee members. Hope to hear
from you at the earliest.
Welcome to the Honey Bee Network Mamta.
Please send your detailed documentation
with photographs of the plants and scientific
names to sristi100@gmail.com and we will
promptly acknowledge. We also have a lab
that can take up your products for evaluation
and further value addition if you wish to share
them with larger society. -Ed.

idea is to get to know who is using the Honey
Bee Network databases and sites and see if
some of them can become future
collaborators. Nobody has been denied
access. I will look into other ways of making
it more user-friendly. Keep sending your
suggestions and if you locate an editor and
web admin let us know please. -Ed.

Want to work with Honey Bee
Network
Pranoy Guduru
gpranoy@gmail.com
I am a final year engineering
student. Ever since I saw your TED talk,
I’m greatly inspired to put my education
to solve public issues. I like your work
and would like to help in all possible
ways. I can help in improving
indiainnovates.com and sristi.org. I can
also promote Gandhian Young
Technological Innovation Award in my
college as well as in neighbouring
colleges.
Feedback on websites
K Singh
triveni.2com@gmail.com
A few observation on Honey Bee
Network, SRISTI and NIF websites
User interface: The result page must
show me number of results on each
page (this is usually at the end of the
page at the bottom), it should also be at
the top.
h t t p : / / w w w. s r i s t i . o r g / h b n e w /
seeking_solution.php There must be a
prize to motivate people for each of the
problems. The solution must be posted
on your website or at least the person
who one can go to for help.
The search algorithm on the sites
should be improved to give relevant
results. What is the point of searching
the Honey Bee Magazine database
when the door is barred? One needs to
register and give quite a lot of details.
In “Honey Bee published details”
section, the user does not know what
all is available in the database.
So some headings should be provided
so that he/she can locate what he wants.
Many thanks for all the suggestions. We are
looking for someone well versed in content
management to fix many of these things. The
You may develop an app through which
students can submit summaries of their final
year projects directly into the techpedia.in
database. You can possibly start from
the scratch indiainnovates.com as a single
point window to the innovative face of our
country.
Please help us to mobilise entries from
various local polytechnics, engineering,
pharmacy and other colleges for GYTI
(Gandhian Young Technological Innovation)
Awards. In addition if you can collect the
summary of the projects done with title, name
of the students, faculty guide, department,
college, abstract, year and contact
information, it would be very helpful. -Ed.

Volunteering in SRISTI activities
Pallavi Modi
pallavimodi@gmail.com
I am an active follower of all your updates
and posts & I saw today’s post for
volunteers. I am interested to work for
SRISTI projects. I am Chandigarh
based and would like to work online on
the designing of the websites of
sristi.org,
techpedia.in
or
indiainnovates.com, also for
a) Promoting Gandhian Young
Technological Innovation Awards (http:/
/www.techpedia.in/award)
b) Mobilizing summaries and/or full
projects of last three years from
technical colleges (polytechnics,
degree
colleges,
pharmacy,
engineering, agriculture, undergraduate
or post graduate) for uploading with due
credit at techpedia.in from all over the
country. Idea is to promote originality,
forge lateral links and link academia
with MSME and informal sector
problems.
c) Data entry work, converting about
25000 word files of projects into
database format for uploading on
techpedia.in.
I hope my location is not
a hindrance. Many thanks for giving us
the opportunity to work with you. During
our stay at Ahmedabad, we couldn’t do
much. But I feel through this opportunity,
we can learn so much from you.
Nice
to
hear
about
your
accomplishments.Would you like to try
redesigning
www.sristi.org/cultural
and create an e-commerce platform
so that people can pay as they wish for
downloading the content of the creative
people? -Ed.

Documentary on Grassroots
Innovators
Amaresh Jha
jha.amaresh@gmail.com
I am inspired by your work, life and
vision. Your contribution in the field of
searching, recognizing and promoting
the rural innovations is unmatched.
What I’m planning right now is
production of a TV documentary on these
innovators. I have so far produced more
than 1000 special stories for leading TV
channels of India. But, producing a
documentary on rural innovators is a
new concept for me. And, the biggest
challenge is to compel the audience to
watch these innovations on television.
As you have visited every corner of the
country in search of such innovators, I
understand that no one else can paint
the canvas better. I will look forward for
your contribution in many ways in this
endeavour. I expect your kind
suggestions and guidance on the
concept.
I will be happy to discuss this idea further.
We could think of a series which goes
beyond innovations into the whole realm of
creativity and then we could discuss each
episode on a blog. -Ed.
41

Work with the Honey Bee
Network
Shen Xi Tey
shenxi_tey_2006@hotmail.com
I am an undergraduate student
studying aerospace engineering in
University Science of Malaysia. I have
just started my second semester a
few days ago and was assigned to
do a brief research on the Honey Bee
Network.
The organisation’s effort has gained
tremendous respect from students in
University Science of Malaysia. We
are curious, and would like to know
more about HBN. I have learned that
HBN has helped a lot of the base-ofpyramid population in India. Please
tell us by what means can the poor
approach the Network if they have
ideas that they want to share? How
locals from rural areas can be alerted
about the organisation?
Please read our open content at the blog
sristi.org/anilg, as well as creativityat
grassroots.wordpress.com and our sites
sristi.org and nifindia.org. I am very happy
to see your interest in HBN and hope that
some of you can take up the initiative to
form a Honey Bee club. We are keen to
start a Malay, Chinese and Tamil language
newsletter also for local communities. Ed.

Help in dissertation topic
Iosto Ibba
iostoibba@yahoo.it
I’m an Italian student currently involved
in an international master called MiDIC
- Master in Development, Innovation
and Change, held at Bologna
University. I have always been
concerned with indigenous people’s
issues. I have worked for an
Argentinean NGO as an intern to
develop indigenous and governmental
capabilities in addressing relevant
democratic
consultation.
My
dissertation was on the concept of
justifiability of indigenous people’s
rights.This time, with regard to a
possible PhD proposal, I thought I
could focus on indigenous traditional
knowledge and their traditional
innovation capacity. Is it a feasible
topic? Would you be available to give
me some suggestion or additional
hint? Can I send you further information
about my ideas? Is there any possibility
to ask for some academic advice or
guidance regarding my proposal? If so,
whom can I ask?
Sure. Please go through various papers at
my blog sristi.org/anilg particularly one on
contested domain and another on
giving creativity it’s due. Last one is
available at Harvard University site too.
Look forward to hear at greater length. All
the best. -Ed.

Discovered an Innovator
Mahulkar, Amol
amol.mahulkar@ge.com
After a conference, I was actively
observing people and their innovative
ways of making things easy by
innovating new patterns & tools. Few
days before I discovered an innovative
juice seller who had developed a mobile
sugarcane juicer. I am planning to
surface his story in grass root
innovations forum. Need your help &
support in understanding the way of
doing it and right forum for it
join the Honey Bee Network and I
hope I’ll get a chance to work with you.
Good to hear from you, Sarvodaya. Looking
forward to see you when you are here.
Also send me some more specific ideas
about what and where you can make a
unique contribution. -Ed.

Shodhyatra
Karishma Vyas
karishma.vyas@gmail.com
I’m a television producer based in
New Delhi. I had written to you a few
months back on behalf of American
news channel NBC who were
interested in joining you on one of
your innovation discovery yatras. Can
you please tell me if this is still the
case?
Most likely our next Yatra is in Vidharbha
from May 5 to 12. See you soon. - Ed

Want to contribute to HBN
Gabriel Brückner
gabriel.brueckner@gmx.de
Very nice to hear this! Can you send the
photos and a bit more information? Looking
forward to hear from you soon. -Ed.
In September 2009, you visited our
school for a conference on
sustainability.

After your speech we talked about
your achievements in India (the Honey
Bee Network). I visited the Honey Bee
Network website and wish to contribute
or volunteer in any way. I want to be
out in the field and work on real
projects to solve real problems. I am
about to finish my degree in Product
Design.
Wish to create “Systematic
Inventive Thinking”
Sarvoday Bishnoi
sarvoday.bishnoi@gmail.com
I’m really interested in Honey Bee
Network. I just quit my job and am
coming back to India. I’ve been very
interested in working at bottom of
pyramid since I read book by C. K.
Prahalad.
I’m 27, and have spent more than 19
years in a small town and I’m
passionate about doing something
related to innovations in rural India as
I firmly believe (and I found same in
your talk at TED) that these small but
important innovations will help to bring
people in rural areas at a platform
where they will be able to inspire others.
I want to make it an innovation story
which is required by India in the current
scenario. I want to travel to India and
search for innovative ideas or any other
creation that has helped to make life
easier. I would be more than excited to
Sure, welcome Gabriel. You could work on
a specific product or set if products to
make them look and feel better for local
as well as global use. Please
visit nifindia.org and sristi.org sites and
then we can start discussing which product
you will pick up.
Welcome once again to Honey Bee
Network. - Ed.

Establishing Official Contact at
the Fraunhöfer Institute
Elisabeth Opie
elisabeth.opie@zv-extern.fraunhofer.de
I am fortunate to have attended the
Seventh
Biennial
Grassroots
42
Innovation Awards as part of the Global
Research Alliance delegation in India.
The Awards and Exhibition illustrated
such an extensive and impressive
range of activity fostering and achieving
frugal innovation.
You presented me with a copy of the
book ‘India Innovates’ and I have
shared this with my colleague Denise
Kaske. Denise is the point of contact
at Fraunhofer Headquarters in Munich,
in its dealings with India. By way of
this email, I would like to connect you
with her. I hope that our paths again
meet. In the meantime, wishing you all
the best.
That is very kind of you Elisabeth. The
Honey Bee Network is a life mission for
us and every time we are able to get
recognition to unsung heroes of our society,
we feel vindicated. We will be very happy
to touch base with your colleague in India
and explore synergy in India as well as
globally. -Ed.

or with India. The competition combines
the ideas of http://mit100k.org/ and a
model of business-incubator (http://
ycombinator.com). The joint competition
would help young inventors in India and
Russia to reach venture investors in
both the countries.
I have also explained the idea of a
Russian branch of the Honey Bee
Network to the students of my
department (The Department of
International Relations). They are
inspired to try themselves in this field.
We activated the Honey Bee Network in
China seven years ago and today we have a
database of more than 6500 GRIs there. Stay
in touch and do not hesitate to ask further
questions. We want you to succeed in this
mission. Creative communities and
individuals deserve their space under the
sun and also need our support for making
frugal innovations. – Ed.

on IP and informal sector innovation —
headed by Sacha Wunch-Vincent. I
hope this work gives us a chance to
cross paths in person at some point in
the not-too-distant future.
Meanwhile, I will keep you posted on our
project’s research developments.
I am looking forward to keep in close touch in
the coming year. You can download hundreds
of papers from sristi.org/anilg and pl feel
free to ask for any other information about
what we do. –Ed.
SRISTI is looking for volunteers,
students or others willing to work
on modest stipend basis for four
tasks:
a)
Promoting the Gandhian
Young Technological Innovation
Awards
(http://
www.techpedia.in/award/)
b)
Mobilising summaries and/or
full projects of the last three
years from technical colleges
(polytechnics, degree colleges,
pharmacy,
engineering,
agriculture, undergraduate or
post graduate) for uploading
with
due
credit
on techpedia.in from all over
the country. The idea is to
promote originality, forge lateral
links and link academia with
MSMEs and informal sector
challenges.
c)
Data entry work, i.e. converting
about 25000 word files of
projects into database format
for uploading on techpedia.in).
d)
Those who wish to work on
improving
the
websites
of sristi.org, techpedia.in or
indiainnovates.com an other
sites, are welcome to join us
as well.
Support for a mobile pesticide
sprinkler
Honey Bee in Russia
Vaibhav Arora
p10vaibhava@iimahd.ernet.in
Olga Ustyuzhantseva
olgavust@gmail.com
I am a research fellow and a postgraduate student at Tomsk State
University (Russia, Siberia) studying the
role of regions (states) in innovation
development of India.
During my research I found out about
grassroots innovation movement
initiated by you in Gujarat. I still have
some open questions about how (by
what criteria) to estimate effectiveness
of activity of GIAN, SRISTI etc. However,
these organizations are obviously
creating needed environment for
innovations development.
As for us (Russia), the grassroots
innovations are almost not explored
here – nor at the governmental level, or
in scientific and research circles. There
are some initiatives to support startups
of young inventors. For instance there
is BIT Competition( http://www.bitkonkurs.ru/English)– “entrepreneurship
competition organised each year to help
innovative projects emerge from across
Russia and neighboring countries”. The
organiser of this competition in Siberia
asked me if there is an interest to hold
international competition of this kind in
During a visit to rural parts of Rajasthan
I came across an interesting idea and
thought about sharing it with you. The
idea is about a mobile pesticide
sprinkler- basically a sprinkler and
motor system which receives its drive
from a motorcycle engine.
The idea is implemented by Ramzan
Khan from Palakdi village, Alwar,
Rajasthan. He is currently looking for
support to help him convert this idea into
a business initiative. Please feel free to
reach him directly.
Very interesting. We had awarded Ganesh
Bhai Dodiya for the purpose some years
ago. But it is good to know idea is
spreading. Thank you so much. Keep me
informed whenever you come across such
ideas. -Ed.

Possible future collaboration on
Intellectual Property
Jeremy de Beer
Jeremy.debeer@gmail.com
Though it has been a long while since
our last communication, I have not
forgotten about our ideas to collaborate.
Indeed your name came up often in a
WIPO working group I’m involved with
Those interested may write to
Hiranmay Mahanta at
hiranmay@techpedia.in
(M) 09909959336
Those who excel will get
commendations.
43

Honey Bee

Transcription

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