Jobless, I was in the garage working on my bikes, having quit my last profession as a travel and automotive writer in disgust after not being paid for my published work for over six months. A neighbourhood PCO owner (private phone booths that were everywhere in the '90s and early 2000s) called to say that two men claiming to be from the newly built IIT Guwahati were looking for me. He added that they were very disrespectful and advised me to send them packing.
The duo turned out to be from India’s National Innovation Foundation—a government organization promoting grassroots innovators—looking for the “Bullet Innovator.” If they seemed rude, it was probably because a school classmate had referred them to me, saying, “Just ask anyone in that locality for the bike-mad fellow; they’ll show you his house.”
The PCO owner was apparently not amused.
They had come to see my twin-spark plug Bullet, which I had converted in the mid-’90s—about a decade before Bajaj Auto, and years before Royal Enfield, adopted the technology. After seeing the bike and hearing how I had raised the compression, modified the clutch, and so on, they wanted to nominate me for an award. I flatly refused, pointing out that Triumph had the first twin-spark racing bike way back in 1911, and Alfa Romeo had been using twin plugs in their cars since the ’70s. “But you’re the first in India,” they argued. They pursued the matter for a while, but I never relented, insisting I would be an imposter.
Almost a decade later, quite by accident, I discovered that the same organization had published an e-book titled Assam Innovates, and yours truly was prominently featured in it—sporting a rockstar hairdo and posing with a dismantled motorbike. The text alongside was pure garbage, as those chaps, despite taking copious notes, clearly didn’t know a thing about internal combustion engines. Nonetheless, it elevated me from being seen as a tinkerer, amateur mechanic, and “bike-mad fellow” to the ranks of innovators.
Recently, I was invited to deliver a keynote address on Innovation, Sustainability, and Green Tech at the 8th NE Green Summit in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh—a North-Eastern Indian state also claimed by China. Rather than vomiting up data copied from the internet or using cryptic, cliché terms beloved by climate and sustainability gurus and jhola-wallas, I chose to explore the meaning of these words and propose technologies that could bring real, positive change to the North-Eastern region of India.
However, while attending the seminar, I quickly realized that I had just wasted three days of my life. I also drew several other conclusions:
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No matter how noble the idea behind an event, none of the discussions matter unless policymakers and community leaders genuinely listen to domain experts, innovators, and green-tech entrepreneurs.
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Cliché terms like “Net Zero” or “Carbon Neutrality” are just empty buzzwords unless backed by real-world examples of technology, processes, and success stories—with data.
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Pickles and wine, no matter how good, and cane baskets, no matter how intricately woven, are not examples of Innovation, Sustainability, Green Tech, or the Circular Economy.
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The fact that some brick-and-mortar businesses masquerading as startups have raised money is neither proof of success nor an indicator of a healthy ecosystem or real commitment to sustainability.
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To the pundits from metros who love to “grace” such sessions as VIP guests—spouting drivel like “Oh, the North-East is the lungs of India” and telling us we need to eat, sleep, and live in bamboo huts or go fully organic—I suggest they take a look at once-lush hill stations like Shillong or Bomdila and figure out what cancer has afflicted these lungs. Or better yet, look at Sri Lanka and its organic experiment.
As for bamboo—my team and I design and build advanced bamboo biocomposite vessels like trimarans and catamarans, as well as ultra-light, low-cost fishing and rescue boats. Still, none of the so-called deep-impact investors seem to have even a fleeting interest when we mention our work.
Lastly, judging by the photographs of me speaking at the event, I have to admit—I seriously need to shed some weight.
I think that’s the most attainable short-term sustainability goal I can strive for...
