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Aaruni Bullock Cart: Tilting Cart & Bullocks' Blessing |
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Although there is much variation in size, structure and the materials used in the Indian bullock-cart, the basic design has been the same for hundreds of years. The traditional bullock cart has only two wheels. Consequently part of the load is borne by the draft animals on their shoulders/necks. Hence the animals’ work consists not only of pulling the cart but also of supporting part of the load. Another shortcoming in the design is the harnessing system which makes it difficult to negotiate sharp bends or turns in the road. As a result of these limitations, bullocks often develop galls on their necks and suffer silently as they toil for their masters. All this affects not only the efficiency of the animals but also their stamina. For several years, Amrutbhai had been concerned about this “erosion of strength” of draft animals.
Innovation
A major issue bothering Amrutbhai was the waste of labour, which again stems from the limitations of the existing design. In the Junagadh region, farmers make an organic compost from agricultural waste, animal waste and ‘tas’, a mineral-rich soil excavated from wastelands or common property lands. They transport it to the fields in bullock-carts. The actual application of the compost in the furrows was done usually by the women folk. Since the compost had to be applied in summer before the onset of monsoon, the women had to toil under the scorching sun and distribute the manure with baskets.
Conception of idea
Amrutbhai often discussed this problem with the farmers who came to his workshop for repair of implements or purchase of new ones. It was through these discussions that he conceived the idea of a bullock-cart which would be similar to a tractor with a hydraulic system for lifting the trolley. In such a system the body of the cart would be tilted gradually so that the compost fell directly into the furrows, in a uniform manner. The new cart would have four wheels and a harness rotating devise which would enable the bullocks to negotiate sharp bends more easily. Although the idea was attractive, developing a prototype was expensive and time consuming. As a result the idea remained a dream in Amrutbhai’s mind for some time.
From idea to initiative
In the early nineties he decided to start work on the project using his own savings. He built the metal frame on which the cart would be mounted. But further development had to wait for lack of resources.
In December 1993, he was invited by SRISTI to participate in its first Advisory Committee Meeting held at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. During that meet he was asked whether he had any new product ideas on which he wished to work on in the near future. Seizing the opportunity, Amrutbhai explained to them the idea of his improved bullock-cart. By that time he had already spent about Rs. 8000 on the project. The Committee members liked the idea and felt it was worth supporting.
In due course he submitted a written proposal which was scrutinized by SRISTI and it was agreed that SRISTI would bear half the expense of developing a prototype of the new bullock-cart. If the new design proved successful and economically profitable, Amrutbhai would share part of the profits with SRISTI for a given period of time. This would enable SRISTI to help other innovators. If for some reason the design did not work out, the advance would be treated as a grant.
His morale boosted, Amrutbhai discussed the plans for the new project with his sons Bharat and Ashwin, both of whom he had trained in the maintenance and development of farm implements. Over the years, Amrutbhai had come to rely on them for the day-to-day running of his enterprise.
From initiative to innovation
As a first step towards the redesigning of the bullock cart Amrutbhai purchased a hydraulic jack with an accompanying tank from the nearby city of Rajkot. The tank was too large for the cart and so he procured another one of proper size. After filling it with the oil he applied pressure on it through a pump. The tank burst but fortunately no one was hurt. On probing Amrutbhai discovered that the tank had burst because its outlet was clogged.
He realized that this line of thinking was not worth pursuing because, given the nature of their work, the farmers could not be expected to keep the equipment dust-free all the time. The use of such equipment could prove potentially risky for them. Nevertheless, he decided to give the original tank a fair trial. Despite three days of hard work he failed to make the cart lift up. Thereupon he decided to return the hydraulic system to the shop-keeper in Rajkot.
The shop-keeper on examining the equipment found some minor defects. He offered to either replace the equipment or to return the money. Greatly relieved, Amrutbhai collected his money and returned home. The net damages were only Rs. 1600 which was the cost of the tank which had burst.
Soon after this setback, Amrutbhai decided to get his elder son and his daughter married. And so for some time all his attention was turned to discharging of his social responsibilities. Many of the clients who came to the workshop saw the unfinished cart gathering dust. To some it seemed like an idea that had failed. But Amrutbhai strengthened his resolve to complete the project. He decided to work on it only in the peace and quiet of the night, when he could think and work undisturbed and test his new ideas without distraction.
One night while at work he wondered if using a horizontal gear as a lifting device would solve his problem. Such a system was being used to lower an engine into a bore well. He decided to try it out and found that it was indeed effective in lifting the cart but not in lowering it. The failure of this experiment cost him another two thousand rupees.
Not losing heart, he decided to try out vertical gears. At first he mounted two gears and found them successful. He then increased the number of gears to four, and then to six and finally to eight. It was the morning of new year (2052 as per Hindu calendar) that he finally arrived at a satisfactory solution using eight gears.
He named the new cart “Aaruni”, after the son of an Indian sage. Aaruni is well known in folk-lore for his example in checking the erosion of soil (see cover story). By analogy, the new product would prove useful in checking the “erosion of the bullock’s strength”.
Field testing of the new cart
Amrutbhai decided to test the cart in the field of his neighbour Bachubhai Rambhai Bharthi. He invited Nagabhai from Sakrana village who had wide experience in handling bullock-carts and who was very objective. Amrutbhai felt he could rely on him to give objective feedback. The cart was used to apply ‘tas’ on only one row of the field. ‘Tas’ was selected since it was the heaviest material. Nagabhai gave an excellent report. Many friends and neighbours gathered to witness the trial.
According to rough calculations, the use of the cart will result in a savings of Rs. 90 per vigha (0.16 ha) on labour. The cart is also more efficient as it has three times the capacity of the conventional cart. Amrutbhai recalled that early models of the camel cart had only two wheels. Those carts could take a load of only one ‘khandi’ (400 kg). After the introduction of four wheel camel carts the efficiency increased five fold. The same camel can now pull a load of five ‘khandi’.
He had spent in all Rs. 32,000 in making the first cart. He has decided to price it at Rs. 27,500. The average cart made from wood costs Rs. 15,000 to 20,000. Since his cart is made from iron, it is likely to be more durable.
Future plans: Diffusion of an indigenous innovation
The cart was displayed at a farmers’ fair at Junagadh. The response of farmers was gratifying. Farmers felt that it was a useful innovation. About 400 farmers expressed a desire to procure it. However, Amrutbhai is not in a hurry to scale up the production until the product is well accepted by the early users. The initial years will give him a chance to get vital feedback from users and modify the product to perfection. Amrutbhai is also working towards lowering the cost of the cart so that medium and small farmers can afford it. In a workshop of a few innovative artisans of Saurashtra, feedback on Aaruni was gathered. Based on this feedback, Amrutbhai and his sons are working on further modifications and improvements.
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee, 6(4):3-4, 1995 |
