Sunday 1 December 2013

The Great Indian skill called 'Jugaad'!

I was pleasantly surprised when I came accross a so called 'jugaad'  at the langar (community kitchen) at the Gurugwara Paonta Sahib today. The water dispenser used to serve water to the sangat (devotees) was constructed from a tank on a trolley that was connected to a bicycle handle. The handle was used to maneuver the tank and the breaks were used to control the flow of water from the tank, helping serve water conveniently and without spilling a drop! It was a great innovation, using resources available locally to create something of convenience and use.
This skill of creativity and innovation is a consequence of limited availability of resources. It is this skill that we educators need to encourage our students to develop. To be able to use inexpensive resources available locally not only helps us to find an alternative and affordable solutions to many problems, but also helps us recycle, reduce imports and conserve our natural resources.

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6 comments:

  1. Vasanta2 December 2013 at 11:57

    Wow....really clever and so simple to use, maintain, clean and transport! Thanks for sharing Harleen. I have also heard of the use of washing machines for lassi making...:).

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  2. Mixed Methods Mania3 December 2013 at 14:07

    I am a great fan of the Jugaad. You will come across so many of these make shift jugaads in my house!

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    Replies
    1. Vasanta5 December 2013 at 16:32

      Oh really? Would be nice to hear about them and see some pictures!

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  3. S.P.Vasuamathy6 December 2013 at 14:40

    In classroom specially during the end of the term in public schools there is a lot of wastage of books and copies(unused being thrown off). The students nowadays do not know the value of money. As a classteacher I ask them to tear all the used pages and collect the other stationery so as to donate school bhaijis. Some of the students specially in primary classes use them as rough copy.

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  4. Anonymous13 December 2014 at 23:16

    I am trying to get this system built for Gurudwara saheb at my place. Just wanted to understand how the water pipe (that is having tap on one end) is connected to the water tank. In the picture it is going below the water tank. Can someone guide me on this?

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  5. Mixed Methods Mania14 December 2014 at 12:45

    The cable of the brakes is connected to the tap. The handle of the bicycle not only helps maneuver the water dispenser but also opens and closes the tap. By pressing the brakes, the cable gets pulled and the tap opens.

    My students have also done a project on Indian and International innovations. One group has talked about this water dispensing system in Gurudwaras. You can see it at http://scienceissfun.blogspot.in/p/indian-and-international-innovations.html

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