Small inventions can at times have a big impact on the world and this man from Assam’s North Guwahati has taken it upon himself to do so, one invention at a time. With a President’s medal and recognition from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) attached to his name, he is no stranger to the field as well.

Living in a small locality, a short distance from Doul Govinda Mandir in North Guwahati, Champak Bora has been working on inventions that make a difference in our day-to-day lives since his childhood. What started with a radio that can run without any source of power, his inventions have earned him recognition from former President of India, Late APJ Abdul Kalam in 2005.

The then Gujarat Chief Minister and the present Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi had also interacted with Bora once in 2006 and talked on implementing solar energy. “Since then Gujarat has successfully implemented solar power as a renewable source of energy for the state, and I would like to think that my interaction with him may have sparked it,” Bora said in a tongue-in-cheek but firm claim.

His latest invention, a device that can detect excess water in refrigerators and help to extract it, will help in increasing the lifetime of refrigerators, said Bora. A small device that can be fitted externally along with any refrigerator, it will help to reduce water leakage and possibilities of accidents, a beaming Champak claimed.

Speaking to us, Bora said, “I came up with the idea when I saw water leaking from our refrigerator that was getting old. The device has a sensor that will alert people when the water is at its brim and an outlet for the excess water to be pumped out of it. As refrigerators get old, they start leaking water that can lead to accidents. I hope this will help in reducing them.”

Asked about how many inventions he has made till date, Champak said that the number goes over 20.

One such invention of his, an automatic counter, has been made out of a simple calculator and a sensor attached to it via a USB port. The sensor can detect movement and show the readings on the calculator screen. Bora informed that NASA organizes a global design competition worldwide every year. In 2019, before the Covid-19 virus infected the world, this invention of his had won the second prize in the NASA organised ‘Create the Future Design’ contest.

A simple man with an eye on the future, Champak Bora’s inventions has actually had an impact on the society. During the Covid-19 outbreak, he designed a ‘hands-free washbasin’ that would go a long way in reducing contact and thus reducing the spread of the virus. Though such technology already existed, his simple implementation meant it was available in the rural areas where much of those high-tech hand-wash systems do not exist.

Bora reminisced about it saying, “Even as the government put up hand-washing facilities at public places, I saw that mostly people would use the same mug and the same soap or hand-wash bottles repeatedly, increasing the chance of the virus spreading. That is when I thought of a washbasin that would work hands-free, reducing the risk of spreading the virus. I came up with my design which was installed at the Kamrup district Deputy Commissioner’s office and was inaugurated by the then DC Kailash Karthik.”