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Every innovation is driven by a strong necessity. And for Lipsa Pradhan, that necessity came from the desire to unburden the working pains on her mother. Hailing from a family of Mahua flower collectors in Kamgaon of Bargarh district, Lipsa has developed a device that helps one effortlessly collect Mahua flowers without having to bend all the time. 

A Class X student of Kamgaon High School, Lipsa was awarded the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award-2015 instituted by National Innovation Foundation (NIF) by none other than President Pranab Mukherjee after her entry was selected from among 28,000 others in the country.

Considered a chief source of livelihood by the poor in western Odisha, Mahua flowers are collected by womenfolk and children between February and May to be sold to traders to be further used for making medicines and country liquor. “Summer is the only time when these flowers bloom and drop from the Mahua trees and no one wants to miss a chance of a good income during the season,” says Lipsa. “The process of collecting the flowers is however an excruciating experience as one has to bend again and again while fishing for them in the forest.”

Taking cue from the pain she experienced after a day of picking the flowers, Lipsa, wondered how painful it must be for her mother who does it on a regular basis, with the pain adding to her health risks. The concern woke up the scientist in Lipsa and she began conceptualizing a device that will not require one to bend again and again and instead help them collect the flowers in one go.

The device she put together is made of multiple prongs fitted to a cylinder with barriers. While the prongs trap the flowers, they dislodge them onto a plate fixed at the front. “All a collector needs to do is roll the equipment which has a wheel at the back and a handle to manoeuvre it,” she says.

Impressed by her innovation which promises to come in handy for Mahua collectors, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram paid her a personal visit while in the district in February.

Talking to Express, Oram said that if the innovation can be manufactured commercially, it would be game-changer for hundreds of collectors of minor forest produce who depend on it for eight months in a year in forested areas.

Flowery concoction

Flowers of the Mahua tree are known for its medicinal properties. It is used to cure ailments related to the heart and eye and diseases like TB, asthama and tonsillitis. Bark of the tree is used to treat snake bites and wounds

The myriad benefits

While the fruit of the Mahua tree is eaten as a vegetable, oil from its seeds is used to light lamps and make shops and the crushed leftover as a seedcake in fertilizer

modus operandi

The device is made of multiple prongs that are fitted to a cylinder with barriers. While the prongs trap the flowers, they dislodge them onto a plate fixed at the front