Unsung heroines and heroes of Manipur: Making a footprint at mughal garden

NEW DELHI , March 15 (MIC):  Unsung heroines and heroes of Manipur were making a footprint at Mughal Garden in the Rashtrapati  Bhavan here by showcasing their creative talent in the Grassroots Innovation Exhibition from March 14 to 17 organised by the National Innovation Foundation, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India, innaugurated the exhibition at the ongoing Udyanotsav on  March 14.  The exhibition which was being held for the second year at Rashtrapati Bhavan, featured 45 stalls showcasing 32 innovations by rural persons. This year’s focus is the North-East, with Manipur having 6 stalls.  Special focus of the exhibition was handloom and handicraft machineries from Manipur. Five innovators from Manipur were participating in the exhibition.
A physically challenged innovator, Y. Mangi Singh from Kakching, who had developed a ‘Kouna Mat Making Machine’, was the special attraction in the exhibition. The President of India spent considerable amount of time watching the innovator weave the Kouna Mat. Likewise, Mr. Ng. Nabakumar Singh of Leingang, Sagang, Bishnupur District who had invented the ‘Double Shuttle Loom’ was also a main crowd popular. The ‘Double Shuttle Loom’ was getting rave reviews from all experts and visitors. The ‘Improve Mechanized Loom’ of Salam Rajesh Singh which made bandages also received special attention in the exhibition. The innovator received many enquiries from prospective entrepreneurs from other states to purchase his machine. The dignitaries and visitors alike were dazzled by the ‘Electric Shock Free Converter’ of Ksh. Nicholson Singh, Wangkhei, Imphal, which converts all live electric current into ‘shock free’ current.
Jina Khumjam’s ‘Medicated Herbal Soap’ was a big to all the dignitaries and visitors. It was a rare achievement that the only woman innovator who participated in the exhibition also happened to be from Manipur. It was even rarer that Pratibha Devising Patil, President of India herself asked for Ms. Jina’s ‘Herbal Soaps’ so that she could also try it out.
The President was presented with a set of ‘Herbal Soaps’ wrapped in a handmade handbag. Likewise, a similar set of ‘Herbal Soaps’ was presented to the former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, at his residence.
The exhibition was  part of the National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad under the Govt. of India’s, Department of Science and Technology, to search out for innovators in the country’s rural areas. The exhibition was hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan since 2010, as the President wished to give grassroots innovators, a platform and recognition for their efforts for using technology for the benefit of the citizens living in all parts of the country.
The exhibition featured such innovations as:- the Hand Operated Water Lifting Device, Bullock Operated Sprayer, Compost Aerator and Leaf Pruner, Manual Milking Machine, Bamboo Lathe Machine, Solar Mosquito Destroyer, Automatic Food Making Machine and different varieties of agricultural produce.