By Dilshaad Noor

In the last few years, the contribution of youth has increased not only in education but also towards innovation. With limited resources, youth are now bringing a new wind of change. One of those youngsters is Wasim Akram. Wasim Akram, a resident of Hajo in Kamrup district of Assam, did not receive any formal education. Rather, like an ordinary youth, he also adopted the profession of a mechanic. His journey which started with a workshop in Guwahati is now moving towards innovation, where he is creating the items of daily necessities with his innovations.

He has his workshop in the small town of Pakarkuna in Hajo. Where he repairs vehicles with his colleagues and works on his inventions and innovations in his spare time. He also has a YouTube channel in the name of Technical Assam. On which he gives information about his innovation. Recently he has made a wooden electric bike named Chukudu, which is becoming very popular in rural areas. The cost of this bike made of wood is very less. The bike can be used not only for commuting but also for carrying goods.

Wasim tells that this is an African bike and it is completely electric. Being electric, the cost of running the bike is also less and it does not cause any pollution. It costs two to three thousand to make this bike. That is, an electric bike can be made sitting at home for less than a cycle. He says that if this bike is manufactured on a large scale, then the cost of it can be very less. The bike can be used by school-college students, office workers, women, etc. Especially in rural areas where there is no transport facility. This bike is very nice.

Earlier, Wasim also made a great handmade machine for the plowing of paddy. He made this “jugaad” by putting tractor wheels in the bike. He told that due to less paddy crop, no machine was coming to his place to extract paddy. He says that often small farmers in rural areas have to face this kind of problem. He has named his jugaad as Modi bike after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from this, he also made water save solutions for saving water in homes. This solution, made at Rs 100 to 150, automatically fills the water tank placed on the roof when it is empty and automatically closes it when it is full. Due to this there is no loss of water. Also, time is saved as well. Apart from this, he has also made emergency puncture insect and electric powered grass cutting machine for four-wheeler vehicles. All these innovations made by him are very simple and cheap.

Regarding his innovation, Wasim says that he keeps trying to solve the problems faced by people in common life. Due to this they always get inspired to try something new. He asks the youth to think in the direction of innovation rather than jobs. He says that Muslim youth should give growth to their career through innovation instead of looking for jobs after getting an education.

By Dilshaad Noor

(The author is a freelance and young journalist. He writes on current affairs.)