16(2) April-June 2005

A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Honey Bee Vol 16(2) April - June 2005

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Honey Bee HumsTamil: Herbal Deworming and Organic FarmingPractices ........................................................ 15

Gujarati: A Veterinarian's Experiences ............ 16

Malayalam: Devise for Plucking Mangoes ..... 17

Oriya: Casseroles and Anti-inflammatory Oils 18

Kannada : New Crop Varieties...........................19

Dialogue ....................................................... 22

Contents

Shram aur Shodh Yatra in aidof Tsunami victims .............. 12

Water Triggered Violence : WillTraditional Wisdom Help? ..... 4

My Home or Your Home : A King's Dilemma

Published by Riya Sinha on behalf of Sristi Innovations, B-4, Ravi Niketan, Nehru Park, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015.Printed at M/s Bansidhar Offset, Ahmedabad (Phone: 09825156402).

Ini Karshakan Samsarikkatte (Malayalam)James T J,Peermade Development Society,Peermade, Idukki-685531, [email protected]

Loksarvani (Gujarati) andSujh-Bujh Aas Paas ki (Hindi)SRISTI, P O Box No. 15050, Ambawadi,Ahmedabad-380015. [email protected]@sristi.org

Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)P Vivekanandan, SEVA, 45, T P MNagar, Virattipathu, Madurai - 625010Tamil [email protected]

Honey Bee Regional Collaborators

Aama Akha Pakha (Oriya)Dr Balaram Sahu,3R BP 5/2BP Colony,Unit-8,Bhubaneswar-751012,[email protected]

Hittalagida (Kannada)Dr T N PrakashDepartment of Agricultural Economics,University of Agricultural Science,GKVK,Bangalore-560065,[email protected]

Twisting Roots to constructbridges ................................... 20

Creativity Flows at theInnovation Foundation ......... 14

here were many trees which grew in the king’s garden, but there was aspecial tree. It was huge, solid and its branches provided shelter to numerousbirds, insects and termites. One day, these creatures were engaged in an

animated discussion. They had come to know that the king was planning to cutdown the tree and were worried about what would happen to all of them.

The sparrow wondered why the tree was being cut down. This was, after all theking’s favourite tree and he had never ever allowed anyone to cut its branches.The squirrel told them that the king had noticed a crack on the pillars of hispalace and now wanted the best wood in the kingdom to reinforce the pillar, sothat his palace would not fall.

The bat remarked that it was not fair that the king was sacrificing their home topreserve his palace. “We must do something about this. We can’t let this happen”,he told the others. “But what can we do”, the squirrel asked. “He is the king”.“Oh yes, we can do something. We can all threaten to leave his kingdom, eachbird and animal here. Let us see what he can do about it. He may be the king, buthe can’t stop us. And he can have his kingdom of trees without any life.”

So the ultimatum was delivered to the king. The king did not know what to do.On one hand, his carpenters assured him that this tree was the only one whichcould serve his purpose. Otherwise, he would have to leave his palace. He hadthought that instead of him changing his home, he would make the other creatureschange their home. After all he was the king. He could ask the other creatures toleave their homes. But now, he was faced with a choice of having no birds andanimals in his kingdom. Could he live in a place where the birds did not chirp andthe ants did not work?

What did he do ? What would you do ? Please write to us your reaction soon.The best responses will be published in the next issue and the respondents willget a free subscription for Honeybee for one year.

Source: Based on the story Small is Big from http://www4to40.com/folktales/index.asp?article=folktales-smallisbig

TRewarding the Spirit ofInnovation - Part IV .............. 7N I F

EditorAnil K Gupta

Editorial AdvisorsRiya Sinha, Vijaya Sherry Chand

Associate EditorDivya Sarma

Editorial Support TeamP Vivekanandan, Kirit K Patel, Dhaval Vyas, Ramesh Patel,Shailesh Shukla, A S Reddy, Sumati Sampemane,Sudhirendar Sharma, T J James, T N Prakash, Vipin Kumar,Vikas Chandak, Dibyajyoti Bhuyan

Graphics and DesignUnnikrishnan, Goraiya Shailendra

IllustrationsD T Padekar, Palash Graphics

Administrative TeamR P S Yadav, R Baskaran, Balaganapathy Mudaliar,Nisha Binoy, Bhoomi Shah, Devshi Desai

Editorial AddressHoney Bee, c/o Prof. Anil K Gupta,Indian Institute of Management,Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, Gujarat, India.Phone: 91-79-26324927; Fax: 91-79-26307341Email: [email protected], http ://www.sristi.org

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?


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EditorialConserving Forest by Keeping Tribals Out : Are we Crazy?

Anil K Gupta

When political opportunism takes over moral space, whatensues is a spectacle like the one we have been witnessing overthe issue of The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of ForestRights) Bill, 2005. The bill recognizes the land rights of tribalsand regularizes the land holdings, which the tribals have beencultivating since prior to October, 1980. The bill provides 2.5hectares of land to every tribal nuclear family and also providesthe right to use the minor forest produce and grazing rights.Despite availability of unambiguous evidence, there is a smallsection of political and intellectual elite which does not see theobvious connection between land security for tribals and theirlong term stake in the conservation of forest based biodiversityand associated knowledge systems.

A look at the different regions of high tribal concentration isrevealing. In Jhabua district, Chattisgarh, the forest is bestconserved in the Ali Rajpur and Sondwa region where thetribal have a reputation of being very ferocious and unpredictable.Ironically, wherever they have become predictable, docile, and“civilized”, the forests have disappeared. Let us look at mostof the insurgency movements : from the eastern Himalayanregion down to the western ghats in Tamil Nadu and KarnatakaWhy should the naxalite movement be strongest in the regionswhere social iniquities are most striking and where economicand social deprivation is most pronounced? More than 16 yearsago, when I asked, “Why regions of high biodiversity havehigh poverty,” the relationship between poverty and biodiversityhad not surprised many. But if I were to ask whether we wouldlike to conserve biodiversity by keeping people poor, somepeople would actually believe it to be inevitable.

The politics involved in this Bill is essentially the conflict betweenthe co-evolutionary approach towards conservation of resourcesand the conservation-without-people approach. The latter seeslocal people as the worst enemy of conservation. In thisapproach, the protagonists disregard the role of human selectionpressure on the biodiversity evolution. Further, the knowledgeof people about the wildlife and its survival strategies is alsodiscounted. In a study on conservation of biodiversity in asloth bear sanctuary in north Gujarat, when we did scat (theexcreta of animals) analysis to find out the nature of food thatsloth bear consumed, we could find only about twelve differentconstituents. When we spoke to the people on the same issue,we found 43 different plants and insects, mentioned as food ofsloth bear. Obviously, a strategy of conservation based on onlythe ‘scientific’ scat analysis would have generated a verydifferent conservation pathway than would be the case whenwe used people’s knowledge. Similarly, there are examples ofbird sanctuaries where prohibiting people and cattle led to highergrowth of grasses. The birds could no longer find or reach fortheir prey and stopped coming to the sanctuary. There are anynumber of examples to show the positive contribution, made

by local communities living in and around precious biodiversityresources, towards conservation.

In any case, the Bill is not suggesting any new clearance offorest. It only institutionalizes what already exists on ground.The rights of tribal people on land which they have beencultivating since prior to 1980 will be recognized and recorded.Once this settlement is done, it will remove the insecurity anduncertainty in the minds of the tribals. It would strengthen theirstakes in conservation, compared to what they have currentlywith the Damocles’ sword hanging over their heads.

In case the so-called conservationists, who do not view localcommunities as partners in conservation, succeed in theirattempt to deny basic rights to the original inhabitants of theland, then the present trend of emigration (and insurgency)would continue. In most large cities, the least paid and frequentlythe most hazardous employment opportunities are availed bythe tribal people from dry regions or forest regions. Once theirskills and knowledge base is discounted, they become“unskilled” labourers. Paradoxically, many of the forest staffor environmentalists have never lived as children in the forests,or have not developed a deep understanding of the ecologicalweb. They have to acquire the very skills that many of thesetribals already possess and are forced to unlearn.

Apart from the social injustice inherent in the denial of the tribalrights, there is also a grave risk of eroding the extremelyimportant and precious traditional knowledge base acquired andmaintained by the tribal communities. Once the youngergeneration loses faith in the potential of this knowledge inopening the paths of future employment and growth, theystop learning it. Once inter-generational knowledge transfer isstopped, the right of future generations to this knowledge heritageis denied. It is not only the future generations of tribals whowould lose in the process, but everybody would be a loser.Large number of medicines which could be developed basedon tribals’ knowledge of biodiversity may not be possible if theknowledge base itself is not renewed and rejuvenated and thebenefits of the knowledge is not shared with the traditionalknowledge holders.

I hope that the Bill will get passed in the parliament soon. Wealso need another Bill protecting the traditional knowledge rightsof the tribal people which are not covered by the existing patentor other laws. We trust that readers would write to their MPspersuading them to pass this Bill, in the interest of conservation,compensation and recognition of the creativity and traditionalknowledge systems of the tribal communities.



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ater is one of the most taken-for-granted resources in the world. Itsustains all forms of life, but

sustaining its regular supply hasbecome a challenge. The per capitaavailability of water in India hasdeclined from 2464 m3 in 1990 toaround 1750 m3 in 2000. (PopulationAction International, 2005). Thisfigure does not reveal the inequitiesin distribution of water. Around 59million people receive less than 500m3 (indicates constant water scarcity)and around 119 million receive lessthan 1000 m3 (indicates moderatewater scarcity, Falkenmark et al.,cited in Amarasinghe, 2003). In effect around 75%of the Indian population is experiencing some formof water stress or scarcity (Amarasinghe, 2003).

Scarcity in a resource can either trigger a moreefficient management of the resource, or resultin further concentration of the resource in favourof the powerful section of society. An inevitablefallout of this will be escalating violence overcontrol of the resource, as is happening in thecase of water.

In June 2005, fivepeople were killed inTonk district ofRajasthan after policeopened fire onvillagers, agitating forthe construction of acanal on a nearbydam. Around 3000 to4000 villagers fromGirana andsurrounding areashad walked 20 kms tothe village of Sohailla,and blocked thenational highway.The people weredemanding that acanal be made fromthe Bisalpur dam onthe Banas river tosupply water forirrigation in these

villages. The dam was beingconstructed with the help of AsianDevelopment Bank with the intention

of providing drinkingwater to Ajmer.According to one ofthe villagers, “You takethe water of Tonk toAjmer, Jaipur and evenDelhi if you want. Butthere must be somewater for Tonk also.”Such incidents arebecoming commonacross the world. InJune 2005, residents of

Lyari town in Pakistan protestedagainst the lack of drinking waterfacilities. Water riots occurred inAbadan town of Iran in 2000. In Iran,a term ‘Water Refugee’ has beencoined to refer to people who havebeen forced to leave their homes dueto water scarcity. In Coochacombatown in Bolivia, an attempt to handover the water supply service to atransnational company, resulting insteep increase in water prices, forced

the citizens to resort to protests andstreet wars (www.gnntv.orgdownloaded on 23 June 2005).

Water is a contentious internationalissue, with over 300 internationaltreaties specifically governing thesharing of water and another 2000treaties which have provisions forwater sharing (Population ActionInternational, 2005). Conflicts overwater are considered likely in theMiddle East, over the River Jordanand the River Euphrates and in Africa,over the River Nile. These examplesfrom across the world give morecredence to the prediction that thewars of tomorrow will be fought overwater. And this war will not only befought at the level of countries, butbetween the citizens and state,between cities, villages and evenhouseholds.

This is not to say that water sharingcan never be amicable. There areinstances of indigenous commonproperty resource institutions which

have facilitatedthe waters h a r i n gspecially fori r r i g a t i o npurposes. A‘kuhl’ system ofirrigation is seeni nNorthwesternH i m a l y a nregions ofIndia. Farmerscontribute to themaintenance ofthe irrigationstructures andall disputes overwater sharingare settledthrough the‘Kohli” (Shingiand Bluhm,

Water Triggered Violence : Will Traditional Wisdom Help?

WCurrent Issues

"VIRDA" seen in Banaskantha district on the Gujarat-Rajasthan Border

More and moreinstances of violence

over water arebeing reported from

around the world.Does traditional

knowledge have asolution to the

water woes?



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1987). Sometimes these institutions alsodetermine the choice of crops to be grown. InAliabad, in Pakistan, priority is given to wheatand alfalfa as food and fodder over the morelucrative fruit cultivation (Dani and Siddiqui,1986). Similarly in Nepal, only rice farmers aremembers of the irrigation system and are allowedto use the water in the crucial monsoon season(Martin and Yoder, 1986). Balinese culture has atradition of water temples, which are arranged inan elaborate hierarchy and serve as institutionsfor conflict resolution (Lansing, 1987).Theseexamples demonstrate the effectiveness of locallyevolved institutions to facilitate water sharing. Itsubstantiates Runge’s argument that with scarceor unpredictable availability of a resource whichaffects a large number of people, institutionsevolve to ensure equitable distribution(Runge 1986).

Some traditional methods ofharvesting exist in villages, but peopledon't pay attention to roof-topharvesting of water. Increasingdemand for water in urban areas putspressure on the rural water supply.Many traditional water harvestingstructures and irrigation systems havebeen replaced by modern methods,which has contributed to increasedland degradation. Canals in the Indo-gangetic plain have increased soil

salinity, whereas in traditionalstructures like tanks and ponds, thecollected rain water would leachaway the salts in the soil. In SouthIndia, the L shaped or horse shoeshaped anikuts of ancient times weremore effective in containing floodafflux, compared to the straightstructures of modern times(Sengupta, 1985). Water harvestingstructures like tanks and ponds,widely prevalent in olden times, have

S o m e Instances of Water Related Violence in the C ountry A r e a T i m e Details Jamnagar 1999 Three farmers killed in protests over

the diver t ing of water f rom Kankavat i dam for dr inking water supply to Jamnagar town

Junagadh and Rajkot

2000 Women in Junagadh attack M ayor fo l lowing prolonged non supply of water. Residents of Rajkot a t tack Municipal authorit ies claiming that the water supply has been del iberately shut off .

P lachimode 2002 onwards

Vil lagers protest against the deplet ion of ground water resources by Coca Cola plant .

Ghadsana 2004 175 governm ent employees including the DSP and Sub Divis ional Magistrate held hostage for over two days .

Palgat 2005 Residents protest against the Pepsi Co Plant in Pudussery

Ganganagar and Bikaner

2005 Six die in demonstra t ion over shar ing the water of Ravi and Beas .

Bhopa l 2005 Five injured during protests over failure of the municipali ty to provide c lean dr inking water despi te Supreme Court direct ive to do so .

Saurashtra 2005 Rationing of water . 100 l i t res of water per couple per week and 50 l i t res of water per chi ld per week. In Porbander, police regularly cal led to supervise distr ibution of water from the tankers.

Ghuman Singh from Sohaila inconversation with SRISTI staff

Checkdam constructed by Bhanjibhai in Junagadh district.



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been ignored in the development efforts of thecountry, which have concentrated on big damsand canals (CSE, 1985, Mishra, 1994).

Rain water harvesting has existed since ancienttimes. Instances can be seen in the Negev desertin Israel (Keen, 1986) and in South India as earlyas 230 BC (Barah 1996, cited in Kabirand Faisal, 1999). Ancient Romansused cisterns and paved courtyards tostore rainwater (Kabir and Faisal,1999). In Iran, a system ofunderground canals called 'Qanats'was used to store and transport water(Todd 1996, cited in Kabir and Faisal,1999).

Even today, in arid Jaisalmer districtof Rajasthan, agriculture is facilitatedusing a system called ‘Khadin’. Herewater, runoff from a rocky upper levelarea, is impounded in the lower areaby constructing a bund. Once thewater percolates, seeps off orevaporates, there is sufficient moisturein the soil to grow the rabi crop(Kolarkar, 1989). Another structure called 'Virda'is used in the Banni grasslands of arid Kutch. Virdais an indigenously developed ‘well in a tank’structure, where a natural depression is deepenedand the walls lined with branches of trees andgrass (Chokkakula and Patel, 1994).

There have also been some recent innovations inthe field of rain water harvesting. In Junagadh,an innovator Bhanjibhai, inspired by the archesunder a railway bridge, has developed check damswith a series of semi circular arches. Anotherinnovator, Premjibhai has modified the structureand also popularized the structure among farmersusing a participatory approach (Gupta et.al. , 2004).

Can traditional knowledge dam theviolence ?

Can the widespread instances of violence overwater serve as a trigger to initiate dialogue withpeople on traditional methods of water harvestingand sharing. In Alwar district of Rajasthan, anNGO called 'Tarun Bharat Sangh' is resurrectingtraditional means of water harvesting. Theorganization is now engaged in setting up a 'TarunJal Vidyapeeth'. This unique Water University willprovide students, specially from rural areas, anexposure to indigenous water management systems

peculiar to the needs of different areasacross India. In drought proneBagalkot district of Karnataka, thedistrict administration planned aunique jaljatha (walk for water) inJune, 2005. This jaljatha covered 100villages, over a period of 10 days to

spread awareness on waterconservation and harvesting and alsodiscuss traditional methods of irrigationand water harvesting which thevillagers might be using.

At SRISTI, we decided to pay a visitto the violence affected area inRajasthan. We found that the watershortage in the area was aggravatedby monsoon failure over the last coupleof years. The main sources ofirrigation were tanks and canals andpeople depended on the seasonallyflowing Banas river for their needs.The crops in the area are wheat,groundnut, jowar, bajra and pulses.

We also spoke to the Sarpanch ofSohailla village, which witnessed thepolice firing although the people ofthis village were not directly involvedin the conflict. He told us that thegovernment had built an anikut in thearea, but this was benefiting only afew farmers in the nearby areas.Another old villager, Gumnam Singh,however, felt that the anikut wasresponsible for raising water levels

in the wells in the area and had benefitedmost farmers. We then showed thepeople the pictures of the check damdesigned by Bhanjibhai, and discussedthe possibility of constructing suchstructures in the area. We offered tofacilitate the visit of Bhanjibhai to the

area to help in theconstruction of checkdams as per the miniaturedesign. According to theSarpanch, such structureswould be cheap and canbe built withoutgovernment help. A fewof the other villagers wereapprehensive about whowould contribute to theconstruction since mostfarmers did not have anysurplus cash. However,they added that the ideacould be tried out afterdiscussion with people onhow the costs could bemet. They agreed to get

in touch with us after the discussion.

We also visited the village of Girana,which was primarily involved in theincident. The villagers were not ableto talk to us, due to a death in thevillage on the day. The Sarpanch wasalso busy, because the local MLA hadvisited the area in the wake of theagitation.

The violence has left the peopleapprehensive and anxious. Whetherthis anxiety will give way to assertionof local knowledge and wisdomremains to be seen.

References

1 . Shingi , P.M and Bluhm, L.H (1987):Participation in Irrigation Projects:Changing Patterns in Northwestern India,Centre for Management in Agriculture,Ahmedabad

2 . Dani, A.A and Siddiqui, N (1986) :Institutional Innovations in IrrigationManagement : A case study from Pakistan:Paper Presented during InternationalConference on Public Intervention inFarmer Managed Irrigation Systems,Kathmandu.

Continued on page 14

SRISTI staff discussing the possibility ofconstructing Checkdams with villagers in Sohailla



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IdeasRewarding the Spirit of Innovation - Part IV

In this fourth part of the series, we continue to profile and highlight the acheivements of the awardees at theThird National Grassroots Technological Innovations and Traditional Knowledge Campaign (2002-03). These arethe people who have transformed adversity into opportunity. Some of them have also continued to practice andmodify traditional knowledge to suit current requirements.

The anti-bolting deviceGobinda Gogoi, Avi Complex, Rajgarh,Guwahati 781003, Category: ConsolationScout : GIAN NE

Gobinda Chandra Gogoihas developed an L-DropAuto Protector, an anti-bolting device, whichprevents unauthorizedbolting of the door.This device can be used

by a person whether he is inside or outsidethe room and can be adapted for all typesof doors. The device has already been fittedin four houses and found to be very useful.The idea of the L-drop auto-protectoroccurred to him in 2000, after reading about

a case reported in Guwahati, whereburglars locked the inmates within a room(having L-drop) from outside, and ransackedthe house.

Gogoi spends most of his time and pensionworking on innovations in his small tool shed.His other innovations include several smallattachments to his cot which facilitate readingwhile lying down and some changes to hisgate-locks which are now maintenance-free.He stresses on the fact that he is an innovatorand not a businessman and would like toleave the manufacturing of his devicesto others.

The water-lifting vane pump-‘HYDRO-GEN’Imli ToshiC/o Chubala, SCERT High School AreaKohima, Pin 797001Category: Consolation

Imli Toshi hasdeveloped ahydro-poweredpump forirrigation. Thisis a novelcombination of aVane pump and

spiral-bladed water turbine. It usesthe force of the natural flow of river/dam water. The pump is horizontallysubmerged in flowing water and thelinear velocity of the water is usedto drive the spiral blade shaft thatis coupled with the pump. It isportable and easy to handle. It canpump water into agricultural fieldsand draw water from streamsconstantly. It is most helpful whenthe requirement of water is low andthe elevation for lifting water isnot very high.

The first model of the pump wastested by the North East RegionalWater Research Institute. When thewater speed was one meter perminute, the speed of the shaft was

five rotationsper minuteand thed i s c h a r g efrom thevane pumpwas one literper 40s e c o n d s((90 litresper hour).

In-plant germination of sugarcaneBeni Singh, Vill: Trilokpur, Paliya KalanJanpad Lakhimpur KheeriUttar Pradesh - 262 701Scout: SRISTI GYAN Kendra

Beni Singh hasdeveloped aprocess of in-p l a n tgermination ins u g a r c a n e .One can

induce bud germination on thesugarcane plant itself, cut the sets(nodes) and sow the earlygerminated nodes, instead of sowingsugarcane sets in the field and thenletting them germinate. The cropcycle is reduced by about onemonth. It also benefits farmers as

it saves the cost of double use ofgrowth promoters and tractor basedoperations. The survival rate of thesugarcane is almost the same aswhen the planting is done aftergermination. Cost is reducedbecause germination is sure anduniform planting is done thus savingon labour for replanting. Further anursery for sugarcane sowing canbe developed as an enterprise.

NIF Award



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NIF AwardHe also has a number of other agriculturalinnovations to his credit such as the 21 feettall sugarcane stalks developed without anyfertiliser or pesticide, a new technique forreducing chemical and insecticide residue hazardsas well as traditional household cures fordysentery and cough in livestock.

Use of buttermilk for coagulation of rubberlatexShankara PataliDri Raksha Nilaya, Mahabaladaka Estate, PostIshwarmangala, Puttur Taluk, Dakshina KannadaScout : PRITVICategory : Agriculture

A rubber farmer, ShankaraPatali has proved that sourbutter milk is better thanformic acid or acetic acidfor coagulation of naturalrubber latex. About 150 mlof buttermilk is required forpreparing a half a kg of

rubber sheet. The rubber sheets made in thismanner are of superior quality and colour and fallin the top RSS4 Grade. Buttermilk is safe to useand there are no side-effects or allergies for peoplehandling them, as in the case of acids orchemicals. This treatment also reduces the fungalattack on sheets. It is economical as the farmersaves Rs. 500/acre/year by using buttermilk. Thisis an idea whose time has come as it not onlyuses locally available substance but reduces theprocessing cost by 80 %.

This idea has rapidly caught on within hiscommunity and many of the neighboring farmersare using this. Patali stresses on the need forfuture research in this area. Scientists say thatuse of organic matter for rubber coagulationis known in the literature but norecommendations have been made because oflack of standardization.

The Uzi fly-trap in silk wormrearingH.A. Mohammed Wakeel, Kodipura,Sathnoor Road, Honganoor, TalChannapatna, Dist : Bangalore RuralScout PRITVI

M o h a m m e dWakeel, asericulturist hasdeveloped a trapto control theUzi fly in silkworm rearing.The trap

consists of a net, a small iron pipeand a plastic bottle with holes boredinto it. It is fixed at the windows ofthe silkworm rearing room andentices the female Uzi fly which getstrapped inside and dies. The use ofthe trap contributes to increased yieldand better quality of the cocoons. Itcosts Rs. 50 and about 250 farmersin the area are already using this trap.This device addresses one of themajor problems faced by sericulture

farmers namely a tachnid fly,popularly known as Uzi fly (Exoristabombycis) which is an endo-parasitoidof the delicate silk-worm and causes15-20% crop loss annually. For hisoutstanding contributions, Wakeel hasreceived certificates from theDepartment of Sericulture,Government of Karnataka as the BestSilk-Worm Grower and his name alsofinds a mention in the bi-monthlymagazine brought out by the Central

Sericultural Research and TrainingInstitute (CSRTI), Mysore. He hasalso successfully formulated apowder for the treatment and controlof the sunnakutta roga (WhiteMuscardine) , a fungal diseaseaffecting silkworms in the trays.

NIF has sanctioned an amount ofRs. 31,250 from its Micro VentureInnovation Fund for the developmentof the prototype and market surveyof this innovation.

The control of leaf curl diseasein brinjalPopatbhai Rupabhai JambuchaVill : Mathavada, PO SatharaVia : Trapaj, Tal :TalajaBhavnagar 364150

Popatbhai, afarmer, fromGujarat usesmarine algaefor the controlof leaf curldisease inbrinjal crop.

Due to this disease, the leaves ofthe brinjal curl and sometimes,the plant dries up totally. To counterthis, marine algae is collected anddried. The algae is soaked in waterovernight and in the morning thealgae is squeezed and the water iscollected. This water is filtered andfilled in a hand-pump and sprayedon the affected brinjal crop. Themethod was tested by the SadbhavSRISTI Sansodhan Lab and it wasfound that 30-35% of leaf curldisease in brinjal and chillies can becontrolled by spraying thisformulation. This practice is atraditional knowledge and 20% ofthe villagers use it. The farmerlearnt it from his fore-fathers.



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Popathbhai is an assistant teacher of Agricultureat Lokshala (secondary school), Kalasar. Thoughhe has no training in agriculture, he conductsmany experiments in his lab and implements thesuccessful ones in the field.

The control of aphids in cottonTakhatsing PatelDamai, Shhera, Panchmahals, GujaratScout : Ramesh Kumar Patel

Takhatsing Patel hasdeveloped a herbal pesticideto control aphids in thecotton plant. Aphids arepests which suck the sapfrom the leaves and bollsof cotton and cause heavydamage to the crop.

Takhatsing uses a mixture of the leaves ofKaranj (Pongamia pinnata) and Arni(Clerodendrum phlomides) , which are cut andboiled in water. The decoction, after it coolsdown, is sprayed on the plant. Field trialsconducted by Sadbhav SRISTI SanshodhanLab in Khodiyar village showed a 50% controlof aphids.

Takhats inggot this ideawhen henoticed thatkaranj andarni plantswere neverattacked bypests.

The groundnut sowing practiceP.B.Mukunthan92, Rajaji Street, Chinglepet 603001Scout : SEVA

Mukunthan has developed asowing technique forgroundnut crop. The methodinvolves creation of a raisedbed with furrows on bothsides. The seeds are thendribbled in a triangular shape.The technique saves labor

and conserves water without any loss in theyield of the crop. This method also reducesseed rate (10 kg of groundnut seeds are savedper acre) and cost of weeding. Water requirementis reduced by about 62% and this method

facilitates faster irrigation andmaintains good soil aeration. Thecrop is also easier toharvest compared toplants sowedconventionally. Accordingto M S Basu of theNational Research Centerfor Groundnut, theadvantages claimed bythis practice have ascientific base.

Mukunthan has beenpractising organic farming for thepast 15 years. His other innovationsinclude the use of water hyacinthas green manure and for mulchingand the design of a country seeddrill which delivers four seeds witha spacing of nine inches.

A new valve modification fortwo-stroke enginesD. SubramaniamPRS Road, Muthiyan Kovil, POChennimalai, Erode 638051

D. Subramaniamhas developed at w o - s t r o k eengine for two-wheelers whichreduces petrolexpenses andr e d u c e s

environmental pollution. Currentpetrol engines of two-wheelersfunction under two-stroke systemor four-stroke system. But thetwo-stroke engine causes leakageof petrol-air mixture and leads toenvironmental pollution and wastageof fuel running into crores ofrupees. The Government hasbanned two-wheelers using two-stroke engines from themetropolitan cities like Delhi. Butthe two-stroke engine has a higherpick-up than the existing four-stroke engines. So Subramaniamdecided to modify it to overcomethis drawback. In his modifiedengine, the smoke outlet has beenlocated at the top of the cylinder,so the petrol mixture does not mixwith the smoke and there is no

possibility of leakage. For two-stroke engines with more rpm, hehas used two valves, at the top ofthe cylinder, which workalternatively as smoke outlets.This innovation was published in‘Dinamalar’, a leading TamilDaily in 1999 and Subramaniamwas awarded the “Tamil NaduScientists Award” by The TamilNadu State Council for Scienceand Technology in 2001. Thevalve has also been tested andapproved by the Head of theDepartment of MechanicalEngineering of Kongu EngineeringCollege in Erode.

Subramaniam has also designed anew metric system for a clockand a new method of bio-gasproduction.



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Do you want tosupport the cause ofgrasssrootsinnovators?

Do you see potential in anyof these innovations? Areyou interested inpopularizing thesetechnologies on acommercial ornon-commercial basis? Ifyou are, then contact [email protected],[email protected]

Bicycle operated pumpVikram RathoreJaitram Tanda, PO Naraspur MandalOOtnoor, Via Indraveli, Adilabad

Vikram Rathore hasdeveloped a cycle operatedpump which can be usedfor pumping water fromrivers, ponds, wells andother water sources. Thesystem comprises a bicycle,rim, belt-pulley, impeller and

inlet and delivery pipes. It works with theenergy generated by pedalling the cycle andrequires neither diesel nor electricity. The pumpis portable, requires little maintenance and givesmaximum output of water with minimum inputof effort. As it is made of locally availablematerials it is also affordable to the commonman.

When he came up with the idea for thisinnovation, his circumstances were veryimpoverished and he had to sell the jowar hehad saved for food to buy an old cycle.Later an ITDA project officer of Utnoorcame to know of his innovation and ITDAsupported him to make an improved model ofthe pump.

The pump will be a boon for poor farmerswho are unable to afford an electric or dieselrun pump for irrigation in drought prone areas.Despite attempts to patent it, the technologyhas not diffused. NIF has now filed a patentfor this device.

The eco-friendly non-return valvefor vehiclesArvind Khandke117/B, Mahadwar Road, Kolhapur416012

Arvind Khandkehas developed anon-return valvefor four strokeengines. Theuse of the non-return valve tosupply air at the

inlet of the carburetor helps the air-fuel mixture to retain thecomposition and pressure and

prevents air from escaping out ofthe combustion chamber. Thisincreases the volumetric efficiencyand achieves complete combustionin the engine. It saves fuel by about20 to 30%, improves the air-fuelmixture, increases average mileageof the vehicle by 3%, and reducesthe emission of carbon monoxideand other hydrocarbons from the

inlet side of the engine. It assistsin compliance to Euro II standards.Measurements have shown COemission reduced by 19% andhydrocarbon by 82%. However, thevalve has to be replaced after25,000 kms.

Khandke’s technology proves thecontribution of “Bounce BackLosses”, due to incompletecombustion of petrol, in causingpollution. Scientists have so farbeen engaged in trying to reducethe air pollution from the exhaustpipe. The device has majorimplications for pollution control.Khandke was granted patent forusing the device on a two-strokeengine in 1994 and on a four strokeengine in 2001.

The bamboo splints makingmachineUsman ShekhaniKarma Shala Upakaran, Udyog, C/oRadio Corner, BhanupratappurDist Kanker

U s m a nShekhani hasdeveloped as p e c i a l i s e dbamboo cutterto cut bamboostrips into smallpieces for



11Report will follow in next issue

Acknowledging the Scouts

Due to an oversight, the names of the scouts of various innovationswere not published in the previous issue. We regret the error and arepublishing the names in this issue.

The traditional technology Sanci Paat was scouted by Amlan JyotiBordoloi and Alok Pradhan. Arvind Kumar Patel scouted the practiseof promoting paddy growth by mulching salvadora leaves. The herbalmosquito repellant and the modified design for air blowers were scoutedby Dr. Nilotpal Kakoti and Shiraj Amin respectively. The practice ofcultivating potato in hay sacks was scouted by Balaram Sahu.

preparing incense sticks (Agarbatti) andtoothpicks. It consists of a wooden bracket,high speed steel blades, asjustable screws andspring loaded pushing roller. According to theMechanichal Engineering Department Labaratoryof Rungta College of Engineering in Bhilai, thismachine can help in converting 95% of thebamboo into useful product.

The quality of the output is good, the machineis portable, requires no electricity andmaintenance cost is minimal. It also increasesthe efficiency of bamboo workers as 2000sticks can be manufactured per hour using thisdevice whereas previously this work was donemanually. The cost of the cutter is Rs. 450compared to the cost of bamboo cuttingmachines available in the market which is

Rs.70, 000T h i sdevice canp r o v i d eg a i n f u lemploymentto lakhs ofr u r a lpeople in

the cottage industry sector. Usman Shekhanihas sold over 2000 pieces of his machine andtrained over 2000 people in using it and hasreceived a very good response especially inMadhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh which havea flourishing agarbatti industry.

The cycle operated horse shaverMohammed IdrisShahid Pan Bhandar, House No 37, Lisadi Road,Tarapuri, Opposite Jaton Wali Gali, MeerutScout : GIAN North and Kamal Jeet Miglani

Mohammed Idris hasdeveloped a bicycle poweredhorse–shaving unit in whichthe power of the bicyclerotary drive is transferredvia speed cable to theclippers which cuts the hair.It requires no electricity and

needs two people to operate it. One drives thecycle in standing mode and the other uses theshaver. The device removes the drudgery ofmanually combing, sorting, gradual cutting andfinal finishing of the horse’s hair which takeshours. The shaver is a detachable feature;hence the basic functioning of the bicycle is

not affected. This machine catersto the need for an effective andlow-cost alternative for shaving thehair of horses, mules, sheep andcamels. The motor powered shearunits are expensive and the handshears do not achieve uniformcutting action.

According to the Director of theCentral Sheep and Wool ResearchInstitute, Dr. V K Singh, the devicein its present form can be used oncamels and marwari sheep (whosehair is coarser than ordinary sheep)and with some modifications can beused on ordinary sheep also.NIF has sanctioned a sum ofRs. 25,000 from its Micro VentureInnovation Fund for the productdevelopment and demand estimationof the device.

Roof tile-making machineSukhranjan MistryDev Nagar, Shakti Farm Bazaar,Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttaranchal.Scout: SRISTI Gyan Kendra andKamal Jeet Miglani

S u k h r a n j a nMistry hasdeveloped amanual tile-m a k i n gmachine whichcan be operatedby sitting down

and pedalling. The unit incorporatesa facility for constantly agitating thetile-mixture to remove air-bubbles. Thetime taken for making each tile is one

minute and the capacity is about 300tiles in a day. It can also make tiles inmultiple designs. The configurationis ergonomic and economical andrunning and maintenance costs arenegligible. If produced commerciallyit would cater to the large need for acheap and effective foot-operateddevice. Women can also work on thismachine, generating additional revenuefor the family. Mistry is not interestedin personally commercializing thetechnology but is open to offersfrom others.



12

Shram aur Shodh Yatra in aid of Tsunami victims

The fourteenth Shodh Yatra had been planned inKerala. But after the tsunami hit coastal Tamil Nadu,it was decided to postpone the Shodh Yatra andinstead undertake a Shram and Shodh Yatra in TamilNadu. The work was planned and co-ordinatedby SEVA, Madurai, the regionalcollaborator of the Honey Bee Network.The district of Nagapattinam, which hadsustained severe casualties with morethan 6,000 deaths was chosen for reliefoperations. The villages ofTharangambadi, Kuttiandur, Vellakoil,Pudhupettai, Perumalpettai, Thalampettai,Chandrapadi and Kesavanpalayam werechosen for service through our labour..

The shodh yatra provided certain uniqueexperiences for the participants. Whatwas immediately noticeable was theessential satisfaction of most of the affectedfamilies. They were satisfied with the material givenby the government and releif agencies.

We could also observe the dynamics between thefarming and fishing community. The fishingcommunity had no doubt been most affected bythe tsunami and the government began providingmoney for the loss of boats and nets almostimmediately after the disaster. The farming

community had not receivedimmediate compensation for the lossof crops. Moreover, the farmersclaimed that not only were theircrops washed away, but the soil

would now have a high salt contentdue to waterlogging. This wouldcause problems in agriculture in thefollowing years. They felt that thegovernment was not adequatelylooking into their interests. Whenthe district administration wascontacted in this regard, theyassured us that they would look intothe matter. They had been able to

grant immediate aid to fishermen becausethey had records of boats and netspossessed by people. The process ofchecking land holdings was taking moretime.

We also noticed that someof the plants were stillstanding green while the restof the crop had beendestroyed. This gave us theidea that by selecting theseeds from these plants, wecould, perhaps, develop saltresistant varieties. Wediscussed this possibilitywith the villagers.

In one village, we were toldthat the roads need repair. We beganthe work to repair the roads. When theyouth in the village saw us, they joinedin the efforts and soon the road wasbuilt. The people confessed that thoughthey could have repaired the road evenearlier on their own, they lacked themotivation to do it. From then onwardswe insisted that the villagers participatein the repair attempts, as it was their

Shodh Yatra



13

ShodhYatra

responsibilthy and they had to start helpingthemselves.

Most of the fishing communities had not begunto go back to the sea yet although some boatsand nets which had been out in the sea duringthe tsunami were salvaged. While some claimedthat this was because of fear, a few othersconfessed that they felt that if they startedgoing into the sea, the government would notprovide them compensation. SRISTIcontributed a fishing net in one village andencouraged the villagers to start going into thesea again, so that their livelihood needs wouldbe met. We also suggested that part of theincome generated from the fish catch be usedto create a common fund for the maintenanceof the net and also for providing daily needs offamilies where the earning member had diedand for taking care of children orphaned bythe tsunami.

Some of the demands of the villagerswere quite interesting. One village askedfor donation of computers because theyfelt that with computers, one could havegot information of the earthquakes inadvance and thus minimized the damagedue to the tsunami. What was underlinedthrough this request was the need foradvance warning systems.

In another village, it was initially decidedthat agricultural implements would beprovided to the people. The ladies fromthe village later insisted on accompanyingus to the market and in the market choseto buy lamps to light before the deitiesin their homes rather than agriculturalimplements. While we had consideredlivelihood to be of primary importance,the people chose the security of a culturalcore of their life as more important. Thiswas an important lesson for us.

One lady in the village pointed out thatno one had as yet thought about providingschool books and bags for children. AShodh Yatri, Shri Parbatbhai Vaghanifrom Gadhada, Bhavnagar agreed todonate school bags.

Mr. Johl from Ludhiana had already senta truck load of blankets, clothes andother materials for the affected peoplein Nagapattinam district. One of the

volunteers in Chennai had sentRs.10,000 to SEVA for expensestowards relief work. SEVA hadarranged for two trucks ofimmediate relief materials,including clothes, rations andmedicine, as well as fivevolunteers, to be sent toNagapattinam District, before theShodh Yatra.In addition to this,we also had contributions fromSRISTI staff and somecontributions from abroad. DavidMartin, Robert Martin and LarryStapleton had sent theircontributions to us.

As a part of this rehabilitationwork, women of the villageexpressed their willingness tolearn sewing. Shri BhanjibhaiMathukia and Shri Kiranbhai

Dholakia expressed their willingnessto donate one sewing machine eachto this village. SEVA agreed to takecharge of procuring and installing thesesewing machines in the village, andwill also be organizing a trainingprogram for the women.

In many villages, the livestock had alsobeen lost in the tsunami. SRISTIdecided to donate one goat per familyin one village to meet the requirementsfor milk. SEVA also helped procurecattle feed as the livestock werefeeding on the damaged crop whichhad become highly saline due to theintrusion of sea water. This wascausing stomach disorders and otherproblems among the cattle.

We also discussed if the villagers hadhad any early indications of changesin the behavior of the sea, prior to thetsunami. A few villagers reported thattheir catch had almost doubled on theday before the tsunami. But there wasno consensus of opinions about theindications.

Twenty five Shodh Yatris from Gujaratparticipated in this yatra. Theseincluded four grassroots innovators -Amrutlal Agrawat, BhanjibhaiMathukiya, Ganeshbhai Dodiya andParbatbhai Vaghani, three foreigners(fellows, AASTIK), six farmers/villagers from Jungadh and BhavnagarDistricts, four students from GujaratVidyapeeth and four staff membersfrom SRISTI. From Tamil Nadu, 15students of Engineering College,Madurai joined for the Shram Yatra.Ten volunteers of SEVA, Madurai werealso present to constantly support usthroughout the releif work.



14

Creativity Flows at the Innovation Foundation

At NIF, the focus has always been on helpinggrassroot innovators. This month, the staff atNIF themselves tried their hand at innovationsduring a competition held for the staff onInnovation and Creativity Day. The staff wererequired to come up with innovative ideas fordevices which would solve some day-to-dayproblems.

Thirty five entries were received from the staff.The innovations pertained to a range of dailyproblems. For instance, there was an entry fora spell checking pen (1) and another forrewritable paper (2). There were suggestionsfor spectacle wipers and umbrellas with lights(3) which would be particularly useful duringthe monsoons. Some of the entries like thebraille printer (4) and a travel kit for the disabled(5) were designed for the benefit of people withdisabilities. Entries of household interest includedan entry on the use of whey for cooking (3)and knead rolling and baking machine (6).Vehicle drivers would benefit from a suggestionto make the car steering similar to that of atwo wheeler (2) and a suggestion for automaticdimmer of headlights as vehicles pass eachother (7).

A couple of ideas for innovative use of solarenergy included using solar powered mosquitomats (8) and solar powered photo voltaic cellsas circuit breakers (9). Another interesting ideawas the creation of database of animal diseasesto provide ready information as and whenrequired. (10).

The entries were judged in a democratic way.The winner was Mahesh Patel, who haddesigned an innovative cap-cum-collector. Thisdevice was created to solve the problem ofcontamination of drinking water stored inearthen pots and jerry cans, by the use of aladle to lift the water. Frequently, these ladleswere kept outside the pots and become dirtyand contaminated. In this device, a cup isattached to a sieve which is then attached tothe cap of the pot or container through a rod.

The rod is long enough to reachthe bottom of the pot. When thecap is lifted, the cup gets filled withwater and lifted. It can be usedto pour out water. The use of theladle is totally avoided. Since thecup and the rod are both inside thepot, they do not get easily dirty orcontaminated.

The second prize went to an ideafor a tooth paste dispensingtoothbrush, suggested by Manish.The third prize went to an idea foran automatic commode lifter andcloser suggested by Darshini.The contest was an opportunity forthe staff to personally exploretheir creativity and the satisfactionderived from the process of

innovation and reaffirm theircommitment to the cause ofgrassroot innovations.

Continued from page 6

Events

3 . Martin, E.D and Yoder, R (1987) :Institutions for Irrigation Managementin Farmer Managed Systems : Examplesfrom the Hills of Nepal, InternationalIrrigation Management Institute, SriLanka.

4 . Lansing, J.S (1987) : Balinese WaterTemples and the Management ofIrrigation, American Anthropologist,1987, pp 326-340.(All references to instances of CommonProperty Resource Institutions are takenfrom a database on Common PropertyResource Institutions at www.sristi.org)

5 . Gupta ,A .K, Chokkakula ,S, Sinha, R,Patel, K. K and Koradia, D (2004) :Harnessing Wisdom for ManagingWatersheds: Honey Bee Perspective onInnovations, Institutions and Policies forMarginal Environments.

6 . Kabir M.R and Faisal I.M (1999) :Indigenous Practices for Water Harvestingin Bangladesh. Proceedings from theregional workshop on traditional waterharvesting systems organized the theMinistry of jahad E Sazandegi of Iranand UNESCO, Iran.

7 . Runge, C.F (1986) : Common Propertyand Collective Action in EconomicDevelopments, World Development, :Vol14 (5) pp623-635.

8 . Amarasinghe, U (2003) : Draft ResearchReport – Spatial Variation in Water Supplyand Demand across the River Basins ofIndia, presented Indian NationalConsultation, Country Policy SupportProgram.

9 . Chokkakula, S & Patel, S. R..(1994) Virda: An Ingenious Method of Rain WaterHarvesting, Honey Bee Vol5(3):7.

10. Kolarkar , A. S. (1989) : “An InnnovativeTraditional Old Method of Agriculturein Jaisalmer - Thar Desert Region,”. PaperSubmitted for Workshop on “TraditionalTechnologies in Indian Agriculture. 6-8Mar., 9.

11. Keen, M (1990) : Can the AncientMethods Hold Back the Desert ? AfricanFarming, March April, 1990, pp35 – 38.

12. Sengupta, N (1985) : . “Traditional VsModern”, Economic and PoliticalWeekly, XX (45,46 and 47): 1919-38.

13. Center for Science and Environment(1985), The State of India’s Environment1984-85: The Second Citizens’ Report.

14. Mishra A (1994) : Aaj Bhi Khare HainThalab, Gandhi Shanthi Prathishtan, NewDelhi.

15. www.gnntv.org downloaded on 24 June,2005

16. Population Action International,downloaded from www.cnie.org(downloaded on 24 June, 2005)

(1) Anumoni, (2) Yogesh, (3) Shrobona, (4) Prashant, (5) Mayank, (6) Dhiraj,(7) Rohit, (8) Manish, (9) Darshini, (10) Sudeepta



15

16201 Herbal De-worming and immunitytonic for animals

Mr. Chellamuthu, an agricultural labourer, hasalready been awarded the third prize in the secondround of competition organized by NIF forformulating a herbal pesticide. He has nowdeveloped a new herbal formulation for animalswhich is reported to be effective against intestinalworms and also strengthens immunity. He hasreceived advice from Dr. Natarajan, a physicianin developing this. He prepares the formulationby mixing an equal quantity of Neem leaves, Usilaileaves (Albizia amara), Seenthil plant (Tinosporacordifolia ), Syriyanangai leaves (Andrographispaniculata) and Aswagandha rhizomes (Withaniasomnifera) after drying them in the shade andpounding well. This powder has to be administeredorally at 10 grams per adult animal at a time and ithas to be continued for 3 days. He has administeredthis to more than 500 animals over the last 3years.

Mr.K.M. Chellamuthu, Karukkampalayam,Oonchalur, Via Kodumudi, District Erode.

Leaf juice of Azadirachta indica in India is used toremove worms from stomach (K23171), seeds areused for worms (T15961), its tender shoots alongwith salt, turmeric and asafoetida is used for thesame purpose (K11282). Dried entire plant ofAndrographis paniculatais used in India to treatworms (T10133), dried leaf isalso reported to be used(T09230). Its fresh and driedleaves are widely used asanthelmintic in India andJamaica (W01316, K17080,A00780, A00781, K23294,M15755). Tinosporacordifolia, in modernmedicine, is well known for itsadaptogenic andimmunomodulatory activities.This plant is widely used intraditional system of medicineto treat jaundice, rheumatism,

Nam Vali Velanmai(Tamil Version of Honey Bee)P Vivekanandan, SEVA, 45, T P M NagarVirattipathu-625010, Tamil Nadu.Email: [email protected]: 0452-2380082

Herbal Deworming and OrganicFarming Honey Bee

urinary diseases, intermittent fever andeye aliments. http://www.exoticnatural .com/tinospora.htm.Withania somnifera has been used invarious indigenous medicine systemsof India for over 3000 years.Historically, the plant has been usedas an aphrodisiac, liver tonic, anti-inflammatory agent, astringent, andmore recently to treat bronchitis,asthma, ulcers, emaciation, insomnia,and senile dementia (AlternativeMedicine Review, June, 2004).

Organic farming Practicesdeveloped by Mr.Anthonisamy

Mr. Anthonisamy was awarded thirdprize for developing a new variety ofacid lime during the third roundcompetition organized by NIF. Hehas recently developed few moreinnovative organic farming practices.

16202 Fish Jaggery Mixture asorganic liquid fertilizer

He has developed an organic liquidfertilizer which can be used assubstitute for urea and nitrogenousfertilizer. He uses the followingingredients to prepare the mixture:

25 Kgs of fresh fish procured fromthe ponds (Kendai fish) or from thesea and 25 kgs of jaggery are soakedtogether in 100 liters of water forfifteen days. On the sixteenth day, sixpapaya fruits are crushed and addedto the mixture after removing theseeds. Four days after this (day 20)50 liters of water is added and themixture is filtered. This has to besprayed at 1 liter per acre or 100 mlper 10 liters of water, two times forpaddy, four times for sugarcane andtwo times for onion starting from 15– 20 days after planting and at 15 daysinterval.

Mr. Anthonysamy crushes sugarcanein his farm and prepares organicjaggery. Sometimes he collects wastematerials while preparing jaggerywhich is locally called alaikazhivu(waste liquid jaggery relished by pigs)and mixes it with water in a ratio1 : 10 and later adds equal amount ofjaggery fish solution. This is sprayedon sugarcane as foliar fertilizer byusing mechanized sprayer attached inthe power tiller. He never usesinorganic fertilizers and he is getting80 tones of cane yield per acre.

16203 Raising Green manure asintercrop in Sugarcane

He incorporates two kinds of greenmanure grown as inter crop insugarcane. Two rows of setts ofsugarcane are planted together at aspacing of 7 or 10 feet. In betweenthis, he raises Dhaincha (Sesbaniaaculeata) as first crop. He irrigatesthe field with drip lines. After 45 –50 days of sowing the green manure,




16

Loksarvani(Gujarati version of Honey Bee)Ramesh Patel, Editor, c/o SRISTI, Post Box No.15050, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380015.Email: [email protected] Ph: 079-27913293

Disrupting the ''Knowledge Drain', Building a'Knowledge Chain'

When a Veterinarian listens and learnsfrom farmers!

Dr Poshak R Patel, Deputy Director, VeterinaryHospital, Polyclinic, Sidsar Road, Near ValandSociety, Bhavnagar 364 002

I came to know about SRISTI and its workthrough Loksarvani. I wish to share theexperiences I had with folk doctors during mywork as a veterinarian between 1991 to 2002in Sabarkantha district.

16205 Poisoning in Animal

In the village Rellawada,Taluka. Meghraj, DistrictSabarkantha substantial mortality was observedafter the animals fed upon the gobra/gandathi(Lantana camera) bush. Our medicine was noteffective but one educated farmer MaganbhaiGarasia of Jeriawada Village, came up with aremedy of applying some juice of Khativelroots on the swollen parts of the bullock anddrenching the rest. This produced positiveresults in 24 hours.

Maganbhai Garasia, Jeriawada Village, TalukaMeghraj, District Sabarkantha

16206 Diarrhea in animal

When my medicine was not effective in curingdiarrhea , then Manubhai Patel, an enthusiasticfarmer from Kadiadra Village informed me ofa mixture of bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit pulp,buttermilk, little black salt (Sanchal) and katho(Acacia catechu) which could be beneficial.This also produced positive results.

Fruits of Aegle marmelos are used to curediarrhoea and dysentery especially in the case ofalternating diarrhoea with the spells ofconstipation (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/parmar/01.html). The squash made frombael fruits gives relief in dysentery. It is used totreat diarrhoea as well as dysentery in Nepal(L05267, K25363), India (J13690, T09486,T10064), Srilanka (T09394), etc. Acacia catechu

is also used in India (K23896) andThailand (W03804) for treatingdiarrhoea and in India and Thailandfor dysentery (T09230). Catechu isan astringent and has been usedsince ancient times in ayurvedicmedicine as well as in breath-freshening spice mixtures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechu

Manubhai Patel, Village Kadiadra,Taluka Idar, District Sabarkanta

Presently I am engaged in Amreliand Bhavnagar district where I havebeen interacting with the farmersand animal-keepers during animaltreatment camps, at night meetingsand at farmers training centres. Iwill try to send other innovativeremedies I come across duringthese intereactions.

(Veterinarians like you can do muchservice to stem the knowledge drainand build a new knowledge chain bylinking formal and informal sciences.Do write to us again and please askyour friends also to write. Maybe youcould form a Honeybee club amongyour colleagues to occasionally meetand share such learning. SRISTI andHoney Bee Network will facilitatesuch interactions regularly if youwish. Ed.)

16207 Foot and Mouth Disease:Bael fruits and wind killer leaves

Foot and Mouth Disease is a highlycontagious disease among animalsand causes blistered mouth, hoovesand problems in walking. Severalsecondary infections affect theanimal after they are affected byFMD.

For control of this disease,Becherbhai, mixes the pulp from abael fruit (Aegle marmelos) with an

equal proportion of crushed windkiller leaves. (Clerodendrumphlomidis). He applies this mixtureon the affected part and ties abandage. The disease heals aftertwo or three applications. Applyinga mixture of bael fruit pulp andgolar (Ficus glomerata) gummixture also reportedly cures footand mouth disease and /or secondaryinfections.

Becharbhai Bhikhabhai Vankar, atpost Matoda, Taluka Khedbrahma,District Sabarkantha.Scout: Mahesh Parmer

For more details see HB April-June2000, bael fruit juice helps indiarrhea. Htpp://www. hort.purdue.edu.newcrop/parmar/101.html)

Aegle marmelos fruit is regraded asan astringent. It helps in thehealing of ulcerated intestinalsurfaces. It possesses antiviral,anthelmintic, and anti-inflammatory properties and hasappreciable activity againstVibrio cholera and Salmonella.h t t p : / / w w w . i n f o m i n e . a e /all_herb.htm.Fresh leaves ofAegle marmelos are used in Indiafor curing wounds, boils and cuts(M23219, K11282). Ficusglomerata latex is used to treatredness of eyes and inflammationin the eyes in India (K27454), itsbark is used as an astringent andantiseptic in combination withbark and leaves of Ervatamiadichotoma and bark of Mangiferaindica; these are boiled in coconutoil and applied to abraded skinof ulcers (T08443). Leaf paste ofClerodendrum phlomidis appliedon infested hooves gives relief tothe animal (HB 11(2)).




17

Ini Karshakan Samsarikkatte(Malayalam version of Honey Bee)James T J, Editor, Peermade Development SocietyIdukki-685531, Kerala.Email: [email protected]: 04869-232496/7

the plants are uprooted manually and incorporated into the soil by manuallabour. Green gram is grown as the second intercrop and this is alsouprooted after 45 days of sowing and incorporated into the soil.

16204 Control of Mushrooms in Acidlime

During rainy season ( Sep – Nov ) there is usually a growth of mushroomsin the collar region of the trees of acid lime. If these mushrooms are notcontrolled it will lead to death of trees. Farmers in this area usually applyBordeaux mixture for control of mushrooms. Bordeaux mixture needsfour to five days to suppress the growth of mushrooms. Anthonisamy hasfound an alternative method of control by using locally available materials.

Two kgs of Aloe vera and one kg Garlic are crushed and ground well byadding little water to make it as a paste. This has to be smeared over theaffected collar region of trees. This practice ensures control of mushroomswithin 3 hours.

He also uses this mixture for control of earhead bugs in paddy or sorghum.For this, he mixes one kg each of Moottanarielai ( Coleus aromaticus )and tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) in 100 liters of water and adds it to theexisting mixture. This ensures protection of grains from earhead bugattack better than synthetic pyrethroids recommended by agriculturaldepartment.

Farmer : Anthonisamy, Village Puliankudi, District Tirunelveli

References

A00780 Moktader, I.A, Guha-Sircar, S.S. (1939): The bitter principle fromandrographis paniculata. J Indian Chem Soc. 16: 333-338

A00781 Chakravarti, D, Chakravarti, R.N. (1952) : Andrographolide I. JChem Soc. 1697.

K11282 Reddy, M.B, Reddy, K.R, Reddy, M.N. (1989) : A survey of plantcrude drugs of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Int J CrudeDrug Res. 27(3): 145-155.

K17080 Girach, R.D, Aminuddin, Khan, S.A. (1994) : Andrographis paniculata-a possible substitute for Swertia Chirata in Southeastern India. Int JPharmacog. 32(1): 95-97

K23171 Anis, M, Iqbal, M. (1994) :. Medicinal plantlore of Aligarh, India.Int J Pharmacog. 32(1): 59-64.

K23294 Girach, R.D, Aminuddin, Siddioui, P.A, Khan, S.A. (1994) :. Traditionalplant remedies among the kondh of district Dhenkanal (Orissa). Int JPharmacog. 32(3): 274-283.

M15755 Choudhury, B.R, Haque, S.J, Poddar, M.K. (1987) : In vivo and invitro effects of kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) extract andandrographolide on hepatic microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes. PlantaMed. 53(2): 135-140

T09230 Deka, L, Majumdar, R, Dutta, A. M. (1983) : Some ayurvedic importantplants from district Kamrup (Assam). Ancient Sci Life. 3(2): 108-115.

T10133 Sahu, T.R. (1984) : Less known uses of weeds as medicinal plants.Ancient Sci Life. 3(4): 245-249.

T15961 Radwanski, S.A, Wickens, G.E. (1981): Vegetative fallows and potentialvalue of the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) in the tropics. Econ Bot.35(4): 398-414.

W01316 Asprey, GF., Thornton, P. (1955) : Medicinal plants of Jamaica III.West Indian Med J. 4: 69-82.

16208 Manga Pariyan - Devise for pluckingMango without Damage

Mathew Joseph has developed a devise forplucking mangos while standing on the groundwithout any damage to the mango. He calls itmanga pariyan and even women can use it.A lengthy tube made up of a cloth is attachedto the top of the stick with a hook; the mangowhich is plucked will pass through the clothtube and reach the ground safely without anydamage. Mangos having upto six inches diametercan be easily plucked by this devise. The

length of the stick can be controlled up to 24feet

Mathew Joseph C/o K.M Abraham (Scout)Thadathil, Neezhoor P O Via, Kaduthuruthy,Kottyam.

(A similar device, using the PVC pipe, is madeby Amrutbhai Agrawat to pluck various fruits,including citruses and mangoes.)




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Ama Akha Pakha(Oriya version of Honey Bee)Dr Balaram Sahu, Editor, 3-R-BP-5/2,B P Colony, Unit-8, Bhubaneswar-751012, Orissa.Email: [email protected].

16209 A pastoralists’ casserole

Pastoralists in Northern part of Orissa in thedistrict of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj take theirlivestock for grazing in the jungle and upperreaches of hills. They carry their own food withthem. During winter season it is difficult tokeep rice and dal warm in the forests. To solvethis problem they use an indigenous foodpreserving device which can keep food freshand warm for a long time. They take anearthen, wide mouthed pot called Ghuma. Onthe outer surface of the pot, equal quantity offresh cow dung and wood ash is mixed andsmeared to make a half inch thick layer. Insidethe pot, rice and dal is kept and the mouth

of the pot is closed with an earthen plate.This is carried over head while grazing theanimals. Food kept in the pot is fresh for 12hrs. The inside temperature is just warm. Foodis not easily spoiled. No bacterial growthis seen.

Sri Ranjan Kumar Village Mahanta, DistrictKeonjhar

16210 Lotus leaves to preservethe aroma of paddy.

Farmers generally preserve paddyand rice by putting leaves of neemand vitex. But some farmers fearthat it may take away or maskthe original aroma of the paddy.Due to the good aroma of the rice,many types of pests attack paddyquickly. Farmers in Keonjhar districtsolve this problem by using theleaves of Padma (Nelumbonucifera). They take the leaves ofNelumbo nucifera and dry them.These dried leavesare spread on thebottom of thebamboo bin inwhich paddy ispreserved. Inbetween layers ofpaddy, these leavesare spread inlayers. Theseleaves repel pestsand preserve theoriginal aroma ofthe paddy.

R.M.Sahi ,Vi l lageParsale DistrictKeonjhar.

Leaves of Nelumbo nucifera are usedto wrap rice and serve as Lotus ricein Singapore. http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/lotus.htm

16211 Herbal hair care product

In villages women take care oftheir hair in indigenous ways. Ashrub locally known as Bichhuati(Evolvulus alsinoides) growsabundantly in Orissa.. Womencollect the seeds of this shrub.Care is taken while collecting theseed, because lots of small spinesare present on the leaves of theseplants, which cause irritation to the

skin. The seeds are soaked in waterand are ground to paste. This pasteis applied on the scalp at least oncein a month.

Smt Shanti Panda Village Panisaunli,P O Govindpur, District Balasore.

16212 Castor seeds in mustardoil : An indigenous anti-inflammatory oil.

In the village of Languliabeda inAngul district, farmers preparefortified, anti inflammatory and anti

allergic oil in indigenous way. Thisoil is prepared by house wives andstored in bottles. Seeds of castorare taken and broken longitudinallyhalf way without separating intotwo halves. Around 20 gms ofcastor seeds are soaked in 100 gmsof castor oil and boiled till themustard oil is reduced to one thirdthe original quantity. This fortifiedoil is used as a very good antiallergicsmoothening agent. In case ofscorpion bite this fortified oil helpsin relieving the pain. It also reducesskin inflamation within twelve hoursof application.

Smt. Nirmala Biswal, VillageLenguliabeda, District Angul.

Mud pot casseroles and anti-inflammatory oils



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16213 Broadcasting potato seeds to savelabour.

Nagaraju, a potato farmer has developed aninnovative practice of sowing seeds. Thistechnique saves on labour and also gives a goodyield. He noticed that seeds which wereaccidentally left lying around were alsogerminating well. So in this new technique, theseeds are sown using the broadcast method andthe soil is then leveled over the seeds usinga wooden plank drawn by a pair of bullocks.Manure is applied before leveling the soil andit is ensured that all the seeds are covered insoil. Nagaraju has been using this technique forthe last eight years and some of his neighborshave followed his example and have reportedgood yield..

Nagaraju, S/o Rangaswamy Gowda, VillageRamadevarapura, Post Yalgundha, Taluka Hassan.573219

16214 Sowing technique increase pulseyield

Nanje Gowda, a farmer was growing red gramusing the conventional practice of sowing theseeds in straight line furrows. However, thisresults in dense plantation and low yield, whichdid not improve despite the use of fertilizers,pesticides and weeding practices. He then trieda new practice. The land is ploughed bothhorizontally and vertically to create furrows.The ploughing is done in such a way that thereare holes formed at the intersection of furrows.Two to three seeds and two handfuls of manureare dropped into the hole and the it is coveredwith soil. This practice not only increases yieldbut also reduces pest damage as there isadequate spacing of the crop.

Nanje Gowda, Anekatte village, TalukaChikkanayakanahalli, District Tumkur

16215 A new variety of tobacco

Devendra grows tobacco as an intercrop with sugarcane. He has nowcome up with a new variety oftobacco crop, which grows to theheight of a sugarcane crop, has moreleaves and is also disease resistant.He had previously been planting thedwarf variety of tobacco crop andwas looking for a variety whichproduced crop of the same height ofsugarcane. This new variety isobtained by using the Anantha 2(Internodal length is more, height ismore), Tobacco-119 (Less internodal length) S-20 (Height is more)and a desi variety. Sheep dung ismixed with water to form a paste andthe paste is made into balls. All fourvarieties of seeds are planted in theball and the ball is kept in 6 mm pipes.The emerging seedling has thequalities of all four varieties and is agood intercrop for sugarcane.

Devendra, Post Sadhalaga , TalukaChikkodi, District Belgaum

16216 Seedless guava variety

Ravishanker, in Dakshina Kannadadistrict has discovered a seedlessvariety of guava, which can beutilized in all guava growing areas.The variety can be multiplied usingboth root and shoot layering and shootlayering usually requires lesser time

for yielding fruit (around a year, whichis lesser than root planting). Thevariety also bears fruit early.

Ravishankar , Amdhalumane Post,Madanthyaru, Taluka Belthagadi,District Dakshina Kannada 574224

16217 Conserving a red jowarvariety

Ramanna Budakonti has attemptedconservation of a red jowar varietyknown for its nutritive value andcapacity for disease resistance.Thisvariety has almost become extinctlocally because of the diffusion ofhybrid variety commercialexploitation of the hybrid variety. Thisvariety is known for its diseaseresistance. The grain as well as theflour is red in color and is fed to thecattle. Ramanna had heard of thisvariety from his father and went insearch of seeds. He found it verydifficult to get the seeds and finallygot them from a 70 year old womanParvathamma Durgappa Jaggal. Heplanted this as the Khariff crop in2004 and has got a yield of 25 kggrain. He is now distributing the grainto neighbouring farmers who areinterested in planting this variety.

Ramanna Budakonti, PostHirearalihalli, Via, Kustagi, TalukaYelburga, District Koppala-584121,

16218 Herbal tooth powder

Mahalingeshwar Bhatt has formulateda herbal tooth powder, Dhavana,which is effective against tooth-acheand other problems of the tooth andgums. The important ingredients ofthe powder are coke powder obtainedby burning coconut shell, curry leavespowder, salt and pepper. He came upwith this innovation after sufferingfrom constant tooth ache whichcontinued despite removing some

Hittalagida(Kannada version of Honey Bee)T N Prakash, Editor, Hittalagida, Department ofAgricultural, Economics,University of AgriculturalScience, GKVK, Bangalore-560065 Karnataka.Email: [email protected],[email protected] Ph: 080-23620025

Seedless guava, red jowar and a new variety oftobacco



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teeth. Then he came to know that coconut shelloil is good for tooth ache and thus the idea wasborn. The toothpowder can be used instead oftooth paste everyday. Bhatt believes that hisinnovation will help against most dental problems.He is a farmer, and has been augmenting hisagricultural income by selling this toothpowder.

P.Mahalingeshwar Bhat, Didpe HouseKumbdaje(Post), Via Peradala, Kasargod District,Kerala-671551

ReferenceGround petiole of Alocasia macrorrhiza, in a nearlydecayed state, is mixed with coal and applied toalleviate toothache (http://arcbc.org/cgi-bin/abiss.exe/spd?SID= 482071297& spd=176&tx =PL)similarly coal is used a a medium/base for the toothpowders in local remedies. Even some of thecommercial tooth powders use the coal as a base.Even salt is very well known home remedy for brushingteeth. Jains especially brush their teeth with saltson some specific days, mostly fasting days .

K11282 Reddy, M.B, Reddy, K.R, Reddy, M.N.(1989) : A survey of plant crude drugs ofAnantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India.Int J Crude Drug Res. 27(3): 145-155.

K27454 Singh, V.K, Ali, Z.A, Zaidi, S.T.H,Siddiqui, M.K. (1996). Ethnomedicinal usesof plants of Gonda district forests of UttarPradesh, India. Fitoterapia. 67(2): 129-139.

M23219 Reddy, M.B, Reddy, K.R, Reddy, M.N.(1988) : A survey of medicinal plants ofChenchu tribes of Andhra Pradesh, India.Int J Crude Drug Res. 26(4): 189-196.

T08443 Perera, P, Kanjanapoothi, D, Sandberg,F, Verpoorte, R. (1984) : Screening forbiological activity of different plant partsof Tabernaemontana dichotoma, known asDivikaduru in Sri Lanka. J Ethnopharmacol.11(2): 233-241.


Cherapunjee area in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya receives the highestamount of rainfaill in the world. The villages which punctuate these hillsare scattered along a highly irregular landscape punctuated by perennialstreams and deep gorges. Crossing these streams and gorges can bea nightmare, specially during the monsoon months. These villages wouldhave remained isolated and inaccessible had it not been for the numerousfootbridges that the villagers have built over the years.

The bridges are built by twisting and positioning the roots and mouldingthe growth of the giant rubber trees, which grow abundantly in the area.They are reinforced with time, as the roots grow stronger. This has

been an innovation of the community through the knowledge andexperience accumulated over time.

These bridges have remarkable longevity and are sturdier than the bridgesmade of bamboo or wood, which gets washed away in the torrentialdownpour. It does not swing or wobble like other hanging bridges. Thereare also some bridges with two levels, that can carry people and animals.

The cost of building these bridges are negligible, since there are nomaterial costs, nor the need to transport raw material. The bridge isconstructed and maintained by the community, incurring minimum labourcost.

The innovation makes use of the unique resources available in the place,specially the high rate of rainfall, which encourages fast growth of rootsand trees. The bridges are a testimony to one of the core strengthsof the tribal life, community ownership of natural resources. Thus thebridges are constructed, owned and maintained by the people in aparticipatory way.

The commercialization potential of this innovation may not be high, butit can be replicated in areas with similar geographical features.

Contributed by Vakkayil Jacob, XIM, Bhubaneshwar

Twisting roots to construct bridges



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NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION, INDIA

National Innovation Foundation, constituted by the Department of Scienceand Technology, Government of India aims to recognise, respect andreward grassroots technological innovators and outstanding traditionalknowledge experts.

The competition: NIF solicits entries about unaided technologicalinnovations and traditional knowledge developed by individual or groupcomprising farmers, artisans, fishermen and women, slum dwellers,workshop mechanics, students, local communities etc., in managingnatural and/or other resources. Innovations can be in machines, gadgets,implements, or processes for farm operations, household utility,transportation for improved efficiency, energy conservation orgeneration, and reduction in drudgery, creative use of biodiversity,plant varieties, generation of herbal remedies for human or animal healthor developing new or any other low cost sustainable green technologyrelated to various aspects of survival in urban and rural areas. Creativeideas for innovative technologies are also welcome. Communitiesdeveloping People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) or People’s knowledgeRegister (PKR) are encouraged to register/link their knowledge basewith the National Register at NIF.

The awards: The best three innovations and traditional knowledgepractices will be awarded Rs 1, 00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 eachin different categories. In addition, individuals and/or organizations thatmake extraordinary contributions in scouting grassroots innovationsand traditional knowledge may also get awards worth Rs 50,000, 25,000and 15,000 respectively besides recognition to many others. There willbe several consolation prizes of Rs 10,000 each in different categoriesdepending upon the number of entries and incremental inventivenessand potential social and environmental impact. Special awards will begiven for innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge of/for women.There will be special prizes to recognize outstanding innovations by/forpeople with physical disabilities. Three most outstanding innovativeideas may be given prizes of Rs 50, 000, 25, 000 and 15,000 in additionto consolation prizes of Rs 5, 000 each. The outstanding entries willalso be widely publicized in the Honey Bee Newsletter and throughother media. Summary and/or details of the selected innovative practices

and traditional knowledge practices included in the Register will be displayedat the websites of NIF with the Prior Informed Consent (unless such knowledgeis already in the public domain) of the innovators/knowledge providers.

Students: Young inventors and innovators are invited to send their ideas orinnovations for a special category of awards for them. These should beunsupervised, an outcome of their own creativity, without any support fromtheir teachers or outsiders. Students are also encouraged to join SCAI atgrassroots (Student Club for Augmenting Innovations) to help other innovators([email protected]). Supervised project from engineering or other professionalcolleges will not be accepted except under professional category. There willbe prizes worth Rs 15, 000, 10, 000 and Rs 7, 500 for the best three entriesand several consolation prizes of Rs 5,000 each in this category.

How to participate?Individuals or groups may send as many entries as possible on plain paperproviding a) genesis of innovation, and b) background of innovation andinnovators. We will appreciate if every entry is accompanied by full postaladdress, photograph and/or video of the innovator and innovation. Herbalentries may be accompanied by dried plant samples to enable proper identification.The last date of sending entries for the Fifth Biennial Competition is December31, 2006. The Fifth Biennial competition will be held during January 2005 toDecember 2006.

Where to send entries?

National Coordinator, National Innovation Foundation, Bungalow No. 1Satellite Complex, Premchand Nagar Road, Ahmedabad 380015,GujaratFax: (079)-2673-1903 email: [email protected], www.nifindia.org

Our Regional Collaborators : Various organizations and individuals acrossthe country assist us in recognizing grassroots innovators and traditionalknowledge holders. Our regional collaborators are P Vivekanandan fromSEVA, Tamil Nadu, T N Prakash from PRITVI, Karnataka, Balaram Sahu fromInnovations Club, Orissa, T J James from PDS, Kerala, Ranjan Mahapatrafrom SRISHTI, Orissa, Arun Chandan from Mahir, Himachal Pradesh, SundaramVerma from Rajasthan, S P Badgujar, Ramesh Mahajan and Kamal Jeet fromMaharashtra.

The Fifth National Biennial Competition for Recognising and Rewarding GreenGrassroots Unaided Technological Innovations & Traditional Knowledge

Co-sponsors

Let us not stifle the creative potential of children

You will agree that we haven't done justice to the creativity and innovations by children in the columnsof Honey Bee. But, it is better to be late than never. We have decided to bring out the next issueas a Children's Creativity Special. For once, let our young readers share their technological andinstitutional innovations, ideas and imagination. The adults will have to control their curiosity to readand edit the contributions. Please let children write to us directly.

We also have space for adult contributions in the issue. But adults will have to write to us aboutinnovations in technology, education, media and play developed for children. Schools and institutionalsubscribers can also hold competitions for innovative ideas among students and send the prize winningentries as well as other entried to us.

Join us in celebrating a child's creativity, curiosity and concern for the world around us.

Contact: Honeybee, C/o Prof Anil K Gupta, Indian Institute of Management, VastrapurAhmedabad - 380 015 email: [email protected]

IIM-A CSIRSRISTIHoney Bee Network



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Dialogue

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Enquiry about Journals andConferences

Alexander K Ronoh ([email protected])and Thomas K Ronoh ([email protected])Egerton Universtiy, Kenya

We are lecturers at Egerton University, Kenya.We are carrying out research on IndigenousKnowledge Systems among the Maasai andOgiek Communities of Kenya. We are interestedin presenting some of our findings in conferencesand seeking journals where we can publish thesame. Please give us a list of upcomingconferences and possible journals where we canpublish our works.

(We are very happy to hear from you. Please letus see your work on Indigenous TraditionalKnowledge with photos and literature review ifpossible and a copy of your CV. We will let youhave our feedback within two weeks or earlier.We will consider these articles for publication inHoney Bee newsletter (see www.sristi.org) and thelonger version on our website. Regardingconferences, we will let you know when such newscomes our way. We will appreciate that you sharethe work you send us with the communities fromwhich you collected the knowledge and alsoquote the knowledge providers with their nameand addresses. If you take their permission beforesending the work to us, it will be appreciatedeven more. Ed)

A Problem in search of a solution.

P. Vichare, Coastal Maharashtra, District [email protected]

What are the cheapest methods to repair aleaking roof of RCC in rural areas. Normallypeople spend approximately Rs. 40000 on waterproofing or put up a roof of asbestos sheets.Is there a tested yet cheaper alternative tosolve leakage problem. To be exact, can yousuggest locally available materials (rural or semi-urban) which can be mixed with chemicalsand applied directly on the roof to preventleakages?

My problem is a leaking roof of 10000 sq.feet(rectangular shape) which is exposed to 35-45degrees of direct sunlight in summer and heavy

rainfall in monsoon and I need asolution for around Rs.10,000 whichcan last upto 5-7 years.

(We are unable to recall any solutionof the kind you mention, but we willpost your problem in the next issueof honey bee and then see if we getany response. Thanks so much fortaking interest in our activities.Please do subscribe to Honey Beenewsletter also. Ed.

If the readers are aware of anysolutions to this problem, please writeto us or Mr. Vichare. Ed)

Commercialization ofInnovative Technologies

Kunal Bahl, Wharton BusinessSchool, [email protected]

By way of introduction, my nameis Kunal Bahl and I am a studentat the Wharton Business School inthe US. Recently, I had theopportunity to interact with Mr.IqbalQuadir, Founder, Grameen Phone.During our discussion, I expressedmy keen interest in developmentand commercialization of innovativetechnologies. He recommended thatI contact you to explore this interestfurther. Given, that I am originallyfrom India and feel passionatelyabout promoting the country’seconomic interests, I wouldcertainly like to speak with you ingreater detail about SRISTI andhow I can contribute to this greatprogram personally andthrough mobilizing resources hereat Wharton.

Please let me know a good way tofurther this discussion.

(I am very happy to hear about yourinterest in commercialization ofgrassroots technologies. There areseveral technologies which can betaken up. For example motor cyclebased ploughing, inter culture,

spraying machine can be very usefulfor grape growers in the plains ofCalifornia and also on mountainslopes in other US states. Thistechnology has been patented inUSA.

Likewise, in the regions where peoplegrow dry land cotton which needscotton to be pulled out of the ball,in Africa or Middle East, cottonstripper may be very useful, anotherpatented technology in USA. Youcan search these at uspto.govwebsite directly. One could look atmany other technological innovationsalso. Please do visitwww.nifindia.org and alsowww.sristi.org and get back to uswith your ideas. Ed)

Enquiry about WaterTurbines

Dhara Kothari [email protected]

I read about your organization inTimes last week. After which afriend found your e mail addressfor me. There was a mention inthe article that someone hadinvented or found a method tomanufacture turbines? Is it possiblefor me to know more about thisperson and could I have his/hercontact details. Besides, how canI send the payment to you formembership? I am based inMumbai. Do you have a officehere?

(Many thanks for your kind letter.Please send us your postal addressand we will send you a sample copyof honey bee and as for membershipfee, one can pay Rs. 150 for fourissues for perosnal subscriptionand more as patron, or lifesubscription.

Regarding turbines, please let usknow about the water flow, depth etcand where exactly you wish to usethe turbine. In the meanwhile, I amrequesting my colleagues in NIF and

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GIAN to send you information about severalturbines we have for lifting water, generatingpower etc. Are you interested buying this, ormanufacturing it ?

Thanks once again for mailing us your thoughts,please do keep in touch. Also sign the guest bookat sristi.org and /or at nifindia.org andindiainnovates.com. Ed)

Guidance for Tree Plantation

R N Mishra, Natural Agro Plantations, POBirpur, Supaul, Bihar

We have planted above seven lakh tree and wefurther desire to plant one lakh Kadam trees inthis part of Bihar. As such, we request you toguide us on the plantation and oblige.

(The efforts of your organization in planting thesetrees is very commendable and we are extremelyglad to assist you in this effort. One innovator,Premjibhai Hirabhai Patel has designed a seedbroadcaster to assist him in planting seeds. Hehas spent around 15 years planting over 3.5million trees in Gujarat. He is a resident ofBhavyadar Village in Rajkot district in Gujaratand his contact number is 02826 20130 (office)and 20221 (residence).

If our readers have any suggestions to assist inthis enterprise, please do write to us. Ed.)

Making Inovations Cost Effective

A H Hadi, 210, WHC Road, Dharampeth,Nagpur 440010

I read in the Times of India that you havehonoured more than 650 innovations made bythe common person. I would like to go throughthem since I have also innovated on many ofthem. Please allow me to visit you andunderstand the thinking behind them. I may beable to help you bring them into reality and makethem cost effective. If there is any bookletgiving a gist of the same, please send themto me.

(We are sending you a few copies of Honey Beeand CD of back issues of Honeybee. You can alsofind more details at the website www.sristi.org andwww.nifindia.org. Please do tell us about yourprofessional background. We are looking forwardto hearing your ideas and hope we can makegood use of them. Ed.)

Squirrels do Build Bridges

Yarlagadda [email protected]

I am a 26 year old, working asa Quality Analyst for a Web ContentDevelopment firm in Mumbai.

I did my Masters in ComputerApplication, but have been a verykeen observer of Automativetechnology. My father was anengineering consultant in the field ofMetallurgy Quality Control. I havegrown up observing how the qualitygets affected because of simplethings like ignorance of exactprocedures and a common senseapproach.

When I visited your website for thefirst time, I was overjoyed. I founda place where even an ordinaryIndian who has little chances tomarket his product is given a helpinghand.

I am not very sure about how Ican help, but I could provide atleast a few details that could beof help. Just like the squirrel didhis bit in the building of the Bridgeto Lanka in Ramayana.

I apologize for sending such along mail, but I thought I will giveyou all the details. Kindly let meknow if I have been accepted.

(We welcome you as a volunteer inthe Honey Bee Network and I amsharing your mail with my colleagueswho will make demand on your skillsand spirit from time to time.

I can also suggest specific areaswhere we need your help. Forinstance, there is an entry of a solarpowered vehicle in Karnataka inwhich we need your input. Likewise,we have a 12 hp tractor, 5 hptractor. Like this, there are manyother automative technologies inwhich you and your father can beof tremendous help to us.

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Please stay in touch and the squirrelcan indeed make the bridge. I amwaiting to see the bridge made. All thebest and thanks once again. Ed).

Article on NIF in TOI

Vijay [email protected]

I read very interesting things aboutNIF in Saira Kurup's article in TOIof 1/5/05. I would feel privileged tobe associated with it and request youto provide me information on itswebsite and other contact details.

I am an engineer by education andspent 23 years in L&T ending asthe Executive Assistant to theCEO and another 14 years inProject Management. PresentlyI am incubating a range ofconvenience products needed in theIndian context.

(The rich experiences of colleagueslike you will be tremendously usefulfor the grassroots innovators of ourcountry. I am enclosing a copy of theaward book for your reference alongwith copies of Honey Bee, notes onSRISTI and NIF and a CD of multimediapresentation. Ed)

Other contributors

In addition to the aboveletters, we have alsoreceived letters from RadhaRaman Pathak, H MMishra, P P Nemade, H VMehta, Gopal Suresh Patil,K K Somani, NimishKapoor, Ajit Khojare, AnneSwift, Prashant Yogi,Medha Joshi and manyothers. We thank all of youfor making the effort towrite to us and hope youwill continue to engage indialogue with us. We alsorequest out other readers toinitiate dialogue with us.

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Documents

16(2) April-June 2005