essence of peace - sristi3)hbjul-sep2003.pdf · a dialogue on people's creativity,...

A Dialogue on People's Creativity, Experimentation & Innovation

Honey Bee Vol 14(3) July-September 2003Published 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).

EditorAnil K GuptaEditorial AssistantRadhika BhuyanEditorial Advisory TeamVijaya Sherry Chand, Riya Sinha, Kirit K Patel,P.D James, T N Prakash, P Vivekanandan, Dhaval Vyas,Sudhirendar Sharma, Ramesh Patel, A S Reddy, Shailesh ShuklaGitanjali Hazarika, Sheela BhattGraphics and Design TeamD T Padekar, Unnikrishnan, Goraiya Shailendra, Mahendrabhai DadhaniyaAdministrative TeamR P S Yadav, R Baskaran, Balganapathy 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: 91-79-6324927; Fax: 91-79-6307341E-mail [email protected] Pages http://www.honeybee.org and http://www.sristi.org

Honey Bee Hums

Gujarati ..................................................... 6

Tamil ......................................................... 7

Dialogue ................................................. 20

Book ReviewA review of Woman inScience.................................18

Essence of Peace��

Going Organic!Vijay Shah's organicfarm..........................................9

(Malayalam)James T J,Peermade Development Society,Peermade, Iduki-685531, [email protected]

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

Num Vali Velanmai (Tamil)P Vivekanandan, 45, T P M Nagar,Virattipathu-625010, Tamil [email protected]

Honey Bee Regional Collaborators

Ama 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,[email protected] Karshakan Samsanikkatte

Culinary WisdomAn Analysis ofrecipes...................................17

Stitching a DreamInnovating a buttonholesewing machine...................2

PhotofeatureGlimpses into the 11thShodhyatra............................10

NIF AwardsProfiles of felicitatedinnovators.............................14

News & ViewsHBN news from across theglobe......................................19

T here was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paintthe best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at allthe pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to

choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was aperfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead wasa blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. Theother picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Abovewas an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Downthe side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peacefulat all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bushgrowing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built hernest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother birdon her nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

Source: Author unknown.This story was sent to us by Jyoti Capoor.

Will you stand by the IPRs of peasants ?

Honey Bee Vol 14(3) July-September 2003

Need for going organic! ��

J

1

Anil K Gupta

aisa ann, vaisa man: as you shall eat, so shall youthink, or even look.

An old Indian proverb linking the food we eat and thethoughts we have, may have intrigued some andinspired others. It has of course triggered cynicalresponse from majority. Otherwise there was no reasonwhy so many of us will be so indifferent to the relationbetween the food we eat, the way we grow it, thefeelings it induces in our mind and even the way welook. What makes this connection possible and whyhave we ignored this relationship for so long.

There are several ways in which we can look at thisproblem. Philosophically, if we grow food without caringfor soil health, animal health, conserving the water weuse and ensuring that water which drains out does notcarry pollutants, then some injury to nature is caused.This injury ecologically, will feed back into food chainand eventually affect the productive capacity of the soilitself. But it also creates a moral problem.

The moral problem in production of food arises inseveral ways. Obviously first issue is that lot of peopledo not have access to food, though a lot rots ingodowns. That is the subject of public interest litigationin Supreme Court and needs to be discussed separately.For present, we wish to focus on the issues that arisewhen we eat food that is grown in different regions,green revolution regions, or dry regions, hills or flood-prone regions. What status do we attach to differentkind of food? Whether so called inferior millets or othersuch food eaten by poor people are really poor foods?Is it not true that rich people are eating poor food andsome of the poor people actually are capable of eatinghealthy grains, or food? Paradox is that even poorpeople prefer to offer wheat and rice or hybrid maizeto their guest and eat minor millets or other grains,considered unworthy of being offered to guests. Imagineif guests knew, as a study showed in Africa, that onekilogram of indigenous variety of maize grown organicallyhad more boron than the ten kilogram of hybrid maizegrown intensively through chemical inputs, probably theguest would not have liked it. They would have felteven more unhappy when they would know thatincidence of arthritis in this study was found only aboutthree per cent among people eating local organicmaize, where it was twenty per cent among peopleeating so-called improved maize. But they would feelbad only when they know. But who will tell them. Public

media in India does not tell common people as to howthey suffer when they eat food grown on soil deficientin zinc, boron or other micro nutrients. Organicallygrown food is also healthy food — an issue that needslot of research, and demonstration among commonpeople.

Why will consumers support healthy soil movement ifthey did not even know the cost of their eating un-healthy food.

Another issue is the diversity of food, whether by eatingfew grains or few varieties, we can remain healthy.There is no way that eco-system can remain healthythrough mono-culture. But when will we realize thateven we will remain unhealthy by relying only on fewgrains for meeting our food requirement. Theconservation of agro-biodiversity is also linked to someextent with the goal of growing healthy food and eatinghealthy food.

Lastly, I wish to draw attention of the readers to thepossibility that even when consumers will startrecognizing the importance of organic food, will thebenefit of this emerging market demand, accrue togenuine farmers? Or will economically poor people,growing organic food in ecologically disadvantagedregions, get the benefit of this demand?

Public policy on the subject does not deal with usingorganic agriculture-based incentives as a means ofpoverty alleviation in drought-prone, hill areas, forestregions and flood-prone regions. Our contention is thatif we wish to create awareness on these issues andgenerate consumer demand for healthy food, thenbenefit of this demand ought to go to those farmerswho lost out in the race of green revolutions. Thelaggards of green revolution should now becomeconservators of agro-biodiversity as well as supplier oforganic food. They need to get public support forcertification, price and procurement, and otherknowledge inputs for maximizing their productivity withoutusing chemical inputs. Will public policy makers andcivil society organizations involved in this movement,speak for healthy soil, healthy crops, healthy animalsand healthy human beings?



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A

Kamdar's buttonhole machine

nil Kamdar is a 42-year-old sewingmachine virtuoso.

“I grew up with sewingmachines,” he says. Helearnt all about sewingmachines from his father,Rashmikant Kamdar, whoworked in a hosiery factory

in Ahmedabad. Rashmikant wanted his sons tostudy and take up well-paid jobs. But because ofhis financial constraints none of his children couldstudy beyond the 5th grade. He spent his childhoodnear Kalupur Railway Station in Ahmedabad. Asyoungsters, the three brothers learnt a lot aboutstitching and stitching machines from theirfather. Kamdar remembers how his fatherwould add something new in their toys to makethem work better. This instilled in him a desireto create new things. He knew ever since, thathe would create something new one day,though he never knew what.

After his father’s death in 1980, Kamdar learnthow to repair sewing machines and taught histwo brothers. The brothers moved to Godhra,as the place had better prospects for his skills.On a good day, he would make as much asRs. 600/-. He did not have to travel far to findwork.

Problems Led to Ideas

Four years ago, Anil Kamdar began toying withthe idea of building a buttonhole machine.Considering he had little knowledge in designingmachines, the task was challenging. So he startedstudying various parts of the sewing machineclosely. The study gave him a clearer goal. Hewanted to build a machine with a better threadcutting mechanism, a better gear mechanism, andan auto pump for lubricating several parts of themachine. A very interesting feature of the machinewould be of a lamp fixed directly above the workarea. This is often a necessity for users, for fewsewing machine models of today use the feature.Several other ideas crossed his mind, as to howhe would place each part and so on.

The dream of this sewing machine mechanic was to create a unique buttonhole sewing machine. After many yearsof struggle in overcoming the inherent problems in existing machines, Anil Kamdar finally managed to build thefirst prototype of his dream buttonhole sewing machine.

Once he was confident he knewenough of the mechanism, heembarked on to build the firstprototype.

Work Begins

In the year 1999, he began work onthe machine. “While repairing sewingmachines, I came across problemsinherent in the Japanese and Americanversions of the buttonhole sewingmachines. I did not copy theseexisting versions, but rather designeda different one, with newer functions

and modes, ” says Anil.

He found a solution to an existingproblem in machines that often led tothe breaking of the thread. “Thisfunction and lot many othersfunctions are similar to the existingmachines, except that thearrangement of the parts are different,giving it a better edge,” continues Anil.The problems that Anil Kamdar facedwhile repairing the existing versionsbecame the very basis for hisinnovation.

Obsession

Anil took his savings, all of Rs 5,000,to buy various parts of the machine.

He would commute long distances towork and while travelling he wouldspend time thinking about hismachine. He would spend two hoursevery morning, and three to fourhours in the evening tinkering andexperimenting with his machine. “Istruggled on getting the rightfunctionality of the plate, over whichthe cloth moves while stitching. Andthis took me a quite a while,” saysAnil.

His wife and relatives pressurized himto give up the idea. But instead hedistanced himself from people,and even stopped attendingChurch on Sundays. Hisexperiments stretched up to fiveto six hours, each day. Withoutelectricity supply to his house atthat time, he worked under thelight of an oil lamp.

Months passed in many suchexperiments, and he soon wantednew machine parts. Since theparts were difficult to find in themarket, he bought a hand-drill for

about Rs 1,500, and began craftingthe spare parts. For over two years,he worked with the hand drill —cutting, moulding and making theparts — as he wanted. He even useda small lid of a bowl, as a part of themachine. Kamdar’s enthusiasm wasinfectious and soon his wife began toassist him.

After Kamdar's savings gotexhausted, he began using a major partof his daily income on his machine.He gave less than the normal amountto his wife, Sharda, as householdexpenses. He had to postpone his elderson’s schooling by a year. His wifeargued that the amount of money he



Drawbacks :Conventional Machine The Innovative Buttonhole Machine

• No. of moving parts: 100 • Heavy: 70 to 80 Kg • Timer mechanism is under the base

plate • Steering mechanism is less flexible • Automatic thread-cutting mechanism is

not very reliable • 6. Zigzag movement of the needle is

difficult to adjust (gear needs adjustment)

• No. of moving parts: 70 • Light: about 60 kg • Timer mechanism is over the base

plate, facilitating greater manoeuvrability • Steering mechanism allows flexibility

while shaping the buttonhole • Automatic thread-cutting mechanism is

more reliable • Zigzag movement of the needle is easy

to adjust through an adjustment knob (range of movement is higher)

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Infosys & IIM-A Board Chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy (second from right) and Kamdar (secondfrom left) listening to President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the innovators meet of the Honey BeeNetwork in March 2003 held at IIM-Ahmedabad

was wasting on the machine could instead havebeen invested in their children’s schooling. Soonbickerings gave way to pleading, but Anil ignoredhis wife’s persistent pleadings. They were on theverge of seeking a divorce but reconciled later. He

sought help from friends and relatives at times,when he could not afford to sustain his familyfinancially. But they would ridicule his far-fetcheddreams and turn him away.

It was this attitude of theirs that steeled his resolveto build the machine and prove them wrong. Afterthe communal violence in Godhra, his income fellfurther. Undeterred, he saved some amount fromhis measly earnings to buy parts for his machine.

The First Prototype

In 2002, the machine was ready but he kepttinkering with it to improve its functions. When

he was confident that the machineworked well, he wanted to sell thetechnology. And so he wrote a letterto the Chief Minister of Gujarat andthe Governor of Gujarat. The Chief

Minister’s office advised him tocontact the Industries Commissioner,who in turn asked him to contact aPatent Attorney in Bangalore.

The Industries Commissionate, Govt.of Gujarat, contacted GIAN (GujaratGrassroot Innovation AugmentationNetwork), informing them about AnilKamdar. This was how, a few dayslater, a representative from GIANvisited Anil Kamdar and documentedhis innovation. In early 2003, he wasgiven financial assistance to improveand modify his innovation.

The machine has been showcased atvarious exhibitions and workshops.The prototype is available at theGIAN’s office. GIAN has filed apatent application on his behalf, andsought help from technical experts tomodify the product. GIAN is on thelook out for entrepreneurs, interestedin manufacturing the machinecommercially.

Though the parts don’t lookcongruent, the machine works well.To a layman the machine wouldappear complex — like a mélange ofmoving parts that distantly resemblesa sewing machine.

Finding a Buyer

A proposal on the prototype has beensent to the TePP (TechnopreunalPromotion Program) Scheme of theDepartment of Scientific andIndustrial Research, as seniorscientists there appreciated andshowed interest in the machine. GIANapproached a few medium-sizedsewing machine manufacturers. Amanufacturer from Punjab has alsoshown interest.

Only few know of the struggle thatAnil Kamdar went through to makehis dream machine a reality. So far,he invested around Rs 4-5 lakh on theprototype. All that the prototype needsnow is an aesthetic appeal, and forwhich GIAN has sought help fromNID (National Institute of Design),inviting students and members of thefaculty.

This machine weighs around 10 kgless than other similar machines. Ithas less wear and tear and requireslow maintenance. It takes 15 secondsto make a buttonhole.

According to Anil the automaticmachine that he designed, if producedon a mass scale, would cost notmore than Rs 40,000. A semi-automatic one would cost about Rs20,000. A person can earn as much



His future

Anil married in 1994, has two sons,Aashish (10) and Ranison (8), bothstudying in a district school. Thefamily lives in a dilapidated rentedhouse. Sharda, his wife, has beenboth his critic and confidanté. Afterinitial skepticism, she gradually gainedconfidence in his abilities andfervently hoped that his efforts wouldbear fruit. On many occasions,Sharda had helped him in his work,lifting machine parts, when he wasunable to handle them alone.

Anil believes that patience and couragecan convert ideas into reality. “I havenever ever given up hope on anythingever since I was a child,” he says.“I never leave anything halfway if Iset out to do something. I don’t stopuntil I finish it. I always knew Iwould create something new.”

“If one has the zest for innovation,anything is possible,” Kamdar says.“We Indians tend to have a kaamchalao (laid back) attitude and makedo with whatever is available, withoutattempting to improve things.Innovations are indispensable if acountry is to progress. Products fromcountries like USA and Japan areconsidered the best, why can’t westrive to be number one?”

He hopes the money that he will earnfrom the machine will enable him tobuy a house, invest in his children’seducation and buy bicycles for hissons. He also wants to invest inimproving designs for the machineand spend the rest, in buying sewing-machine parts for his business.

His passion is evident when he sayshis next mission is to make a lock-stitch machine (used for stitching thehems of denim garments) and abutton-stitching machine.

(We thank Rajashree Shukla, MaheshPatel and others from GIAN whohelped us with their invaluableinputs)

4

as Rs 150-200 per day, if the machine is run foreight hours. The unique feature of the machineis that it can count the number of buttonholesstitched. This makes it easier for the user toestimate work done in a year, and calculate profitor loss.

Only a few months ago, after building theprototype, he made a wooden design of the sameprototype. The idea was to use this wooden designin calculating and designing better machines thenext time.

Kamdar’s is the first indigenous machine, and ithas better features than the existing importeddouble threaded buttonhole sewing machines. Itcosts lesser, is easier to maintain, and is user-friendlier. The features of the machine are:

� Automatic with variable speed and autolubrication facility (i.e. once set up for allparameters, it will perform the rest ofoperation automatically and calibration iscomparatively easier because this can be doneby adjustment of some adjustment screws).

� Lesser number of parts, so requires lessmaintenance and lower cost. e.g., a singlepower drive without any clutch is used indriving all the rotating parts of the machine.

� Gearbox for the timer is located above thebase plate unlike the conventional machine,for ease of operation. A timer is a mechanismthat times the completion of one buttonholeand allows easy shifting of gears to obtaindifferent stitch patterns, by simply settingtheir sizes only. In all other machines thecalibration is done automatically and hence

the chances of failure is higher,whereas in Kamdar’s innovationthe adjustments are donemechanically which tends to bemore accurate.

� A needle steering mechanism,which guides the needle alongthe width of the buttonhole withits zigzag motion as one cycleof stitching is completed. Thetranslator causes motion of thepressure clamp along the lengththus completing the buttonhole.The base plate unlike the existingones remains fixed.

� A cutter unloader mechanismgives flexibility of finding faultsin the machine while the machineis running, thereby making thefault identification easy andaccurate.

� Other simple automatic-thread-cutting mechanisms that performthe thread cutting from aboveand below the base plate aftercompletion of the buttonholeprocess normally breaks thethread every time it performs itstask. To avoid rethreading everytime, Kamdar positioned the platein such a manner so as tocorrect the error. His mechanismnow holds the thread below aftercutting for the next buttonhole.

� Unlike other machines, thismachine has a unique featurethat during maintenance andadjustment, one need not lift thewhole machine.

� It has an auto stop mechanismto stop the sewing process whenthe needle or thread breaks. Themachine stops the moment thethread or needle breaks. And onecan re-start sewing from thepoint of the broken thread byadjusting the jog lever.

� The machine has a mechanismfor counting the number ofbuttonholes stitched and a lightto make working in the nighteasier.

SRISTI Publication

Nature HealsEditors: Dr Jayvir Anjaria, Dr Minoo

Parabia, Gauri Bhatt and Ripal Khamar

Price: Rs 150Pages: 41 + XVLanguage: English

This book contains information on 246 plants fromdifferent parts of India. Apart from the graphics ofthe pictures of plants, it gives their Indian names,properties, nutritional values and medicinal uses.

Please place your order for the book with SRISTIInnovations, c/o Prof. Anil K Gupta, Indian Instituteof Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, India.Phone: 91-79-6324927. E-mail: [email protected].



5

Students Galore

Gaurav Anand ( IIT -Kharagpur) worked on aSRISTI / IIMA project. He helped with web contentcreation and database, as well as conducting fieldtrips collecting data from innovators.

Saurabh Bhatia (IIT- Delhi) worked on a SRISTI/ IIMA project. He helped with a knowledge-needstudy which helped in defining the content for thekiosk. He conducted field trips to find out ways inwhich such a network would be sustainable.

Neil Mascarenhas ( St. Xaviers College- Mumbai)worked on documenting the impact of a SRISTI /IIMA project. as part of the initiative for rebuildingKutch, after the earthquake of 26th January 2001.He took field trips and interacted with children andteachers as part of the project.

Priyanka Chowdry (St. Xaviers College-Mumbai)worked on a SRISTI / IIMA project and helpedwith the content creation for the website.

Maitrayee Mukerji (Institute of RuralManagement- Gujarat) wishes to explore howICT can enable development interventions takingHoney Bee network as a case.

Hiral Ojha and other students (DA-ICT-Gujarat) wish to work on ICT enabling projectsusing multilingual open source technology andGIS.

Ankur Garg (IIT-Kanpur) worked on developingthe business plan for the proposed portalwww.indiainnovates.com. This was in relation tothe entrepreneur, investments and innovatorcommunity for value addition and incubation

Nikhil Narayan (IIIT- Kolkata) worked on thewww.gian.org website

Sunny Dasgupta (IIIT- Kolkata)worked ondeveloping a content management system for theHoney Bee magazine.

Ruju Rathod (Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Schoolof Architecture) wishes to work on ruralsustainability and development.

Navendu Karan (IIM-Ahmedabad)worked onthe development of a business plan for theproposed portal. The work involved networkingthe entrepreneur, investments and innovatorcommunity for value addition and incubation

Global Research Network

Richael Connolly (Ireland) wishesto work with Honey Bee networksgrassroots initiatives enablingentrepreneurship for sustainabletechnologies.

John Milton (McGill University)isstudying on the relationship betweenknowledge and development usingICT and Honey Bee Network’sexperience.

Caroline Campbell (Teacher)&Students (High School in Leeds,England) are interested in learning theimpact of ICT on grassrootscommunity.

Michael Hanna (University ofBerkley) worked on the evaluationof a business plan for thewww.indiainnovates.com portal.

Preeti Shroff Mehta (University ofMaryland,USA) pursued research onthe knowledge system based at HoneyBee for her Ph. D thesis.

Moira Daly (York University)wishesto work on intellectual property andtraditional knowledge.

Laura Silver (University ofMinnesota) participated in variousSRISTI activities. She conducted astudy looking into how Gyan Van’s(forests of knowledge) could help

conserve biodiversity.

Vikas Pershad (Harvard University)volunteered to help in adding value toinnovations.

Nitesh Tripathi (University ofFlorida) intends to work in geo-referencing the innovation databaseusing GIS and upload it onto the web.

Krina Patel (Harvard University) isinterested in researching the socialimpact of technology.

Luciana Teshima (Brazil) workedwith the Honey Bee Newsletter and aSRISTI / IIMA project. She helpedwith content creation and translationin Portuguese for the website.

Amina Para Agnes Matlon (HarvardLaw School) worked with SRISTI onPatan Patola database and some keyGujarat crops.

Salisha Chandra, Veena Bairoliya,Jess, Stuti (London School ofBusiness) developed a frameworkfor social of micro-venture fund forgrassroots innovations.

Leonel Orozo (Gautamala City) andDiego Raza Camillo (Quito)volunteered to translate the Honey Beeedition to Spanish. A task that stillremains and we are looking out formore volunteers.

Camille Pariselle and MarionFischer (Ecole Nationale Supérieured’Agronomie de Montpellier-France)is interested in working on issues ofsustainable development andgrassroots innovations.

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We would like to thankthose who have helped us

take the philosophy ofthe Honey Bee Network

forward. We lookforward to such

enthusiasm from morepeople around the world.

Anyone?

Those who wish to volunteerwith us can visit our websitewww.honeybee.org or write [email protected]

(More to be profiled in the comingissue)



land) to the soil before plantinggroundnut. He recommends puttingbrick powder between the rows ofgroundnut plants, if sowing is alreadydone. Shri Ghanshyambhai has beenusing this method for last 30 years. Theplant gives more pods and they do notbreak during plucking.

Shri Parsingbhai Mathurbhai Baria fromAnkli village of the Dahod district addsbrick powder to soil to protect bavtaor Nagli (Eleusine coracana) from thekohiwara disease. It ensures that theplants grow well. Other farmers in thearea also practice this method.

14302 Stomach worms in calves

Mahipatsih uses a powder crushedseperately with few leaves ofpomegranate, 50 grams bam (Balcomoniary), 50 grams pearl millet, 50grams fenugreek seeds, 50 gramsmustard, 25 gram ajmo (Trachy-spermum ammi) and 50 grams ofblack pepper. He mixes them togetherand soaks in one litre water for 12hours. He boils the water till it isreduced to half, filters and stores it ina clean glass bottle. He gives 100 mlof the solution to the affected calf fortwo days before it is allowed to suckmilk. Within two days the calvesexcretes dead worms. It stops lickingsoil and starts eating grass.

For similar practices see Honey Bee4(2&3): 6,1993, 4(3): 6,1993, 8(1): 11,1997, 5(3): 14, 1994,5(4): 19,1994;10(3): 17, 1999; 7(1): 7, 1996, 8(2):9,1997, 9(2): 8, 1998, 10(3): 8,1999 onpractices for preventing intestinalworms.

Shri Mahipatsih M. Gadhvi, Muwada,Taluka: Mahemdabad, District: Kheda.

14303 Curry leaf or Karipatta(Murraya koenigii) for diarrhoea

Animals often suffer from diarrhoeaduring monsoon. Shri MadlabhaiRathwa from Hamirpura village ofKwant taluka in Vadodara district givesneem (Azadirachta indica) extract to

Loksarvani(Gujarati version of Honey Bee)Ramesh Patel, Editor, c/o SRISTI, Post BoxNo. 15050, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380015.E-mail: [email protected].

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14301 Hard bricks: soft soil, reduce toil

Farmers use various methods to ensure that theirgroundnut (Arachis hypogaea) plants givemaximum output and the roots do not break

during plucking. Shri Ghanshyambhai fromMotakantharia village of the Amreli district ofSaurashtra uses brick powder for his groundnutcrop.

The farmer collects brick powder and claypowder from brick makers and potters. He addsthis powder (100 to 150 kilogramme per acre of

6

Spirit of Sustainability

Price: Rs 50 (South Asia) $ 7 (Rest of the World)Pages: 42+viiiLanguage: English

This book is an anthology of Honey Bee innercover stories, some of which celebrate the commonsense found in people while the others explorethe relationship between human beings and nature.In its pages you will meet the man who savedstarfish, the woman who shared her grain witha parrot, the wise crow who saved his master'scrops and many other creatures in an intricateweb of humane relationshiops.

Please place your order for the book with SristiInnovations, c/o Prof. Anil K Gupta, Indian Instituteof Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, India.Phone: 91-79-6324927. E-mail: [email protected].

SRISTI Publication

the affected animal. According to hisexperience, 500 grams of Curry leaf,Karipatta (Murraya koenigii), limdi,gaandhala leaves are pound and onelitre of water is added. After an hourthe solution is stirred and filtered. Togive best result, about 500ml of thissolution is given to the affected animal.

There are no side effects from thistraditional remedy.

Shri Madlabhai Rathwa, villageHamirpura, taluka Kwant, districtVadodara. Compilation: PravinVanakar

14304 Goat’s hair to control ratmenace

Rats eat away grass stored in farms,houses or godowns, causing hugeloss and damage to crops in ruralareas. They mostly live in the bundsof irrigated land and destroy maize,millet, paddy, and wheat.

Chinubhai mixes goat’s hair hidden insweet meats. He makes ladoos fromwheat or millet flour, jaggery, waterand goat’s hair. He places the ladoosin the farms frequented by rats. Therats eat them and subsequently diefrom choking as hair in the ladoosblock their respiratory canal andintestinal organs. According toChinubhai, this method controls ratmenace and helps in reducing damagecaused to the crops.

(We believe that we should not usemethods that cause cruelty to animals.We hope that farmers would exploreother methods of rat control.– Ed.)

Farmer: Chinubhai JiwabhaiBharwad, Udalia village,Vankanertaluko, Rajkot District. Compilation:Dilipbhai Koradia



V Arasan of village Komberipatty is well-versedin herbal treatment of disorders in animals andcrops. The 30-year-old farmer has developedseveral methods of treatment based on his owninterest and from other healers around the localarea. The type of disorder and the method oftreatment developed by Arasan are:

14305 Enhance milk production in cattle

Oil cake of gingelly, tila*, gingli, susum, tal, ellu(Sesamum indicum: S. orientale) is crushedwith palm jaggery and fed regularly to milchanimals.

Gingelly is used as a laxative, emollient, demulcent,diuretic, and nourisher and as a lactagogue. (HoneyBee database)

For other use of gingelly oil refer to HB 3 (3&4) 10,1992; HB 6(1); 10, 1995; HB 6 (2) 10, 1995;HB 11(2) 5-6, 2000;HB 13(1) 8,2002; HB 13(1) 8,2002;HB 13 (1) 9,2002; HB (4), 17, 2002

14306 Prolonged wounds in cattle

The leaf juice of thumbai, thumbe, gumamadhupati, chotahalkusa, dronpushpi (Leucasaspera: L. cephalotes, L. linifolia) is applied onthe wounds. Worms inside the wounds are forcedout and the wound is healed.

Tumbai is used as a stimulant, antipyretic, andinsecticide. The leaf of thumbai is used in chronicrheumatism; the flower for cough and cold; and theextract of leaf is applied on skin conditions, scabiesand psoriasis. (Honey Bee database)

For other practices of thumbai refer to HB 6(4): 10,1995; HB (10(3): 8, 1992; HB 13(3): 10, 2002.

14307 De-worming in cattle

The roots of Indian acalypha or aritamanjiarie,kuppaimeni, khokali, kuppi, kuppsameniysa

(Acalypha indica) are washed, finelyground and mixed with hot water. Themixture is then administered orally tothe animal.

Acalypha indica is used as a cathartic,anthelmintic, expectorant, emetic,anodyne, hynotic, and laxative. It is alsoused for curing ringworm. (Honey Beedatabase)

The leaves of Acalypha indica are usedfor sprouting paddy faster and makes itpest resistant (especially from the red

spot disease). (http://www.devalt.org/newsletter/jul03/of_4.htm)

For other practices of Acalypha indicarefer to HB 7(3): 9, 1996; HB13 (3): 10,2002; HB 14(1): 3-7,2003; HB 14(1):8, 2003

14308 Retaining placenta incattle

The immature pods of the lady'sfinger, pitali, bhendi, dheras, bhindavendi, (Abelmoschus indicus: A.

esculentus), plant of about 250gmsand palm sugar 200gms are groundtogether finely. The paste is thenmixed with 500ml of gingelly oil andthen administered orally.

14309 Keratilis or cornealopacity in cattle

Padikaaram (alum) is powdered andmixed properly in a bowl of water.The mixture is allowed to settle. Twoto three drops of the supernatantsolution is applied to the infected eyeof the animal.

14310 Vellai vizhudhal (leacomiain eyes) of cattle

Few leaves of Sirukurinjan(Gymnema sylvestre) are crushed andthe extract so obtained is applied intothe infected eye of cattle. Three tofour drops of the extract will beenough. This treatment must beadministered three times a day,continuously for three days.

14311 Foot and mouth diseasein cattle

Foot and mouth disease causes smallblisters and cuts inside the mouth ofthe cattle. There is excessive salivationand ulcers in the cattle's feet. Grainsof the local variety of pearl millet,bajra, bajri, kumbu (Pennisetumamericanum) are cooked with waterto make gruel. The gruel is cooled andfed to the diseased animal.

14312 Retaining placenta ingoats

About 500 gms of a common parasiticcreeper growing on trees and plants-Verillakothan, amarvel, algusi,aakashvallai (Cuscuta reflexa) arefinely ground and mixed with adequateamount of water to make a fine paste.The mixture is made in a bamboobowl. A bowlful of this mixture is thenfed to the animal.

Num Vali Velanmai(Tamil Version of Honey Bee)P Vivekanandan, Editor, SEVA, 45, T P M Nagar,Virattipathu, Madurai-625010, Tamil Nadu.E-mail: [email protected].

7

jkjkjk*We have started using local names of plants in a few Indian languages along with their Latin names from this issue -Ed



The plant contains coloring matter, glycoside,bergenin and coumarin. The plant is purgative,anthelmintic and the seeds are carminative andanodyne in nature, while the stem of the plant ispurgative (Honey Bee database).

For other practices of Cuscuta reflexa refer to HB11(4)&12(1): 24; 2000-2001; 3(3&4): 21, 1992;4(3&4): 24, 1993; 9(2): 7, 1998.

Crop protection

14313 Controlling Pests

Kanvali tuber (Ipomoea hederifolia) -2 kg,sweet scented oleander or arali, karavi, karen,dephali, karavira (Nerium oleander: N.Odorum, N. Indicum) seeds -1kg, daturaseeds-2kg, tobacco leaf-1kg and limestonepowder-500gms are soaked and ground. Themixture is soaked again in cow urine for 10-15 days. After which, the mixture is filteredthrough a fine cotton cloth. One litre of thefiltrate is taken and diluted with the requiredquantity of water. This spray will be effectivein controlling insect pests in crops like moringa,chilli, tomato, brinjal and paddy.

For other use of Nerium oleander refer to HB 5(1):15, 1994; 10(1): 7, 1999; 11(3): 7, 2000

Innovator: V. Arasan alias Karuppiah, S/O.Vellaichamy, Mammaniyour, Komberipatty P.OAyyalur Via Vedasanthoor Taluk, Dindugul District- 624801.

Agronomic Practices

Kuppusamy Chettiar has developed the followingagronomic practices.

14314 Controlling seedling rot in tomatocrop

About 20 ml of the leaf juice of Kakithapoo(Bougainvillea glabra) is mixed with a litre ofpure water. The tomato seeds are soaked in thismixture for six hours before they are planted.

For other use of Bougainvillea glabra refer to HB11(2) 9, 2000

14315 Controlling red leaf spot

Seeds of the paddy crops are soaked in 20 percent dilution of the leaf of mint extract (pudinah

,meenchi), Mentha arvensis: M.virdis, M.Crispa, M.spicata for 24hours and broadcast. This willimprove the germination percentageand better roots will develop.

Veterinary Practices

Mookkan, a 70-year-old healer,Melaurapanur village, MaduraiDistrict is an expert in healingdigestive problems in animals. Thesymptoms of such problems are lossof appetite and thirst, presence ofinternal worms, bloating of stomachand diarrhoea. Mookkan startedhealing animals soon after he gotmarried, almost 45 years back. He isilliterate and landless. He once visitedhis wife’s village, nearKadamalaikundu, Theni District.There his brothers- in- law wereinvolved in selling herbal products likePerali Yenna (a type of oil used forpoisonous bites). Mookkan joined hisbrothers- in-law and learnt severalanimal-curing methods. Afterreturning to his native place, Mookkangot involved in making bolus, madefrom several herbal ingredients. Hecarries 50 bolus in a box and goesfrom village to village, treatingdigestive disorders in animals. Heclaims to have treated more than10,000 animals in a span of 45 years.He charges two rupees for a singlebolus, just enough to cover themaking cost.

14316 Digestive problem inanimals

Mookkan first examines the oralcavity of the animal. He punctures theveins under the tongue of the animalto allow a blackish blood to ooze out.After which he rubs the tongue witha pinch of salt and tamarind fruit.Then he administers the animal withthe bolus, about two to three times.The bolus is prepared in the followingmanner:

Plants of kandankathri (Solanumsurattense) and Indian aloes (ghrit

kumari, ghilkanvar, kanvarpatho,chotru kattrala, komarika ),Aloe vera: A. barbadeniss, tumbai(thumbe, guma madhupati,chotahalkusa, dronpushpi), Leucasaspera: L. cephalotes, L. linifolia,Indian acalypha (aritamanjiarie,kuppaimeni, khokali, kuppi,kuppsameniysa), Acalypa indica,harsankar (heeressa,asthisanhari,h a d j o r a , p i r a n d a i ) , C i s s u squadrangularis, mirchiya kand(akasa, karudan,kollanhovakizhangu)Corallocarpusepigaeus, puliam pirandai (Cissussetosa), bamboo leaves(moongil,vans,katu-una or bans),Bambusa arundinacea: B. Bambos,virali, Dodonaea angustifolia: D.visoosa, Tanner’s cassia (avarmkolai,tarwar, awal,avarai,ranawara),Cassia auriculata are all dried inshade and then pounded. Thepirandai is cut into several piecesbefore drying. Herbal drugs given towomen after childbirth can be addedwith the bolus, when the mixture isbeing ground. One can get theseherbal drugs from a drug store andwill cost around Rs 20 to Rs 30. Theherbal drugs constitute dried ginger,black pepper, palm jaggery and so on.

In addition, salt and culinary spicesare added. Coconut, onion and palmjaggeries are ground separately andalso administered. The treatment iscontinued for a day or two dependingon the severity of the disease.

8

Contd. on page 16



9

ne of the most arid and dry regions inIndia is the Kutch. And it is here, in themidst of the sun baked saline landscape,

where one would find 42 acres of lustrous greenland. Located in village Rayan, further South of

Kutch, Gujarat, the farm is skirted with date palms.Fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs are alsogrown.

Idiosyncratic as it may sound, but Vijay Shah, theowner of the farm has christened his date palmswith names like Maska and Bootwala. The 42-year-old’ s passion for farming started in the year1986, when he began tilling his ancestral land.Before this, he ran a publishing business.Dissatisfied with the business, he eventually gavein to farming.

The Change

Vijay Shah began farming by growing maize,watermelons, pomegranates, figs and dates. Thechemical fertilisers and pesticides fetched him abumper yield. It was five to six times more thanthe other farmers in the neighbourhood.

However the bounty was short-lived.Seven years later, the soil lost itsfertility. Summer winds eroded thetopsoil, while rainwater washed awaythe top fertile soil. It was a failedattempt to fidget with nature. Towhich Vijay says, “ Each one of ushas to realise in life that failures arestepping stones to success.”

It was during this time that Vijay gotinvolved in Vipassana (form ofmeditation). His guru’s advicechanged his approach to farming, “Ifyou are seeking peace, first see thatyour livelihood reflects it.” And it wasafter this that he realised he must lookfor alternative means to improve thefarm yield.

Organic Beginning

His first step was to restore the naturalfertility of the soil. Chemical fertilisersdid not work. In July 1996, Vijayturned to organic fertilisers. The soilthat had grown accustomed tochemical fertilisers neededmicronutrients. Traditional fertiliserslike cow dung were insufficient. Hescoured the area and found a naturalsource of micronutrients, seaweeds.Seaweeds, which he got from theGulf of Kutch, were dried in the sunand then cleaned. The weeds werepowdered in a thresher. The powderedseaweeds were stored in polythenebags and sprinkled in both dry andliquid forms. Of eight tonnes ofpowder produced annually, Vijay usedtwo and distributed the rest amongother farmers.

The next three to four years saw nosignificant increase in the yield. Tomaintain biodiversity, Vijay begancultivating neem, mango, akado(Calotropis gigantea), thor, dudheli(Euphorbia hirta) and kanvar patho

(Aloe barbadeniss), African dindhan,sarago and five-leaf chestatan.

Experiments

Vijay also experimented and learnt agreat deal in the process. Wheninsects like beetles attacked datepalms, he poured hot water on theaffected parts. It worked. Throughobservation he learnt the benefits oftermites. Termites, unlike otherinsects, do not eat anything green.Instead they distribute dry soil andventilate the roots.Vijay imported certain seeds fromTaiwan based AVRDC (AsianVegetable Research and DevelopmentCenter) between the years 1992 to1994. He imported improved varietiesof Mung beans from AVRDC. Afterwhich Vijay Shah partnered with aprivate seed company in Taiwan andbought super sweet corn and muskmelons from them. Later however, hestopped importing seeds.

In a region that receives scant rainfall(a mere three inches), Vijay realisedhe had to conserve water. He built twoponds to store rainwater, and createdchannels for rainwater to flow intothem. His perseverance finally beganto bear fruit. The farm flourished andthe soil became increasingly fertile andmoist.

Much to his delight, he found that theannual yield of his small farm wasmuch more than the farmlands thatused chemical fertilisers. Withchemical fertilisers, the yield of datepalms decreased every year. Inorganic farming, however, the palmsremained fruit bearing for many years.His wife, Kusum says, ‘When thereis deep awakening within, the visionand path change for better.’

�� Vijay Shah infused new life into the arid landscape of Kutch. By using organic farming, he restored soil fertility, developednew production means and produced high yielding crops

Contd. on page 16

O



Glimpses of the 11thShodhyatra in Uttaranchal

10

Shodhyatris set off on theirShodhyatris set off on theirShodhyatris set off on theirShodhyatris set off on theirShodhyatris set off on theirjourney to the Tarai region ofjourney to the Tarai region ofjourney to the Tarai region ofjourney to the Tarai region ofjourney to the Tarai region of

Uttaranchal and parts ofUttaranchal and parts ofUttaranchal and parts ofUttaranchal and parts ofUttaranchal and parts ofUttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh

Women from Bidori village welcome the yatris

Developer of paddy variety Indrasan(fourth from left)being honoured during 11th Shodhyatra

Sukhranjan Mistry is showing hisinnovation-the tile-making machine

Two women centurian Nirashodevi andBhanavatidevi honored in village Gauri Kheda

Judges of the recipes contest in villageDevnagar trying out various dishes of the

contestants

Centurian Rajkumari invillage Devnagar



��

11

l

People turn up in large numbers to interactwith the yatris

Manjulaben, a shodhyatri, awards the winnerof the recipe contest at Gaurikedha

Women gather at the recipe contest in villageGaurikheda

Students in a biodiversity contest naming various uncultivatedplants in village Devnagar

Few dishes displayed at the recipe contest invillage Dev Nagar, Uttranchal

Swamiji Tandikappa showingpaper crafts to children invillage Nagla, Pantnagar



12

To recognize and reward the unsung heroesand heroines of our society, who havesolved a technological problem withoutoutside help the Department of Scienceand Technology, Government of India,established the National InnovationFoundation (NIF) in 2000. Dr. R AMashelkar, Director General, Council forScientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) isthe chair person. NIF is mandated to buildthe National Register of Green GrassrootsTechnological Innovations and TraditionalKnowledge Practices developed by variousindividuals and communities in theunorganized sector. NIF’s commitment tograssroot innovators and traditionalknowledge holders is aimed at (a) buildingtheir linkages with institutional scientists,technologists to add value in theirtechnologies, (b) mobilizing venture capitalsupport to help convert innovations intoenterprises, (c) protecting their intellectualproperty rights and (d) creating a cultureof innovation in society. Through itsactivities, NIF is striving to make Indiainnovative, self-reliant and a world leaderin sustainable technologies.

The role of Honey Bee Network

The Honey Bee Network was createdestablished about 14 years ago to connectcreative people across language andcultures, acknowledge the contribution ofinnovators and expand policy andinstitutional space for local knowledgeexperts. NIF is building upon the HoneyBee philosophy and is trying to generatea movement in the country by linkinggreen grassroot innovators with oneanother as well as with experts in modernscience and technology markets. Severalvalues (7 E’s) are being blended such asEthics, Excellence, Efficiency, Environment,Education, Equity and Empathy. Thepurpose is to enable innovators to helpeach other and in the process make Indiaa knowledge intensive society. The mostoutstanding entries are given awards and

The 4th��

National CompetitionAnnounces

2003-2004

��

also support for prototype developmentand scaling up depending upon the socialcriticality and potential impact, eco-friendliness, economic condition of theinnovator and potential for value additionthrough linkage with science andtechnology.

The competition

NIF solicits entries about traditionalknowledge or unaided technologicalinnovations attempted by individualfarmers, fishermen and women, slumdwellers, workshop mechanics etc. inmanaging natural resources includingbiodiversity, generating herbal remediesfor human, animal and plant health ordeveloping new technological implements,gadgets or machines or processes for farmoperations, household utility, transportationfor improved efficiency, energyconservation or generation and reducingdrudgery or any other low cost sustainablegreen technology related to various aspectsof survival in urban and rural areas.

The awards

The first best three innovations andtraditional knowledge practices will beawarded Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs25,000 each in different categories. Inaddition, three individuals andorganizations who make extraordinarycontributions in scouting grassrootinnovations and traditional knowledge willalso get awards of Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000and Rs 15,000 respectively. There will beseveral consolation prizes of Rs 7,500each in different categories depending uponthe number of entries, incrementalinventiveness and potential social andenvironmental impact. Special awards willbe given for innovations and outstandingtraditional knowledge of/for women.Outstanding entries will also be widelypublicized in the Honey Bee Newsletterand through other media. Summary and/or

details of the selected innovative practicesand traditional knowledge practicesincluded in the Register will be displayedat the websites of NIF with the PriorInformed Consent (unless such knowledgeis already in the public domain) of theinnovators/knowledge providers.

Who can apply

Individuals or communities who haveachieved distinction in improving qualityand productivity without the aid of formalinstitutions are invited to participate in thefourth competition for ideas, innovationsand traditional knowledge. Ideas forinnovative technologies, which have notyet become products are also welcome.The resources of NIF are dedicated tosupporting innovators and traditionalknowledge holders from the unorganizedsector only. Therefore, entries fromprofessionals, that is, those havingprofessional degrees or affiliation withformal institutions are ordinarily notaccepted. However, if they have innovatedany technology in their individual capacitywithout any institutional help and that hasgrassroot applications, it may be consideredfor inclusion in a separate database ofgrassroot innovations by professionals.NIF will help them only through linkagesand providing visibility, but not financially.NIF is very keen that women knowledgeholders participate in this campaign in aslarge a number as possible.

Students

Young inventors and innovators are invitedto send their ideas or innovations for aspecial category of awards for them. Theseshould be unsupervised, an outcome oftheir own creativity and without anysupport from their teachers or outsiders.Students are also encouraged to join SCAIat grassroot (Student Club for AugmentingInnovations) to help other innovators([email protected]).



13

Where to send EntriesNational Coordinator (Scouting and Documentation), National Innovation Foundation, Satellite Complex, Bungalow No 1,

Premchandnagar Road, Jodhpur Tekra, Ahmedabad 380 015 Gujarat. Email: [email protected], www.sristi.org, www.gian.org, www. indiainnovates.com

Honey Bee Network

National Campaign co-sponsored by

Indian Institute of Management CSIR SRISTI

How to participate

Individuals or groups may send as manyentries as they wish on plain paperproviding the genesis of innovation andtraditional knowledge and the backgroundof innovation and innovators/ traditionalknowledge holders, accompanied byphotographs and/or videos if possible andany other information that may help inreplicating innovations/traditionalknowledge. Herbal entries may beaccompanied by dried plant samples toenable proper identification procedure. Thelast date for the fourth competition isDecember 31st, 2004. It is requestedthat every entry is sent with a fullpostal address, to facilitate furthercommunication.

Why this contest?

The purpose of the competition is touncover the hidden innovative talent of oursociety so that livelihood prospects formasses improve through greater efficiencyin existing enterprises and also throughestablishment of new innovation basedenterprises. NIF believes that innovationsdeveloped by individuals in our societywithout any outside help from markets orformal institutions can help generate a newmodel of poverty alleviation and providingemployment. A National Micro Venture andInnovation Fund is being set up with thesupport of SIDBI. The idea is to providerisk capital to such individuals from theunorganized sector whose innovations ortraditional knowledge are found promisingand meet the priority criteria of NIF. GIANs(Grassroots Innovation AugmentationNetwork) provide incubation support to theselected and prioritised innovationsscouted through the contest. Outstandingtraditional knowledge is getting eroded veryfast. We want to document and disseminate

the valuable knowledge produced byindividuals and communities under theconditions specified by the knowledgeproviders.

Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

Each knowledge provider whosecontribution is accepted for entry into theNational Register will be requested to signa Prior Informed Consent form. It will specifythe conditions under which the knowledgeprovided to NIF can be shared with thirdparties with or without restriction on acommercial or non-commercial basis. ThePIC form also provides an option forsuggesting benefit-sharing formulae,should that technology or traditionalknowledge be commercialized.

NIF will not include the entriesin which:

- the innovation has received institutionalsupport at any stage of the researchdesign or experiment, either in thedevelopment of process or product.

- the research has been pursued in formalresearch institutions supported byprivate or public sector (except theunaided innovations in small scale ortiny industrial sector).

- innovations are developed by thosehaving professional degrees or diplomasin say engineering, medical science,pharmacy, biotechnology, veterinaryscience, architecture, agriculture etc.

- research projects by studentssupervised and guided by faculty.

- essays or mathematical formulae orproposals for some developmentprojects or only infeasible ideas aregiven.

A separate database of innovations byprofessionals for applications at grassrootswill be developed. These entries willinclude cases (a) where a self employed

professional or one engaged in tiny or smallsector has developed an innovation orconceived an idea with applications atgrassroots without institutional help, (b) aprofessional has developed an innovationin a field other than in which he isprofessionally trained with applications insaving energy, reducing for drudgery ofwomen or other such priority areas. Thedecision of NIF in regard to acceptance ofentries and for consideration of award willbe final and no correspondence will beentertained in the matter.

4thNational

Competitionfor

GreenGrassroots

TechnologicalInnovations &

OutstandingTraditionalKnowledge

Last DateDecember 2004



Future of the Drill Machine

To make better use of a single-boxed drill, oneman thought outside the box

To overcome glitches in thesingle-boxed, seed-cum-fertilizer drill machine, Sri.Hazarilal Ozha hit upon anidea of making a double-boxed machine instead.

Ozha’s machine comprisesof three main parts — the box, a cultivator andan arm wheel. The machine is able to drill thefertilizer and seeds together, but delivers themseparately, in a single drive and to different

levels. The machine not only saves seeds andfertilizer, but also supports optimum growth ofsaplings.

New kidney bean variety

A creative solution to an old problem sets onefarmer apart

Jitabhai Kodarbhai Patelselected and experimented withkidney beans. After four yearshe was able to develop a newvariety of the kidney bean.The new variety flowers early,

�!�� "�� "��"��#During the second national award function organized by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) in New Delhion 17-18 December 2002, the President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam felicitated outstanding innovators andtraditional knowledge holders.

is disease resistant and has largerpods. It is called Valol (Hyacinthbean-Dolichos lablab) in the locallanguage, and used for making dishesfor various Indian meals.

Patel lives in Vetla village, VadaliTaluka of the Sabarkantha district inGujarat, and where he owns 65acres of land. His experiments beganin 1987, when the area was hit bya severe drought. As stored fodderreplenished, Patel had to bring morefrom Ghambhoia village inHimmatnagar district. Patel cameacross a healthy Valol creeper amonga load of vetch, which arrived asfodder from Ghambhoia. He sun-dried and preserved the seeds, whichhe sowed the next year.

He noticed the plants had healthyvines and flowered earlier than thenormal variety. So he harvested themature pods and sun-dried the seeds,preserved them and sowed themagain the following year. He tookthe seeds from this crop, dried themand planted them again the followingyear. He kept repeating the exercisefor several years till he got the best

variety. This variety not only gavea better crop yield, but was alsopest-resistant.

A special characteristic of this plantis that it starts flowering after fourdays and reproduction starts on the

75th day. It has longer cluster ofbeans containing 30-45 pods percluster. The beans are also brighterin colour and more lustrous. Thevines have more branches than theindigenous variety and therefore theyhave more fruit-bearing capacitythan the others.

Now Patel sells his high-yieldingvariety seeds to other farmers of hislocality. Though some of them havebeen taught the secret of attaininga high yielding variety, they stillplace faith in the master plant-breeder’s long practice, expertiseand knowledge. They prefer to buyit from him at Rs 30 per kilogram.

Aid to animals

A vet uses traditional medicine aspanacea

Bariya FatesinghRamsinghbhai hasbeen givingveterinary care toanimals over thelast 35 years. He

has treated more than 400-500 adultanimals, about 300 calves forintestinal worms, 100 animals forpatla-jada or diarrhoea, nearly 100of them for bloating, 60 cattle forfractures and 60 more for brokenhorns. He has treated several casesof rabies and skin problems withsuccess. He modified severalremedies based on traditionalknowledge.

Helminthiasis is a common afflictionamong ruminants. This infectioncomes from ingesting leavescontaminated with eggs of parasiticworms. Bariya has several

14



His version allows one to pump thewater and store it.

While using this pump, one mustsimply screw in the lower portionof the attachment all the way up,thus closing the outlet completely.One can pump the water, which willbe stored within the pump as wellas in the outlet pipe. Once sufficientquantity of water is pumped in, theperson can go to the other side andunscrew the lower appendage to getwater. One can also control the sizeof the aperture to get a desiredwater flow.

Squashing Rice Bugs

Kharkongor controls rice bug attack

Rice bug (Leptocorisa sp) or 'gandhi'bug, is a serious insect pest onpaddy both in upland and lowlandconditions. The farmers of the Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya solvedthis problem in a traditional way.KD Kharkongor, a scientist builtupon the traditional knowledge and

15

anthelminthic solutions for curing animals withparasitic worms.

Seeds of seetaphal or the custard apple, bolusof bristly hairs of the common cowitch(cowhedge- Mucana prurita), kakas or theBonduc nut (Caesalpina bonduc) and the rootbark of kurchi or kuda herb (Holarrhenapubescens) are administered orally to curehelminthiasis. In addition, sour or fermentedbuttermilk with a little salt is fed to dewormthe cattle. The most commonly used medicineby Bariya is a plain decoction of datepalm roots.

Rabbies, skin problems and fractures are otherailments which Bariya besides worms andbloating.

Pump a Drink

A student helped evolve the simple hand pump

What do you do when you are near a hand-pump and need to drink water? You first pumpthe water, run to the other side and drink thewater. Again pump, run and drink. And soChandan Agrawal, a past student of the IndianInstitute of Management, Ahmedabad, submittedan idea for improving the traditional hand-pump.

Farm Ideas from U.KGuarding the Drill

young girl was passing a turning drill inher farmer’s farm, when her hair got

caught in the chuck of the drill and partiallyremoved her scalp. So the dangers of notguarding the chuck of drills are many. And

it can happen anywherein the world in a fractionof a second. So PracticalFarms Ideas wrote abouta chuck guard made froma used plastic drink bottle.Very few pillar drills inBritish farms have guardsfitted, although they areall supposed to. Likewisewe in India too can devisethe same chuck guard forour drills.

devised a single anrrangement forcontrolling bug attacks. They placeddead crabs in the paddy fields.These crabs act as baits, attractingbugs with its foul odour. The bugsare then collected and killed beforethey migrate to other paddy-cultivated area.

This age-old practice is helpful inreducing bug population to a greatextent, though it does not totallyeradicate the menace. This is

practiced in the entire northeasternregion of India, only with slightvariations.

Uploading madeEasy

This trailermentioned inPractical Farm Ideascarries almost halfton of material andtips up without theneed of a hydraulicpump, screw jackor other mechanism.The tipping actioncomes from two gas struts, asfitted to car tailgates and othermachines. This will be helpful bothto British and Indian farmers toupload material with less effort andtime. In Britain the trailer is normallytowed with a bike and in India thetrailer is towed with the help of adonkey or bullock, or sometimes

the farmer himself. It appears thatthe practical use of this trailer inIndia will reduce the South andthe North divide.

(Contributed by Mike Donovan,editor of Practical Farm Ideas, U.K.For more information oninnovations and farm ideas visitwww.farmideas.co.uk)

A drill with a chuckguard.

A

The easy uploading trailer with two gas struts



16

Aloe Business

In addition to experiments in organic farming, Vijaystarted processing Aloe Vera. It began, when oneday he saw a tiny Kanvar Patho (Aloe barbadeniss)plant growing unaided near the gate of his farm.Vijay was aware of its manifold properties, and sohe and his wife Kusum tried various ways toextract its juice. It took four years of research andseveral experiments to finally get the extract fromthe plant.

A Close Up of the New Tech Farm

Aloe Vera is grown and processed to produce agel, which is supplied to cosmetic manufacturersin Mumbai and Delhi. It is also being exported toTurkey, Nigeria and Pakistan. Now efforts are

Going Organic Contd. from page 9

Location Ryan Village, which is 9 km from Mandvi, the Taluka

headquarters of the Kutch district.

Farming Technique Organic farming methods.

Area 42 acres

Grains & Pulses Jowar, pearl millet, Bajra, moong, tuvar

Main Crop Aloe Vera and dates & medicinal plants

Fruits Amla (Enblica officinalis), Mango, coconuts, water melons

Oil seeds Seasame and castor

Vegetables Sweet corn, seasonal vegetables and zucchinis

14317 Cure for Women

Veeli leaves (Cadaba fruticosa) arepound and mixed in buttermilk. Themixture is then administered. Forexcess bleeding during themenstrual cycle of women, he treatswith a herbal drink. This herbaldrink is made from the bark of thebabul tree or baboola or kikar orkalobaval or karuvelum orakakia(Acacia arabica: A. Indica,A. Nilotica) neem and guava trees.They are pounded and immersed ina new mud pot containing water.The herbal extract is filtered andused as drink. The drink can betaken two to three times.

(All the ingredients are known to besafe for human consumption. -Ed)

For other use of veeli refer to: HB6(1): 10, 1995; HB 5(3): 16, 1994

Healer: Mookkan, Herbal healer,Colony Street, Melaurappanur,Thirumangalm Taluk, MaduraiDistrict 625 706.

Contd. from page 8

being made to export Aloe Veraproducts to European countries.Today the entire 17-member Shahfamily is actively involved in the Aloevera business. The family is intendingon marketing an Aloe Health drink,which they feel, will find a very largemarket.

Symbiosis

Vijay recalls, “Prior to organicfarming, it was tough as productivitydeclined, there were fertility and pestproblems, and there was no guidance

at all.” But the couple continued anddecided on concentrating on Aloevera and fresh dates and has nowcarved a market for these products.

Vijay draws inspiration from greatphilosophers and eminent thinkersaround the globe. Among the booksthat have influenced him are Small isBeautiful, Third Wave and Gandhiji’sGram Swaraj. Vijay and Kusum havetwo daughters, Jyoti and Dipti.

Vijay wanted to extend his knowledgeand resources.He and other organicfarmers started an informalorganization called Kutch SajivkhetiManch. Vijay invites people from allwalks of life to stay and work in hisfarm.

A Gujarat delicacy, Khakra is madefrom the organically grown varietyof local bajra or pearl millet,homemade ghee and organic sesameand cumin.

How They Farm

The crops at the farm are grown not with routine organic methods, but withinnovative organic techniques. For instance, compost manure and shredded woodchips are added to the soil. Also a mixture of bone meal sprinkled with phosphoricculture (to ensure sustained release of phosphorus) and seaweed, together with greenalgae (sprinkled with sour buttermilk solution to unlock abundant supply of potassiumand microelements) are added before final soil preparation, onto raised beds.

Cows and Green manure

Fertility and soil structure is maintained using the cultivar of Sesbania rostrata asgreen manure. The plant provides shade in summers and is mulched before and aftermonsoons. It is also a good source of natural nitrogen. Cattle feed on it as fodder.Fruits, grain, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and medicinal plants grow around the Aloeplots. Cattle graze on them rotationally. Hence weeds are controlled and cows canfeed on the grass rather than being fed in the stalls. The farm has eight cows (sixmilking), eight heifers, one bull and two bullocks. The cows are kept primarily formanure. The urine of the cow is also a valuable source of nutrients and is sometimessupplied through the irrigation system.



Background

In 1997, the Honey Bee network mooted theidea of organising shodhyatras- journeys on footto document and share grassroots wisdom,practices and innovations. Twice a year, duringthe extremes of summer and winter, a team ofvolunteers walk from village to village,discovering new facets of rural life, felicitatinginnovators at their doorstep and encouragingwomen and children to put their best footforward.

Since May 1998, 11 shodhyatras have been heldin places like Saurashtra, north Gujarat, centralGujarat, Kutch, Rajasthan Maharashtra,Uttaranchal, Tamil Nadu and even Ladakh.

During the first shodhyatra, from Gir to Gadhada,few women participated. So in subsequentshodhyatras, volunteers began talking to womenabout their lifestyle, diet, and their knowledgeof various plants. Recipe and embroidery contestswere held. To inculcate awarenessabout the environment among theyouth, biodiversity contests wereheld. In eight biodiversity contestsheld so far, 166 studentsparticipated and shared theirknowledge about indigenous plantsand their uses. Twenty-one studentswere felicitated.

The recipe contests involves sharingrecipes made from uncultivatedplants, were very popular.Shodhyatra volunteers collectedmore than 200 recipes. Of these,112 have already been analysed on a numberof parameters.

- Which part of the plant was used forcooking: the flowers, bark, roots, leaves, orthe fruits?

- Is the plant available all through the year oronly during specific seasons? What time ofthe year was the recipe prepared?

- Where is the plant obtained from: grasslands,wetlands, forests, creepers, fields, or marshylands?

- How does it taste?- What are the benefits of the recipe: Does

it aid eyesight, build stamina,heal wounds, cure diarrhoea andother stomach ailments likeconstipation, acidity, or is itbeneficial for pregnant or lactatingmothers?

- Who is the recipe beneficial to:all age groups, infants or elderlypeople?

- From where or whom was therecipe sourced by the contestant?Natal home, in-laws, friends,others? Or is it self-made?

- Is the recipe still in use?

Some Insights

- Parts Used: Of the 112 recipes,49 used leaves, 20 used fruitsand 10 used flowers Roots, barkand other grains were seldomused.

- Seasons: Ingredients for 59

recipes were found during themonsoon. Twenty-five recipeshad ingredients found round theyear, 16 had ingredients foundonly in winter and only eightrecipes had ingredients found insummer.

- Source of ingredients: Forty-nine recipes sourced ingredientsfrom farms, 41 from the forest,11 from the borders of thefarmlands and four from thekitchen garden itself.

- Taste: Most of the recipes were

sweet. None were sour or bitter.-

Health benefits: Only 31participants answered thisquestion. Nine of them said theirrecipe was used to build stamina,seven used it for body pain, fiveeach for diarrhoea and eyeproblems and one forconstipation.

- Usage: Eighty-four recipes werefor general purposes. Only tworecipes catered to adolescentsand one each for old people andcattle.

- Source of recipes: Nearly 71per cent of the respondentssourced the recipe from ‘other’people. Ten recipes were learntfrom in-laws, while only twofrom natal homes.

· Prevalence in diet: 95(or 84percent) of the recipes arestill a part of the dailydiet. The rest remainonly in public memory.

In their constant strugglefor survival, rural folkexperiment, innovate andoften generate creativesolutions to localproblems. There is verylittle awareness aboutthis among the masses.Through shodhyatrasHoney Bee aims to

overcome this societal inertia andgenerate respect for local knowledge.The learnings from shodhyatras willbe verified and added to acomputerised database, alongwith names and addresses ofthe innovators and thecommunicators.

Honey Bee hopes that theseshodhyatras will be the cradle tonurture the spirit of collegial learning,experimentation and innovation atthe grassroots.

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Woman in ScienceAuthor: H.J MozansYear: 1991Place: LondonPublisher: University of NotreDame PressPages: 417

Starting from ancient Greece, moving pastRenaissance and into the Victorian era, the authorcites women who achieved in the sciences. A reviewof the book by Radhika Bhuyan.

This is one of the few books written in tribute towomen in science. The author H.J Mozans speaksof women in the sciences, notwithstanding herstruggle and perseverance to achieve. H.J Mozansis the pseudonym of John Augustine Zahm.

Starting from ancient Greece, Mozans begins withwomen like Aspasia, Lesbian Sappho and Corinna.Lesbian Sappho was a Greek woman who wasable to assert her independence. “She composedpoems that stand even today without a superior,”Mozans writes. Aristotle, Homer and Plato exaltedher. Perictione distinguished herself by her writing-Wisdom and the Harmony of Woman, consideredby Cicero a model of style. The author findsAspasia of Miletus the most remarkable womanthat Greece has ever produced. Aspasia thoughton the duties and destiny of women of her time.She urged women to cultivate their minds and she“strove for a woman’s civilization”. As wife ofPericles, Aspasia wrote for him the best publicspeech Greece ever heard. Socrates referred toher as his teacher.

The Roman woman was more liberated. Theauthor begins with Cornelia, the mother ofGracchi and Aurelia who is the mother of JuliusCaesar. He says of them, “ it was her educatedand refined mind, more than anything else, thatcontributed to the formation of those splendidcharacters....”

The author moves into the Middle Ages. Abbessof Poitiers had superior knowledge of letters, rarefor her age, and wrote poems of great merit. Andthen there was St. Hilda, a royal born, andfoundress of a reputed convent, who was knownfor her knowledge and wisdom. Her knowledgewas sought not only by priests and bishops butalso by princes and kings.

The author would occasionally talkof men who saw the intellectual riftbetween men and women. Socratesand Plato were among them. Mozansinvokes in the reader a feeling of deeprespect.

From the Middle Ages, the authormoves onto the all-pervadingintellectual force of the Renaissance.Lorenza Strozzi was distinguished forher profound knowledge of sciences.The period saw great many poetesses,sculptress, woman painters makeappearance. In academia, there wasDorotea Bucca who chaired medicinein the University of Bologna, and hadstudents from all over Europe. LauraCretta taught philosophy with suchmarked success that distinguishedprofessors of the day were forced tosubmit to her superiority.

During Renaissance, men revived theanti-feminist crusade. The social trendfor the woman changed drastically,and her creative stance took a standstill. After an extensive overview ofwomen from all these periods,Mozans gives the reader a footholdto move onto the main theme of hisbook- the pursuit of science bywoman.

In the sciences, one of the mostillustrious of mathematicians wasSonia Kovalevsky, who possessedgreat insight. Hypatia was amathematical genius from ancientGreece. She was invited bymagistrates of Alexandria to teachmathematics and authored threebooks, considered a valuable workeven today. The author observes, “Infact after her death, the science ofmathematics remained stationary formany centuries.” Anna Barbara ofSwitzerland extended and foundsolution to difficult problems.

Aglaonice was able to predicteclipses. This Greek woman wasconsidered to be a sorceress. Anotherwoman in astronomy was Hypatia,who taught astronomy and authoreda book that recorded movements of

planets. Astronomy progressedmostly because of the works of MariaKirch. It was because of her that therift between Astrology andAstronomy began to be recognized.Mme Du Pierry accurately determinedthe motion of the moon.

In Physics, Marquise du Chatelettranslated to French, Newton’sPrincipia. Lauria Maria Bassi was thefirst woman to occupy a chair ofphysics. At 21, she participated in apublic disputation in philosophyagainst five most distinguishedscholars of Bologna. She masteredNewton’s work and was proficientin metaphysics.

It was because of Mme Lavoisierthat the law of the conservation ofmatter came into acceptance. AndEllen Richards was the first to applythe science of chemistry to thescience of nutrition.

Women have invented solutions overcenturies. It was she who discoveredsilk. The device for converting graininto flour was again her invention. Shewas first to make use of the wool andflax in textile fabrics, and to weavecotton and silk. She invented thebamboo conduit- the predecessor ofthe great canals of Babylonia.

Galileo would have succumbed tocynicism, had it not been for his sister,Celeste. Kepler was stronglyinfluenced by his wife. Had it not beenfor Caroline Herschel, Hamilton, thefamous philosopher, would not havebeen known at all.

The book advances to the present day.Mozans proclaims, “ ...struggle forcomplete intellectual freedom isalmost ended...” He ends with hisvision of men and women workingtogether. Persistence, a strong andcommon quality in a woman helpedher reach the pinnacle. According toMozans, it was her persistence inclaiming equality to men, and havingwon it, that pushes her to prove herability, even today.

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Scottish Highlands Shodh Yatra- Anyone?

Shodhyatra, Bristol, U.KThe U.K shodhyatra inBristol was experimentalbut the first Honey BeeNetwork U.K (HBNUK)shodhyatra. Mark Davisspent it in Bristol (west ofEngland) and in thesurrounding rural districtof Avon.

On the first day Markvisited a centre in Bristol,Creative Centre. A largenumber of active formaland informal groups are

working in the U.K to preserve nature and theenvironment. The centre’s building itself wasinspirational. For it had been converted from aformer warehouse (once used for storing andexporting tobacco products), thus exemplifyingthe preservation of the environment.

The visit to the centre gave Mark a focus to beginwork in areas where resources and efforts werelacking. Mark next visited the John Wesley’sChapel. John Wesley was the founder of theMethodist Christian church in UK. His life wasinspirational for he took Christianity to the peopleof all classes. Most of them were barred fromattending church. Wesley travelled great distancesto preach the gospel to the people, often in theface of extreme opposition.

Camping two nights in the cold reminded Mark ofthe conditions some people have to endure. Thisis generally not an issue for people in the UK (apartfrom the homeless in large cities) but is for peopleliving in most parts of the world.

Mark saw many new attempts and establishedmethods for preserving traditional ways of living,arts and crafts and local customs. One was roofthatching (using the old method of straw forroofs). This method is becoming popular becauseof the use of local materials, craftsmen and goodinsulation properties. There has been an increasein local cottage industries as farmers were not ableto sustain themselves from fall in price of milk,disease, regulations and so on. Another method

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Honey Bee NetworkCo-ordinator, MarkDavies

was traditional arable or livestockfarming. Thus means a return of oldpaper mills, beer making, pottery,conversion of farms into educationalfacilities.

There are many examples (seen inlocal bookshops) of attempts topreserve local history, dialects, use ofherbs and plants. It is relatively easyto find a local group that organiseswalks in the area to tell you aboutthese things.

In the tradition of the shodhyatrasin India and based on Mark’sexperiences, he believes that thenext shodhyatra should be in an areaof the UK where things aren’t sodeveloped, a harsher environment,where innovation might beflourishing. It may be moreappealing to the group if the nextshodhyatra were on a remoteScottish Island.

Dutch learn Farming Alternatives

Dutch civil servants visited the DesignCouncil two weeks ago. They werein the UK looking for innovative andentrepreneurial (commercial or non-commercial) practices in farming,nature conservation, recreation or acombination of those around London.Holland (and the UK) are facingproblems with the downfall of ruralareas. Farming is expensive andintense, farmers go bankrupt,landscape degrades, people suffer,etc. The Dutch team wanted to learnfrom examples of creative alternatives- Honey Bee was next on the list afterDEFRA and NFU. They wereinformed about some examples fromMike Donovan and were told brieflyabout the Honey Bee network.

Chance for Designers

A meeting between Mark Davies andEmily Campbell, Head of Design, Art

and Design dept., British Council, hadon the agenda the possibility of HoneyBee network being involved at the100% Design Exhibition next year. Itwill be a great opportunity to engageyoung designers, challenge and inspirethem.

Mark Davies can be contacted atHoney Bee Network UK Co-ordinatorT. +44 (0) 20 7420 5210 M. 07968009389 [email protected] & http://www.honeybee-uk.org/

Pesticide Affects the Young

In a report on December 2003 in TheTelegraph by John Mary, school boysexposed to aerial spraying of apesticide in Kerala showed delayedsexual maturity and interference withhormone synthesis. In a studyconducted by the health and familyministry the Endosulfan pesticideinterfered with the sex hormonesynthesis of boys and adolescents ina village on the Kerala and Karnatakadistrict. In this village the pesticideEndosulfan has been aerial sprayedover cashew plantations since the lasttwo decades .According to a reportthe plantation is owned by the state-run Plantation Corporation of Kerala.Dr. Y.S Mohan Kumar was the firstto campaign against the high incidenceof respiratory, skin and neurologicalailments, besides various cancers. Hiscampaign led to the freeze on the useof the pesticide by the corporation.The study group comprised of 117boys of age 10-19 of a village situatedamong cashew plantation and 90other children as the control groupwith no history of exposure to thepesticide. The average serum andendosulfan levels in the study groupwere significantly higher than thecontrol group. The exposure delayssexual maturity and interferes withhormone synthesis.



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� What’s there in a name?

Anshuman VishwakarmaChakki (Lakshman Dera) – 802120Buxar.

I am highly impressed with our honourablePresident Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. I want to addthe initial APJ before my name as it holds greatmeaning to me. Can you publish my new name inyour Honey Bee magazine?

(The greatness of President APJ Abdul Kalam liesin his fortitude and geniality. Try to emulate those.They will be more adorning than the mereincorporating of his initials into your name - Ed.)

Wonder mail

ShwetaVillage: Gola, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand

Your letter helped me to convince my parents toallow me to work as a scout for collection oftraditional knowledge. I have sent two details ofsuch knowledge holders for the 4th NIF’s NationalGrassroots Technological Innovation andTraditional Knowledge Award competition. EarlierI had also sent some for the 3rd NIF competitiontoo.

( Keep up the good work and wish you all the best –Ed.)

Nectar for Tribal Welfare

Sudhir SabatDirector, Indian Society for Rural Development,Orissa.

Our institution covers the tribal belts of Orissa,and our area is into livelihood, agriculture, forestryand watershed projects. The situation is alarming,and there is starvation and poverty all around. Ourwork is to secure food and fodder and thus givepeople access to the right to live. We came to knowabout your newsletter, and expect it will be veryvaluable guide for us.

(Thank you for your reply. You will find a lot ofinformation on our websites www.sristi.org andwww.honeybee.com, -Ed)

Good Show

Hanif A. [email protected], Pakistan

I came to know about your workbringing rural innovation to limelighton BBC (British BroadcastingCorporation). I am really impressed.Congratulations on doing suchexcellent work.

(Many thanks for your kind letter. Thereal result will be when you getinvolved in joining us and helping andsupporting innovators in your region-Ed)

Bridging Gap

Charles R. McmanisProfessor of Law, WashingtonUniversity in St. LouisMissouri, USA

GIAN represents a “state-of-the-art” innovation in the art ofinnovation. Your forward thinkingshould qualify you (in the UnitedStates at least) for a business methodpatent. I find your work overcomingthe economic and social gap. Lookforward to working with you in thefuture.

(Look forward to working with you– Ed.)

Spreading Honey

Betty FernandesDon Bosco

We are an organization called DonBosco and we want an annulsubscription of Honey Bee for allour 55 centres. We would also liketo subscribe other publications likeNature Heals, Groundswell ofIngenuity and Spirit of Sustainabilityand few previous issues of HoneyBee.

(We would like to share with youmulti-media CDs at a nominal cost.You can decide what to pay, since itwill all go to support innovative

people, thus giving a voice to themat the grassroots. Looking forward tohearing from you soon.-Ed)

Patent Query

Patil Arun ShankarraoHaweli, Pune

I am impressed by your work afterhaving read the Honey Bee 14(2)issue. Can you give me informationon how to get venture capital and smallinnovation patenting systems?

(Thank you for you letter. Forinformation on venture capital andpatents please contact our NIF officeat Ahmedabad. You can write [email protected] and also visitwww.nifindia.org -Ed)

Sorry!

P N Krishna BhattInnovator, Puttur taluka, Karnataka

You have published one of my entries‘Extra Leverage for KeroseneGenerator’. Instead of printing thepositive of the photograph you haveprinted the negative. The face is blackand the hair white. And it is not agenerator but it is an engine that isused to run a water pump. Andbesides, the main point has been leftout. Starting a kerosene engine in coldmornings is a tedious work.Sometimes we have to pull 50 to 60times. And so this invention makesthe pulling easy, as the person neednot bend.

(We are extremely sorry for the mistakeand also failing to mention the mainpoint. As for the photograph, theprinter’s devil seemed to be at work.This should not however, hamper yourinnovative spirit and may you go oncontributing better machines in thefuture. -Ed)

Join the Crusade

Vice Admiral Vinod PasrichaIndian Navy (Retd.), Pune

I read with great interest the article

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on you in the Sunday Times of India. I mustcongratulate you for the innovations that youhave generated. The crux is, of course, yourgrassroot level work is ingenious and perhapsneeds the push to help it on further. Over thelast six months I have been trying to get intouch the National Innovation Foundation.Basically to help in any way I can, as I dobelieve that crusades likes yours are indeed thefuture of India. I would like to get in touchand see how I too can contribute in myretirement.

(Looking forward to you becoming an activemember and supporter of the Honey Bee Network.We organize Shodh Yatras every six months fora period of eight to 10 days, and would like youand those interested to join us. –Ed)

'Bee' a Part

Dr Jogender SharmaConsultant in Radiology and Radiation Medicine,Mumbai

I read your interview in the Times of Indiaand congratulate you. I am impressed...andwant to be a part of the SRISTI team. Iadopted the Thatlej village and have beenproviding community health services to thevillagers for three years now.

Congrats!

Dr R K JasujaConsultant E.N.T surgeon, Delhi

It was heartening to learn the pioneering workin the Times of India. ... Keep up the wonderfulwork being done by you.

(Many thanks for your kind letter of appreciationand greetings. We surely would like a lot ofpeople joining the network and helping us in theendeavour of disseminating grassroot innovation.– Ed.)

Join Hands

Chandra [email protected], New Delhi

I read your article in the Times of India. Apartfrom teaching design I run a society for goodcauses. We are planning a small habitat center,and have been allotted 500 sq. yards of land

in Gurgaon. We are opening it upfor innovative ideas, while promotingand encouraging nature and tradition.It would be pleasure to have yourcontribution and would like to knowmore about your work.

(Thank you for your letter. We wish youcould contribute by helping us designthe poster for our IV NationalCompetition 2003-2004 for innovators.We shall look forward to yourcontribution.-Ed)

Uplinking Ideas

Ranjan GoelVasant Kunj, Delhi

I have been involved in impartingeducation, knowledge via training since1992. After reading through theinterview in the Times of India... Iwant to approach you with some ofmy innovative ideas, conceptualized inthe field of petroleum refining, airconditioning and linking upstream riverflow hydraulics. Please advice.

(Many thanks for your letter. Glad tonote that you have some conceptualideas in the fields of petroleum refining,air conditioning and linking upstreamriver flow. I will be very happy to discussthem with you. While your ideas,depending on the applicability andnovelty will definitely receive widerrecognition and appreciation, but theideas per sé cannot be patented as perthe norms. – Ed.)

Bee Keeping

Darius SiameKnowledge Utilisation Centre, Zambia

I am an Agriculture Extension Officer

Postage stamp to honorGangaben

Dr. A. M. Prabhakar,Advisor; Gujcost, Block-B, 7th floor,sector 11,Gandhinagar-382011

We receivedcopies of theH u n n a rM a h a s a g a r .Thanks to

SRISTI for their suggestions.Please note that the governmentof Gujarat has announced aGangaben Yagnik Award toencourage women. It will beinitiated by brining out a postagestamp in honour of herachievements.

(We are happy to note that thisgesture by the government willmake the memory of Gangaben’sachievement last long. -Ed)

We are thankful to the following people for showing interest inHoney Bee and the activities of the Honey Bee Network through their lettersand emails:

Enoch Dzadzra (Ghana), Chaman Lal Kantroo ([email protected]),Sumit Bhargava, S. Choudhary([email protected]), T. Shivakumar and A.Jayakumar, Roopa Patel (British Council), Ankush Garg (IIT-Kanpur), AcharyaBhaveshananda Avadhuta (Kolkata), Buchi Babu ([email protected]),Ambili Raj ([email protected]), Anush Shetty ([email protected]), A.B.S Murty ([email protected]), Krishna Kumar Mishra([email protected]), Sabine Demangue, Germany ([email protected]) and Ashok Roul, AHINSA

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and the community I am workingwith went into bee keeping.Unfortunately I did not do any beekeeping and am thereforehandicapped in providing informationon the same. I feel that yournewsletter will go a long way in givingus information vital to the community.

(Honey Bee is not about bee keepingbut we would appreciate if you couldshare with us the knowledge of the beekeepers and their methods in beekeeping, honey collecting and so on.-Ed)

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