Er. Lalit Suthar

Shri P L Mistry - a forgotten innovator

Late Shri Poonamchand Lakhaji Mistry (Suthar) born in 1914 in a poor family, was an outstanding innovator of his time. Poonamchand Suthar couldn’t continue his education after fifth standard because he had to assist his father in carpentry work.
Shri P L Mistry (Suthar) has been awarded posthumously by Second National Grassroots Technological Innovation and Traditional Knowledge Awards - 2002 for his great inventions like Wise platform ticket machine, automatic air pump for bicycles and other innovations. The other innovations that he had developed and in most cases patented are:

Improved tea coffee maker,
Platform ticket machine,
Automatic air pump for bicycles,
Animal body weight drawn water lifting pump,
Device for constant pressure of water in pipeline/tap,
Improved machine for making chapatis/puris,
System for prevention of train collision and accident due to derailment and sabotaging,
Improved churner,
Small flour mill,
Folding cradle,
Cloth washing and drying machine,
Folding swing bed,
Automatic lighting and delighting kerosene lamp and
Power generation from road traffic.

Like many innovators, he had worked on many ideas, not all of which were equally feasible or practical. Nonetheless, his life story needs to get included in the syllabus of primary education so that many more children can draw inspiration and embark upon similar innovative trails. Obviously, science and technology policy planners never cared to highlight the role of grassroots innovations. It is his destiny that now he has been forgotten.
Late Shri Poonamchand Lakha Mistry born in 1914 in a poor family, was an outstanding innovator of his time. He was the eldest among four brothers. He thought about several problems affecting common people as well as large systems like railways. In some cases he succeeded with the actual prototype and a few remained just as his dream.
Poonamchand couldn’t continue his education after fifth standard because he had to assist his father in carpentry work. While pursuing carpentry, he developed interest in creative activities, and at the age of 17, he prepared a functional miniature steam locoengine. The then administrator of British government instead of encouragement, advised him to destroy his loco-engine. He, however, stashed away his creation but this incident couldn’t suppress his creative talent to develop innovative things. In due course, he established a flour mill and a motorcar repair workshop.
Most of his income had been spent on experimenting his ideas. He received financial and moral supports from his brothers for pursuing his innovative experiments. During his lifetime he made 33 innovations and of these 25 have been granted patents in India. Such a crazy innovator left for his final abode in 1981 leaving some of his innovations incomplete worthy further research and development even today.