Innovation Week 2024

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All ears for innovation
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Dr. Viyatprajna Acharya
Professor, Biochemistry
KIMS
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I rushed to the kitchen hearing a commotion between my mother-in-law and my cook. My MIL was asking the cook not to use the perforated spatula (Fig.1) for curries or sauteing dal which was meant only for straining rice and the cook was insistent upon using it, because she found it best for the purpose. MIL was going on telling her to use the flat spatula instead because she has been doing so since her childhood days. I took the cook to a corner and asked her to obey MIL and adjust somehow. I am an occasional cook and didn’t want then to spoil my time experimenting on which one worked better leaving my post-graduation grill and newborn baby. I was very much satisfied and more than grateful to the Almighty with the fact that I was getting four quarter meals in time and had shunned the gustatory sensation for few years to focus on academics and baby rearing.

During COVID days, when I was cooking by myself and I must say my biochemistry experiment skills overshowed those times and in a cooking spree I used to try out many different recipes. Meanwhile, as fate would have it, I got a perforated spatula, the perforations are actually done on a ladle shaped spatula (Karchi in Hindi, chatu in Odia) as my birthday gift from my women’s club members in the society as it could be an item that could be adjusted within the budget for birthday girl, that was me for that month.

With childlike excitement, I started using it instantly and lo! Then I recalled my old cook as to why she was fighting over the perforated spatula so much. In those days there were not many perforated spatulas available unlike today’s market which are flooded with them. Found different varieties of spatulas who had longitudinal slits too. This spatula was more conducive in breaking the lumps and the food items didn’t get stick to it.

Then entered the stirrer. It was a boon in making the batter for dosa or cake. Whoa! Ummmaahh! Where were you my darling all these days! That was the joy of cry from my heart for all these new instruments in my kitchen. Same was the emotions when we received new equipments in our labs, when we mended ways to make our experiments more suitable, deviating from protocols offered by our seniors.

The take-home message is– innovation and creativity are independent of level of education and the streams chosen for earning our bread. Village urchins can at times amaze you with their great Indian jugaads and turn your heads. We must keep our brains open and receptive to newer ideas instead of dissuading and disparaging them.

But to take the ideas to culmination and commercialization, there has to be collaboration and thus there can be upsurge of a better idea, feasibility and marketability. In my case, though I am a medical professional, all patents of mine are related to medical devices and needed help from engineering faculty and without collaboration, it would not have been possible.

As I always emphasize on one thing, our nation is teeming with youth mass and they should be channelized properly. Instead of them getting consumed by social media we must encourage them to bring their original ideas without hesitation. Probably the science exhibitions are not enough for the purpose where mostly parents do the projects copying from the internet.

Reality shows on jugaads (innovations) from young minds should be made that will enthuse them further. Scholarships/funds for start-ups should be given with easier access and with awareness from school level should be made. And of course, the mantras behind all– the innovations should be economical, environment friendly and targeted for benevolence to mankind.
Shubhamastu
(Let all be well, may the goodness prevail)
#innovations #creativity #indianyouth #youthempowerment #drvpacharya #medbiochem_guru

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