--- On Tue, 27/9/11, assamonl...@yahoogroups.com <assamonl...@yahoogroups.com>
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From: assamonl...@yahoogroups.com <assamonl...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [asom] Digest Number 1165
To: assamonl...@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 27 September, 2011, 3:58 PM
For the People of Assam/Northeast India
For the People of Assam/Northeast India
Messages In This Digest (1
Message)
1.
Regarding news item of Dr. Pradip Sarmah
From:
da...@iitg.ernet.in
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1.
Regarding news item of Dr. Pradip Sarmah
Posted by: "da...@iitg.ernet.in"
da...@iitg.ernet.in
dasakdipon
Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:11 pm (PDT)
Dear all,
Greetings from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT
Guwahati). I am Amarendra Kumar Das, presently Professor and Head,
Department of Design, IIT Guwahati. It has come to our notice from local news
papers in Assam India regarding laureate of The Tech Awards 2011. I have
reproduced the text of the news item below.
“DR. Pradip Kumar Sarmah, the founder of Rickshaw bank was today named as
a laureate of The Tech Awards 2011, one of 15 global innovators recognized each
year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The
Tech Awards, a signature
program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc.,selected
DR. Pradip Kumar Sarmah from among hundreds of nominations representing 54
countries. This is informed by Mowsam Hazarika, Hony.Media Coordinator, Centre
for Rural Development (CRD).
“The Tech Awards is an incredible honor, recognizing individuals and
organizations whose ideas and execution of those ideas are changing the
world,” said Dr. Kanak Haloi, Member of the Governing Board of Centre for
Rural Development
(CRD). “We are proud to be among those recognized for their
contributions, and will continue to develop solutions that improve the
overall well being of people worldwide.”
“The global challenges of the day have become increasingly strident, more
deeply rooted,” said David Whitman, Vice President of Signature Programs
at The Tech Museum.
“Still, there is hope. These incredibly impressive Laureates have
all proven to be equal to, or better than, the challenge to make the world a
better place. By celebrating their accomplishments today, we are encouraging
future innovators to work toward solutions to make the world healthier, safer
and more sustainable. ” Established in 2000, The Tech Awards recognizes
15 Laureates in five universal categories: education, equality, environment,
economic development and health. These laureates have developed new
technological solutions or innovative ways to use existing technologies to
significantly improve the lives of people around the world. One Laureate in
each category will receive a $50,000 cash prize during the annual Awards Gala
in Santa Clara California. on October 20.”
In addition to the above, I have also seen email being send by your groups and
We are extremely surprised in the news, especially when an organization like
The Tech Awards are involved, how plagiarist activity is allowed to hog
limelight? What more, I wonder why our memory is so low? Many of you earlier
had congratulated me when first news of Dipbahan was available in news both in
print media and TV, internet etc. and some of you are now exclaiming in this
news of plagiarism. I cannot believe your reaction when tech-savvy people like
you can get the real information at the click of your mouse when you click at
Google search with key words “Dipbahan rickshaw” and there are
various news including that of my students who took projects in the area of
Dipbahan rickshaw and allied products and services.
All of you in Assam and NRA’s (Non Resident Assamese)’ s relatives
in Assam see few thousand of basic Dipbahan (that is permitted by IIT Guwahati
to be manufactured as non-profit making project by CRD headed by Dr. Pradip
Kumar Sarmah) and its up-gradation with nice FRP seat, cover etc. which are
introduced by Panchayat and Rural Development Department all over the state.
These were procured through global tender (tender documents are still
available in the net, when you search as Dipbahan rickshaw) and the project
covered in last 2 years is worth INR 18.00 crores with total nos. of rickshaw
and delivery van exceeding 10,000 nos.
When you see these you do not bother to ask who designed this and
being netizen still accepts false information. This was evident when FASS in
its magazine published regarding Dipbahan rickshaw and rickshaw bank project.
Now some of you are asking me why we did not protest earlier? Let me give
clarification:
First let me raise a question? Is the rickshaw bank concept of
microcredit is new or is it the reason for success of the Rickshaw Bank in
reality? Dr. Pradip Sarmah will be the best person to clarify.
Micro credit in providing tricycle rickshaw was not the first implemented by
Dr. Pradip Kumar Saarmah. There was microfinance earlier too in this case and
few organizations even in Manipur tried to provide rickshaw to pullers under
this scheme. Similarly several NGOs in Assam tried this but could not achieve
much. Why? Because when it was tried out with existing old rickshaw, it did not
become successful because, for passenger, there was nothing new to
motivate them to use rickshaw.
Once the same microcredit programme was introduced with
Dipbahan, it become successful, since passengers liked the new Dipbahan design,
being comfortable, spacious and safe.
Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah knew this well in 2004 prior to starting Rickshaw Bank
and was looking for a new design of rickshaw and he tried to bring a design
from outside Assam, but the person who was to help him with the fabrication
work wanted close to Rs. 1.00 lakh, which Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah did not want
to pay. [Dr. Sarmah is an old acquaintance of me, way back from 1989, when both
of us were consultant to newly set up Rastriya Gramin Vikask Nidhi (RGVN)]. In
the year 2004 I started a rickshaw design project and sponsorship came from
NEDFi in terms of a grant of Rs. 1.00 that was for creating product that can
generate income and for which micro-credit can be propagated. In the same year
we (Me and Dr. Pradip
Kumar Sarmah) met after several years in IIE (Indian Institute of
Enterpreneurship, Guwahati) premise in a conference. He talked about his
dilemma of a new rickshaw design for micro-finance that will make it
visible. Since I already worked on a new rickshaw design, I promised him to
provide this design and fabricated the one that I designed and named it as
Dipbahan. Why? Because as a designer we always brand it so that it is easily
visible in public place and noticed. Why Dipbahan? Because my nickname is Dipon
and word bahan in Assamese, Hindi, Sanskrit is a vehicle. Dip from Dipon and
Bahan makes it Dipbahan. For public, it is a vehicle born out of knowledge. Dip
means light, hence light signifying knowledge. Dr. Sarmah liked it and I did
not realize the fact that he told his people Dip from Pradip and Bahan is
vehicle. This was told to me by his close confident who deserted him later.
Incidentally this work is also part of my doctoral research, idea being to
evolve a successful design and technology transfer to MSME in Indian context,
since even now India faces the challenge of transferring worthwhile design and
technology for the people successfully. But
from the beginning being in IIT Guwahati as a part of the culture, we avoided
my name directly mentioned everywhere and every time and always
emphasized in the name of IIT Guwahati. All the initial Dipbahan had at
its rear written “IIT Guwahati NEDFi Design initiative” , to inform
the people that it is designed by IIT Guwahati. However at a point of time this
was discontinued and at IIT Guwahati we did not raise a hue and cry because
over this period, quality and specification deteriorated and we also feared
that this will tarnish the image of IIT Guwahati; and already people knew that
the design is by IIT Guwahati.
I also got query why The tricycle rickshaw popularly known as Dipbahan was
designed and initiated by me at department of Design, IIT Guwahati and was
allowed to be propagated by Centre for Rural Development, Assam without paying
any royalty to IIT Guwahati for non-profit operation by the NGO. There are lots
of documents in this regard and will be very happy to provide the same to your
organization. Although my acquaintance with Dr, Pradip Kumar Sarmah is more
than two decades, but when new rickshaw was released at a press meet, most of
the news item highlighted the achievement of IIT Guwahati and its innovator,
me. Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah always seeking media attention was disappointed and
stopped acknowledging me as
innovator. Not only that although he invited me for the formal launch of
the rickshaw bank with my design, in the inaugural meeting, there was no speech
from my end where consultant for CRD, expressed his surprise and representative
of NEDFi left the place. He tried not to mention even IIT Guwahati, and removed
the name Dipbahan being painted at the back of the tricycle rickshaws but this
backfired and beneficiaries stopped taking these and rickshaw bank could resume
the operation only after they started writing it as Dipbahan. I kept cool to
see that the project attains success and benefits of the same accrues to the
people. We at any IITs promote the institution more than any individual and
hence informed him that if he fails to mention IIT Guwahati, we will be
compelled to take necessary action on them. Dr. Sarmah started to acknowledge
IIT Guwahati but never explicitly. CRD also in absence of technical manpower
were not able to fabricate the Dipbahan and there were complaint. We told that
a vital member was missing in
the structure but not taking the word at its face value went to replace the
structure of the Dipbahan with readymade frame from industry. Not being able to
educate the pullers they also
changed the slope of the seat, since some rickshaw pullers said that if
seat is inclined to the front, rickshaw goes in speed and today Dr. Sarmah is
claiming award for using technology use for the benefit of the society and
under privileged!
Seeing his attitude, we started having our presence in the web and also
improved upon the design further and licensed it to other manufacturer for its
propagation through microcredit by developmental agency, commercial banks and
also by various state governments. We also won best tricycle rickshaw in the
year 2008 from the Institute of Urban Transport, India and Ministry of Urban
Development, Govt. of India. You can check this by going to various websites.
In the meantime Dr, Sarmah continued with plagiarism and won few awards. We,
keeping in mind interest of the common people did not react the way we should
have, since more and more rickshaws were seen on road with advent of Dipbahan.
However this
encouraged him to continue with his act of plagiarism.
Dr. Sarmah went to the extent of subtly changing the spelling of Dipbahan to
Deep Bahan, since any net search leads one to actual innovator of the tricycle.
I must inform you that you go for a net search with both Dipbahan and
Deepbahan and fact will be evident. We have introduced more than 15,000
Dipbahan rickshaws in the state of Assam itself with government funding to the
poor people of the state under Mukhyamantrir Assam Bikash Yojana and other
micro credit scheme in the last three years. Department involved is Panchayat
and Rural Development Department of Government of Assam. Please go for a net
search with key word “Dipbahan rickshaw” and information regarding
this
in terms of global tender papers is still available. The department has
implemented the project for INR 180.00 million in the last 3 years, and
IIT Guwahati received more than INR 1.8 million as royalty from the
government. Similarly, West Bengal government had earlier implemented the
project. Although Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah also bid for the supply of the
Dipbahan, his NGO was not qualified, since IIT Guwahati allowed him manufacture
of basic Dipbahan only for non-profit purpose. To be frank, his NGO failed even
to manufacture these rickshaws as per IIT Guwahati specification due to poor
quality of man, machine and quality of products several NGOs requested us to
allow to manufacture the Dipbahan rickshaws as per IIT Guwahati design, but
since we are committed to our word we still helped his
organization. A student from Stanford University came to improve the
Dipbahan rickshaw and finally met me to discuss what can be done and again I
advised her how to overcome the vibration of the top by introducing a small
piece of tube that CRD did not earlier implement when mentioned by me. The
problem was resolved.
You can also visit IIT Guwahati website, www.iitg.ernet. in and then go to
departmental site Design>people> faculty>Amarendr a Kumar
Das>Homepage or directly to:
http://www.iitg. ac.in/design/ portfolio/ akd/index. html
You will see the various versions of Dipbahan
Still if you need any other confirmation, you can mail it to director of IIT
Guwahati Prof. Gautam Barua at his mail id gb@iitg.ernet. in.
Based on all this as mentioned above, I request you to
ascertain facts about the project and refrain from awarding him the
honour, which is totally based on plagiarism. If required we will bring
this plagiarism to the notice of the global audience that may show this in
poor opinion and also bring disrepute to any organization abetting
plagiarism.
We will be able to provide you all details once we receive a request from your
end.
Based on the work done for design development of Dipbahan in
the Department of Design, IIT Guwahati, a PhD degree was awarded
Please mail me to dasak@iitg.ernet. in and dasak.iitg@gmail. com after
receiving this mail.
Amarendra Kumar Das, PhD
Professor and Head,
Department of Design
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Guwahati, India
PIN 781039
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