Mrunal Manmay Dash

Automobile baron and philanthropist, Anand Mahindra who is well known for supporting and funding innovative ideas by Indians, has yet again praised an enterprising man.

Mahindra has posted a video on his Twitter handle which shows how a scooter can also be used smartly in building construction.

In the video, an old modified Bajaj scooter can be seen helping cement and sand bags being lifted to the roof top of a three-storied under-construction building. The scooter, fixed by four iron legs stands firm on the ground while a power train from probably a truck or a rear-wheel driven SUV has been fixed with the scooter engine.

A long rope is tied to the power train which goes straight up to the roof of the building and comes back from a liver above. The engine torque makes the power train move, apart from coiling the rope with it and ultimately making the other side of the rope go up.

A man ties the cement and sand bags with the rope which, with the revving of the scooter, lifts it up to the roof where the workers are working.

The 'desi jugaad' has made the requirement of a construction-lift nullified and requires only a scooter operator and another man to tie the bags with the rope. All the heavy lifting is done by the power train which forces Mahindra to write, “I guess that’s why we call them ‘power’trains.”

Praising the innovation, Mahindra tweeted, “I guess that’s why we call them ‘power’trains. Many ways to utilise the power of vehicle engines. This would be even better (and quieter!) with an e-scooter, once their cost is brought down or they are available second-hand.”

The mention of e-scooter in the tweet hints at his inclination towards EVs. As Mahindra & Mahindra launched XUV400 as its first EV in India, it aims to take on Tata Motors which already has the largest market share in EVs.

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