Indian Innovators by Akshat Agrawal Read Free Book Online

matkas and clicked a few pictures. On February 26, 2011, exactly a month after the earthquake, a leading Gujarati daily, Sandesh carried the pictures on the first page with a caption that translates to “Poor man’s refrigerator shattered”.
     
    This set Mansukhbhai thinking about making an actual refrigerator for the poor.
     
    “Matka hi garibon ka fridge hota hai. Gareeb logon ke paas fridge khareedne ke paise nahin hote, na hi usse chalane ke liye bijli ka bill dene ki kshamata. To maine socha ki kyun na mitti se aisa fridge banaun jo sasta ho aur bijli ke bina chale .” (The clay pot is a refrigerator forthe poor. They do not have the money to buy a refrigerator; nor can they afford to pay electricity bills. So, I thought, why not make a clay refrigerator that is cost-effective and works without using electricity.)
     
    He decided to use the principles employed daily by vegetable vendors in India. During the summer, these vendors cover their vegetables with a wet cloth and keep sprinkling water over it. Evaporation maintains a cooler and stable temperature beneath the cloth and keeps the vegetables fresh.
     
    Meanwhile, a newspaper reporter wrote about Mansukhbhai’s effort to make the clay refrigerator. The news spread like wildfire, and soon, various newspapers were talking about this unimaginable endeavor. People started visiting Mansukhbhai and enquiring about the progress, though in reality, little had been achieved. However, this increased Mansukhbhai’s resolve to realize his dream project. There were several failed attempts, each costing a lot of money.
     
    “After the earthquake, the Gujarat government started giving loans to people to start new businesses, so that more people would get employment, which would help to restore normalcy in Gujarat. I applied for a loan of7 lakh and it was approved. I put all the money toward making the refrigerator, but it still did not reach the required level of cooling. In order to pay the interest on the loan, I had to sell my house. I then sold my push-cart and a few other possessions as well. People started calling me mad.
     
    Then, a miracle happened. Prof Anil Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad heard of my story and came to visit me. He was impressed with the refrigerator and invited me to come to Ahmedabad.
     
    Mujhe laga ki koi loan dila denge, to socha ek baar jaate toh hain Ahmedabad, shayad kuchh kaam ban jae. Par jab main Ahmedabad gaya to unhon ne mujhe GIAN waalon se milaya.” (I thought he would help me get a loan. So, I thought of going to Ahmedabadto see if anything useful could come of the visit. But when I went there, he arranged for a meeting with GIAN.)
     
    GIAN, or Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network, is an incubator of grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge. GIANs have been set up at Ahmedabad and Jaipur to provide incubation support to grassroots innovators in West and North India, respectively. GIAN cells are also present at Tumkur and Madurai in South India, Kashmir University in J&K and the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology in Sikkim. GIAN works in association with the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Honeybee Network and SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions). These organizations share the common purpose of supporting rural innovation.
     
    At GIAN, the manager offered2 lakh to Mansukhbhai to support his work.
     
    “Maine bola ki main zyada byaaz nahin de sakta, to unhon ne kaha ki maine byaaz kab maanga. Ye do lakh rakh lo. Agar fridge achha ban jae aur bikne lage to wapas kar dena, nahin toh koi baat nahin hai. Main to hairan ho gaya. Aise paisa kaun deta hai, koi paper bhi nahi sign karaya. Main toh bahut khush hua. Woh toh bhagwaan banke aaye the mere liye!” (I said I would not be able to pay a high interest. He replied that he wasn’t asking for interest. He wanted me to keep the money and repay it only if the refrigerator becomes a success, otherwise not. I