HYDERABAD: Despite facing challenges in pursuing education, Repalle Shanmukha Rao from Kambalapalli village in the Mahabubabad district has come out as a splendid innovator. With his splendid engineering skills, after having studied only till class 10, Shanmuka already has several innovations to his name. He has mostly developed machines that reduce input costs and ease human effort in rural communities.
His inventions, such as community umbrella, power weeder, brush cutter, economical dishwasher, cow-dung incense sticks, shade plough, and road cleaner, have improved the lives of the people in his immediate locality.
His latest innovation, which he calls ‘Doli Ambulance’, has been designed to assist people living in remote forest areas where there are no roads. It is common practice in such villages to carry a sick person on a palanquin to the nearest healthcare facility, which is an arduous task. Shanmukha Rao’s solution, however, replaces the traditional stick of the palanquin with a light iron pipe and two vertical pipes attached to bicycle wheels. Additionally, the Doli Ambulance’s height can be adjusted for the convenience of the carriers.
The patient is seated in the dolly, which is then moved by wheels without burdening the bearers. According to Shanmukha Rao, this reduces the difficulty faced by the carriers by almost 80 per cent.
“We can also attach umbrellas and headlights to the Doli Ambulance so that it can be used during night hours and in extreme weather conditions. A ‘first aid’ kit is provided to the patient, in case of any emergency during the journey,” he says.
In order to enable more people to benefit from his innovations, Shanmukha has appealed to at least three corporate houses to help him take his innovations to other tribal villages. Shanmukha is a three-time recipient of the prestigious ‘Best Innovator Award’. He is the only 10th-pass innovator in the State who has been felicitated by IIT Hyderabad.