RSH / 001
E-Charkha
A generator attachment for the traditional charkha: one hour of khadi spinning stores enough electricity for three hours of light in huts with no power at all.
Launched by the President of India, 2007Flexitron · Est. 1989 · Bengaluru, India
Rajashekar
Shankarayya
Hiremath
Innovator. Mechanical engineer. Five-time National Award winner. Over 600 innovations engineered with one ambition: that the poorest get the best advantage of technology, through low-priced, reliable, high-quality products that improve lives and empower them.
600+ innovations · 5 National Awards · Nina Sibal Award · 4,500+ innovators trained · 40 years of work · millions of users worldwide
REF / RSH-01 / SERVICE RECORD
01 · Service record
A life in
precise order
From a Sainik School cadet in Bijapur to a lab in Bengaluru that has shipped innovations to millions: the record, in sequence.
ORIGIN
Born in Bijapur, Karnataka
Childhood spent in villages without electricity. Pitch-dark nights bred a lifelong fascination with anything that glows: glow worms, lamps, batteries, generators.
SCHOOLING
Sainik School, Bijapur
Basic education up to high school at Sainik School Bijapur. The discipline stuck: military precision became the working standard for everything built since.
ENGINEERING
B.E. Mechanical, PDA College, Gulbarga
Graduated as a mechanical engineer from PDA College of Engineering, Gulbarga, Karnataka. The education that enabled 600+ products.
FIRST POST
Indian Institute of Science
First guide, mentor and employer: Prof. J. Srinivasan, IISc. Years of inputs that shaped the method: study the need, engineer the minimum reliable answer.
1989
FLEXITRON established
A social enterprise with modest means and a small lab, producing goods in batches as required. The journey to 600+ innovations reaching millions of the poor in India and abroad starts here.
1995 - 2013
Five National Awards
National Awards for Outstanding Innovation in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2013, plus the Nina Sibal Award in 2010. The 2007 ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi saw the e-charkha launched by the Hon. President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.
TODAY
The journey continues
The mind is busy 24x7. Idea, prototype, market-ready sample, soft launch: products still roll out at regular intervals. Similar or new challenges for innovation are welcome.
REF / RSH-02 / THE PASSION
02 · The passion
Innovation as a passion.
Products as a service.
The 'bug' of innovation bit very young. Childhood days were spent with no electricity; pitch darkness at night made anything that glows fascinating: glow worms, electric lamps, batteries, generators, light units. The concept of a light source in a dark place continues to fascinate him even today.
That childhood was spent watching villagers carry water in pots over long distances, wash clothes by hand in small homes, draw water from deep wells, cycle for hours. The resolve formed early: one day, innovate methods and systems to reduce this drudgery and make their lives more productive and comfortable.
Converting sunlight to electricity was an exciting concept 35 years ago. It still is.
During the journey of innovations, solar energy was the most fascinating discovery: the idea of converting sunlight into electricity in the early 1980s kept the mind daydreaming, ticking and humming. It led to solar thermal devices, solar cookers, micro photovoltaic modules, solar lanterns, solar lighting, solar water pumping and hundreds of other applications.
The working rhythm has never changed: the moment an idea is frozen, a prototype gets ready, then a market-ready sample, and if successful, a soft launch. With modest means and a small lab, over 600 innovations have rolled out, reaching millions of poor in India and abroad, and the journey continues.
REF / RSH-03 / INVENTORY
03 · Innovations
Interventions
& innovations
An innovation can be a small incremental change to existing equipment or a totally new approach. The standard is fixed: every solution must be reproducible locally, by the people who use it, with low skills and low investment. A selection from the record:
RSH / 002
Solar hearing-aid charger
Two rechargeable batteries and a solar charger give body-level hearing aid users zero-cost, uninterrupted hearing. Millions of users; one battery pair lasts over nine years.
National Award, 1995
RSH / 003
Hand-crank lighting unit
For hill hamlets where even solar fails: a three-phase brushless generator with near-zero cogging. One hour of cranking produces about two hours of LED light.
Human power · Rural lighting
RSH / 004
Talking tactile maps
Tactile layouts with interactive voice output that let blind users navigate large buildings, stations and public spaces unaided, with confidence.
Accessibility
RSH / 005
Portable tent light pack
An individual lighting pack for soldiers in the field: six hours of light a day for over a week on one charge. Charges from grid, vehicle or solar.
Military · Special forces
RSH / 006
Solar hawker lights
Rugged rental LED lights charged by solar, lighting up street stalls after dark. A hiring agency charges 15 lights per panel per day, at virtually zero CO2.
Street livelihoods
RSH / 007
Battery tester for hearing-aid users
A fading battery works, stops, then works again, sending users to service centres for nothing. One colour band answers the only question: battery OK, or not.
Ultra low cost · Accessibility
RSH / 008
Solar phone charging station
Farmers and fishermen negotiate produce prices by phone; a dead battery can mean a lost sale. Lockable solar pigeon holes keep rural phones charged for a small fee.
Rural livelihoods
RSH / 009
Solar agro drying system
Open sun-drying is dusty and burns off flavour. Filtered, sun-heated air with electronic temperature control gives produce longer shelf life and better revenue.
Agro processing
RSH / 010
Illuminated walking stick
Stick, torch and a third item is how falls happen. A rechargeable light built into the stick lights the path for several days per charge.
For the aged
RSH / 011
Solar steam generator
A parabolic concentrator and evacuated tube turn sunlight into sterilising steam for rural food industries. Fuel cost: zero.
Rural food industry
RSH / 012
The rural empowerment suite
Oil extraction, rice hulling, rope spinning, crop ventilation, smokeless cooking: a family of solar machines sized for village quantities, serviceable locally.
Village scale · Solar04 · Awards & recognitions
Decorated,
repeatedly
Five National Awards for Outstanding Innovation across three decades, and the Nina Sibal Award for work that empowers the disabled.
1995
National Award · Outstanding Innovation
Govt. of India
2000
National Award · Outstanding Innovation
Govt. of India
2005
National Award · Outstanding Innovation
Govt. of India
2007
National Award · Outstanding Innovation
Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi
2010
Nina Sibal Award
For empowering the disabled
2013
National Award · Outstanding Innovation
Govt. of India
Ceremony · 2007
The e-charkha, launched by the President of India
Award Ceremony 2007, Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi: the Hon. President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil, launches the e-charkha. A spinning wheel that lights up huts became a national moment.
REF / RSH-05 / INSPIRING MOMENTS
05 · Inspirers
Inspiring moments
& persons
"Forty years of innovations have been inspired and encouraged by several people who helped me see things in proper perspective. Each moment was special, with continuous learning that continues even today. I feel I have learnt little and done very little; there still is so much to do."
Prof. J. Srinivasan
IISc · First guide, mentor & employer
Gave a lot of inputs for the innovations. "I learnt a lot under his guidance; a truly inspiring man and my role model."
Almitra Patel
MIT · Friend, guide, mentor
Most of the innovations are 'dissected' by her. Her insights bring ground realities and have helped refine many products.
Kumud Ben Joshi
Past Governor, Andhra Pradesh · Chairperson, KVIC
Brought deep insight into khadi and was the main source of inspiration for the launch of the e-charkha.
Dr. Uma Tuli
Past Chief Commissioner of Disabilities
Inspired several products for the physically and otherwise challenged. Seen along with the former CM of Delhi, Ms. Sheila Dixit.
H.E. Freddy Svane
Ambassador of Denmark to India
A friend and an inspirer who prompted several products and an insight into tomorrow's needs of mankind. The interactions continue today.
Fanny Posselt
Social entrepreneur
Founder of the world's most travelled hot dog stand, working from Greenland to the Kalahari. Inspired innovations that bring social change and empower the needy.
REF / RSH-06 / TRAINING
06 · Training innovators
Passing on
the method
Innovation is a process of innovative thinking. The training starts with a survey of the trainee's own surroundings: identify an issue in your immediate society, see it socially and technically, then evolve the solution with your own skills. Students come from all over the world; the process is ongoing. The training has reached over 4,500 persons globally, and over 45 products and solutions have been evolved through this method.
REF / RSH-07 / CONSULTANCY
07 · Consultancy
Experience,
on call
FLEXITRON, with its vast experience across fields and associates worldwide, offers consultancy in five areas:
C/01
Innovative solutions for empowerment of the poorest populations
C/02
Technical solutions for post-harvest technologies based on local resources
C/03
Ecological solutions for carbon-balanced or carbon-negative operation
C/04
Technical solutions for independent, off-grid operation of equipment
C/05
Simple, low-cost shelter and energy solutions
