Bhubaneswar: Reprimanded by his father for wasting too much money on fuel during job hunt, an engineering graduate in Odisha's Bhadrak district designed his own solar bike. Rakesh Nayak from Bhandaripokhari village can be now spotted breezing past the village lanes with his hand crafted 'no-fuel- no maintenance solar bike model' that runs 30 km per hour.
After passing out of his engineering college in 2015, Rakesh could not grab a job for himself at the campus placements. He was however popular in the locality for being an expert in repairing defunct electronic items and a sound practical know how about different mechanical items.
"I used to take out my father's bike for appearing interviews several times but nothing worked. Our financial condition was not very good and my parents kept nagging me on unnecessary wasting money on fuel," said Rakesh
The 23- year- old took out an old cycle discarded by his father and started working on it . "I used my small earnings to buy battery, motor, solar panels and assemble them to make this solar cycle," he said.
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"It is completely eco-friendly and any rise in prices of petrol or diesel does not bother me. Besides, it does not pollute the air or add to global warming in any which way, "explained Rakesh who aspires to improve his model and work on it.
"I am proud of my son. He has a lot of ideas to improve this model but lack of funds have been a constraint. It would be great if the government can extend some support," says Rakesh's father