Meet the Class 6 dropout who built an efficient and low-cost tractor from scooter scrap
Mahesh Karmali, 33, is a Class 6 dropout. When his brother sold their oxen, he built a customised tractor, which cost him Rs 12,000, from the scrap of an old Bajaj Chetak scooter.
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Indians are known for 'Jugaad’, which means solving issues with temporary solutions. They come up with innovations like heating water on a steam iron in the absence of a stove to using a pair of trousers to channel a fan’s breeze to two adjacent rooms.
Mahesh Karmali, 33, hailing from Uncha Ghana, Jharkhand, is one such "innovator". He made an entire tractor using scraps of his old Bajaj Chetak scooter to plough his farmland.
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Mahesh Karmali (Image: eNewsroom)
A Class 6 dropout, Mahesh bought the scooter for Rs 4,251. Then, he worked on it for three straight days and named it ‘Power Tiller’.
Mahesh used to work for a Bajaj Showroom in Pune until January this year. He decided to work on this project because of the financial crisis his family was going through.
Speaking to eNewsroom, he said,
“When I returned home, I was informed by my brother that he had sold our oxen and was taking help from our family members to plough the farm. The news shocked me as I had bought the oxen but my brother had not informed me before selling them.”
According to The Logical Indian, Mahesh spent Rs 12,000 to modify the scooter. The modified tractor can plough 8,640 sq ft on only 2.5 litres of petrol, and is comparatively more efficient than a conventional tractor.
Even a pair of oxen would have cost more than what Mahesh spent on his modified tractor.
He explains,
“Given the dynamics of the present design, one has to walk along with the machine when the farm is being ploughed. But, I can develop a system where one can sit on the vehicle while the farm is being ploughed. Just like in tractors. The same design with some innovation can also be used for harvesting crops and suppressing grass,” reports eNewsroom.
Mahesh is now looking forward to sharing his innovative idea and make it accessible to other farmers.
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