Mandala

Mandala

February 2023
GOAN GENIUS BUILDS  MOTHERLY ROBOT  

When faced by challenges, many of us give up  and do not know what to do  next. However, some, like  Bipin Kadam from Goa, not  only face the challenge but  turn it into an opportunity  for doing something  remarkable. 

Bipin’s daughter Prajakta  suffers from cerebral palsy,  and his wife, who is engaged  in the continuous service  of her daughter for the  last seventeen years, from  vertigo. Both had to deal  with difficulties arising  from their ailments, which  made Bipin decide to build  

a robot that would come to  their aid. To this end, he  learnt programming to build a  robot by watching tutorials on  robotics. He took permission  from his workplace to design  and print the spare parts he  needed. 

Every day, Bipin devoted a  minimum of two hours of his  12 working hours to learn the  craft of building robots and  had his breakthrough in 2020.  

Bipin used his skills to build helpful robots sensor which understands  Prajakta’s gestures and acts  accordingly. It has attached  spoons and cups, which pick  up food and feed it to her. It  cost him between twelve to  fifteen thousand rupees to  build and can record 15 voice  commands. Bipin says that,  with some adjustment, the  Google voice assistant can  also be used in the robot. He  has also made a version of the  same robot for a child who  cannot speak. Here, a button  would inform the robot to  execute a command.  

When the robot was  manufactured in 2020, it  did not get any recognition  due to the pandemic.  However, it was noticed  later, and the government  found it to be a wonderful  work of robotic technology.  The Goa State Innovation  Council has lauded Bipin  for his innovation. It is now  assisting him in working  further on the device, and  they are also working on  developing a commercial  product so that others can  buy it. The council’s project  director studied it and is  convinced that the product is  scalable and can help others.  

Bipin still has miles to go  before he completes work on  this robot. He has seen the  difference it has made to his  daughter’s life and wishes  to make it even better and  affordable for all, to help them  with their challenges. 

SOAP FROM SAPO

Sheetal Kabra from  Hyderabad had been  struggling with skin  ailments like eczema and  hormonal acne for a long  time. She avoided soaps as  much as possible and ignored  it as a minor issue. But when  her one-month-old daughter  started facing skin problems,  with her skin peeling away,  she took it very seriously. She  stopped using soap, and to her  pleasant surprise, the baby’s  skin stopped peeling

This positive experience set  her on the journey of natural  soap–making and the brand  Earthy Sapo was born in 2014.  This is a personal- and home  care brand that offers natural,  chemical- and preservativefree products. “From making  natural soaps at home for my  daughter to packing, selling,  delivering, and marketing  them, I did it all,” she says  with pride. Just like her baby,  the brand too is very close to  her heart as she gave birth to it  with a lot of passion. 

The company is based  in Hyderabad and is a  licensed producer under  the Department of AYUSH,  Government of India. It  currently offers about 30– 35 products in the bath,  body, hair, and home care  category. Each of its products  is uniquely formulated and  handcrafted using traditional  processes and free from  chemicals, preservatives,  synthetics, readymade bases,  and synthetic fragrances.  

the learnings she has had and  the fact that many people have  benefitted from it. From being  clueless about how to run a  business to setting up and  leading a nine- member all women team, she has surely  come a long way! 

Earthy Sapo is currently an  online brand selling through  various e-commerce platforms.  Sheetal hopes to explore B2B  sales to stores, pharmacies,  etc. Her priority has always  been to provide natural and  affordable personal- and home  care products so that she can  help people lead a natural and  chemical-free life.  

Knowing her passion, God  willing, we will hear more  about her in the area of natural,  chemical-free products for a  long time to come. 

Sister-in-(f)arms Sister-in-(f)arms 

We often don’t realise how  important fresh food is and  compromise our health by  having packaged or contaminated food.  This is what Manjari Sharma from Pune,  the founder of Farm Didi, wished to address  when she met farmers in 2019. 

Having worked with Fortune 500 companies  with more than 10 years of experience,  Manjari found her true calling in working  with the rural women of India, a section  that is often neglected in the rigmarole of  modern life. She understood that the entire  cycle of farming and marketing needs to be  taken care of if rural women were to prosper.  She began to encourage them to do farming  and make organic products, while playing  a key role in selling them on their behalf.  These women are experts in choosing  raw ingredients, carefully putting them  together in their kitchens, and preparing  great pickles, papads, and chutneys.  

While these women are experts at picking  and making these products, they do need a  helping hand in finding customers, which  is where Farm Didi helps them. Their  products are natural and authentic, with  ingredients sourced directly from farms, and  have no preservatives or artificial flavours  or colours. The recipes are authentic  and time-tested in their processing and  preparation. Farm Didi reinvests a major  portion of its earnings in the training and  development of these women.  

“The mission of Farm Didi is to provide traditional  food produced by rural women to consumers,  thereby providing a platform to many talented rural  women,” says Manjari. Essentially, her goal is to  enable all rural women to earn their livelihood with  independence and pride. Farm Didi maintains a  sustainable growth model, focussing on profitability,  and adapts to changing consumer requirements.  

Many of us feel proud of women who reach high  levels in the corporate world and those who make  a mark in the global arena. It is time we focus on  our rural women too, who, with their knowledge and  values, are the real strength of our nation. This is  truly what Atma Nirbhar Bharat should be. Kudos  to Manjiri for providing such a platform and being  a true didi (sister) to the rural women. 

International Year of  Millets 2023 

Millets have been an essential part of  our diet for centuries. In addition to a plethora of health benefits that they  offer, millets are also great for the environment,  with a low requirement for water and other  resources. To create awareness and increase the  production and consumption of millets, the  United Nations, at the behest of the Government  of India, declared 2023 the International Year  of Millets (IYM). To commemorate this, the  Central Indian Ministry is hosting various  interactive activities around millets. 

What are millets? Millets are a category of  small-seeded grasses that are often called nutri cereals. Some examples of millets are sorghum  (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi),  little millet (kutki), foxtail millet (kakun),  proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa),  and kodo millet (kodon). 

Being an important staple cereal crop for  millions of smallholder dryland farmers across  sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, millets offer  nutrition, resilience, income, and livelihood for  farmers, and can be used as food, feed, fodder,  biofuels, and brewing. Under the IYM, many  activities have been kick-started in January  2023 by the Ministry of Sports and Youth  Affairs, Government of India. These include  webinars on millets with ace nutritionists,  expert dieticians, and top athletes; video  conferences with fitness experts; promotion  amplification through the Fit India app; and  many engaging sports activities. Some other  melas in Punjab, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu,  which will be organised by the Ministry of Food  Processing Industries. 

Many Indian states are actively participating  in this initiative. Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and  Rajasthan have been allocated the month of  January for conducting specific activities for  sensitisation and promotion of the IYM. The  states will be holding millet-centric activities  including mahotsavs, melas, and food festivals;  the training of farmers; awareness campaigns,  workshops, and seminars; the placement of  hoardings; and the distribution of promotional  material at various key locations in the states.  Other states that are organising similar  activities in January include Maharashtra,  Uttarakhand, and Punjab. 

Millets are considered superior to wheat and  rice. They offer significant health benefits  like high-quality proteins, balanced amino  acids, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant  properties and are rich sources of good-quality  fats and minerals like calcium, potassium,  iron, zinc, and B complex vitamins. Looking at  these miraculous qualities of millets, they have  been identified as high-potential foods and are  also prioritised for their greater production,  propagation, and consumption. 

Growing millets is encouraged by the United  Nations as they require fewer input resources  like water to grow and thus help in their  conservation. Millets are the golden crops  of India which can change the face of Indian  agriculture for good.