Who is Uddhab Bharali?
Uddhab Bharali is an asset to Assam. He has invented over 460 machines. He was born on the 7th of April, 1962 at Lakhimpur. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Jorhat Engineering College. His inventions are mainly for the rural people and for the needy. His famous pomegranate de-seeder, paddy thresher, cane stripping machine, and low-cost incinerator. In 2019, Uddhab Bharali also received the Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
His first invention was polythene, the cover-making machine. It started in 1988 when his family was in debt. The price of a polythene-making machine was (US$7,500) and polythene was in need in Tea Estates in Assam. Therefore, Uddhab Bharali made it himself to sell polythene in the Tea Garden and to remove debt from the lives of his family. And after that, he never looked back and kept on with his invention.
One of his inventions that made him very famous is the Pomegranate de-seeder. On the 3rd of July, 2012, Uddhab Bharali qualified for an online voting competition that was for the NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal because of his Pomegranate de-seeder invention. The same kind of machine is made to peel betel nuts. It is a low-cost peeler machine for cassava, garlic, jatropha, coconut, and Safed Musli. He also re-designed the Assamese paddy grinder. He invented the famous low-cost bamboo processing machine. And the best thing about all these inventions is that you don’t need a whole team to operate the inventions. Only one person can operate and it is very easy to understand as well.
Uddhab Bharali has been blessed for inventing the “moving lifter” for the disabled. This “moving lifter” helps a person to move from a wheelchair to a bed or toilet. This device also helps the person with activities of daily life such as eating and writing. In the year 2020, Bharali presented a “moving lifter” to a 15year young boy. The whole process of making that machine is uploaded on YouTube so that those who are experts in this sector can build it. Bharali announced that he was in the process of building for students in the Managaldoi and Jorhat districts of Assam.
Uddhab Bharali used to run the research center named U.K.B Agrotech and the machine design which is in Lakhimpur. He was also a speaker at TEDx at ISM Dhanbad which was held in the month of October 2014.
Honors and awards are given to Uddhab Bharali
Uddhab Bharali received his Ph.D. degree from Kaziranga University and an honorary Doctorate from Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in 2014. Besides that, he received awards such as----
· SRISTI Samman in the year 2006.
· National Grassroots Innovation Award from the National Innovation Foundation, in the year 2009;
· Meritorious Invention Award, NRDC, in the year 2010
· Certificate of Merit, NRDC, from the government of India, in the year 2010
· Prayukty Ratna Title from Asom Sahitya Seva, in the year 2010
· Shilpa Ratna Title by Asom Satra Mahasava, in the year 2012
· Rashtriya Ekta Samman, in the year 2013,
· NICT Perfect 10 Award, ABP Media Group, and The Telegraph,
· Chief Minister Best Awardee award, from the Government of Assam, in the year 2013
· ERDF excellence award in the year 2014,
· Pratidin Time Media achiever award in the year 2015,
· Kamala Kanta Saikia National award in the year 2016,
· Asom Gourav award in the year 2016,
· Romoni Gabhoru award from Atasu Assam, in the year 2016,
· Swayamsiddh Shri Rashtriya Swayamsiddh Samman in the year 2017, by JSPL,
· Winner of Engineering Design, in a contest organized by NASA, Tech Briefs Media called "Create The Future Design Contest 2012" for a bench-top pomegranate de-seeder - which was placed 2nd in the Top Ten Most Popular Inventions category
· Winner NASA tech brief "Create the Future Design contest 2013", for the invention of a detention chair for a mentally challenged person,
· Qualified for NASA tech brief "Create the Future Design contest 2014" for the invention of a feeding device for people without hands,
· Qualifier – World Tech Award in 2012, for the invention of a mini tea plant,
· Pioneer Award, in 2017,
· Excellence Award in 2018 from the Mahatma Gandhi University in Meghalaya,
· Padma Shri Award in 2019.
Uddhab Bharali has always thought about the people of Assam. His inventions are available on YouTube so that anybody who is interested in it can definitely visit and learn about them. Assam is really blessed to have such an amazing scientist. Therefore his inventions were the precious gifts he has given to Assam. And which can no one can ever replace.