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KAMGAON (BARGARH):  Fifteen-year-old Lipsa Pradhan’s “ignited mind” would have made former President APJ Abdul Kalam proud. The Class X student from a non-descript village of Bargarh district has devised a gadget which can go a long way in alleviating the back-breaking pain of the poverty-stricken mahua flower collectors in tribal pockets of the country.

The National Innovation Foundation (NIF), which has instituted the award, had received more than 28,000 entries from across the country and Lipsa was one of 31 students to be selected for the honour.

Mahua tree is considered sacred in tribal India while its flowers are a lifeline for the indigenous population. Its collection, though, involves a painful process because of the perishable nature of the flowers which appear in the night, fall to the ground by the dawn and must be collected within the first couple of hours.

The gadget innovated by Lipsa has nail fitted on a cylinder with barriers to dislodge the mahua flowers stuck in the nails 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.

As a child, Lipsa used to accompany her mother Arati Pradhan to collect mahua flowers during vacation and she was moved by the punishing work. It remained stuck in mind and kept agitating as she grew up. Since then, Lipsa had been thinking of a simple device which would enable a person to collect mahua flowers without bending down.

The Class X student thanks the Headmaster of her school Gajraj Meher and Science teacher Subodh Kumar Sahu for motivating and inspiring her for the project. The idea has been in her mind ever since she went with her mother to collect mahua flowers. Although her father Bishikesan Pradhan is a teacher, his salary is not enough for her elder sister and brother to pursue higher education.

Mahua flowers (Madhuca logifolia) are a boon for poor and marginalised farmers across Western Odisha. Women and children collect the flowers between February and May. Although the flower has medicinal properties and numerous uses, it is primarily used to brew country liquor which is sold at `50 per litre while the collectors get a paltry `5 to `8 per kg as the minor forest produce is perishable. Lipsa’s invention could not only rid the tribals of the gruelling physical exercise, it can help them collect and earn more.

Meher said, the students of the school are proud of Lipsa who has inspired them with the award. All children have curiosity but it needs to be identified, answered and worked out, he added. Similar sentiment was echoed by Sahu who has been prodding Lipsa to develop the model.

Besides Lipsa, Class IX student Vaishnavi Patra of  Demonstrated Multipurpose Public School, Khurda has bagged the award for her innovation “Watch with medicine delivery system”.

Similarly, Dipti Manjari Dakua, Class X student of Bahadjhole Girls’ High School, Nayagrah for her seed container that indicates growth of germs and Class IX student of Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, Bhubaneswar, Pradyumna Pal for his alerting system for bus drivers have also been awarded.