Indore: While some people, unfortunately, succumbed to COVID-19 induced vagaries during the 2020 lockdown, others, like 22-year-old Prafull Joshi, rose like the proverbial phoenix from its ashes and turned despair into a life-changing opportunity.
The son of Ashok Joshi, who used to run a panipuri stall in Rajendra Nagar area of the Madhya Pradesh commercial capital, has designed a panipuri vending machine fitted with a sensor. It fills the puri with spicy water once it’s taken close to the taps fitted in the machine. The innovation in the last eight months has caught the attention of locals in Indore who obsess about health and hygiene.
Ashok Joshi had to close his stall during the 2020 lockdown. He then turned to his son Prafull, a student of MSc to do odd jobs to support his family in distress.
Prafull decided to do improvise his father’s trade complying with the COVID-19 prohibitions. In next the two-three months, the young science student came up with a machine fitted with software programming and micro-controllers. In a given perimeter, it catches the presence of any object and releases the spicy water.
“Initially I prepared a machine with four nozzles and I am almost done with another with six nozzles releasing six types of spicy water,” Prafull told News 18, adding that his prototype cost around Rs 15,000 and he is planning to produce these handy devices on commercial purpose.
“It will offer a hygienic and modern option to the traditional trade and will also generate employment for the youth. The response has been very heartwarming till now,” he was quoted as saying.
Notably, Indore has been crowned the cleanest city in India for the record fifth time in a row as part of Swachhta Abhiyan.