Most of the children studying in the school dream that they get admission in IIT later. But the dream of studying in IIT is fulfilled by very few students. Something similar happened with Anand Pandey of Uttar Pradesh. He had a dream that one day he would do engineering from IIT. But his dream could not be fulfilled. The condition of the family was not such that after preparing for another one or two years, he could take the examination again. So he took admission in an engineering college in Amethi.
Even though the dream of Anand, who belonged to Sultanpur, remained unfulfilled. But even after studying from a normal college, he worked hard day and night and made his mark on his own. Today he is known as an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. Anand is not only growing himself but also helping other students to grow.
Anand is the founder of Lucknow-based AKP Technovision, through which he trains engineering students on different subjects. He helps the students to prepare projects. At the same time, they are also taking their inventions to the market.
Coming from a farmer family, Anand himself may not have been able to go to IIT but today is nothing less than an inspiration to many students studying in IIT. They are called for lectures, training and seminars in different engineering institutes. He has also been honored at the state and national level for his inventions.
Anand told The Better India about his journey, “My father is a farmer and mother takes care of the house. He always worked very hard for our education. He had to borrow several times to pay my fees. But by working hard day and night, he kept encouraging me so that there would be no hindrance in my studies. Mom has been my biggest courage.”
Along with studies, training was also done
Anand tells that he was enrolled in a normal college. Along with college studies, he also gave importance to practical training at his level. He once came to know about a training program at I Square IT in Pune, where most IIT students go. He decided that he too would participate in the training program. Anand says that he got to learn a lot from this training.
He said, “After completing the education of Embedded and Robotics from here, in 2010 I made my first innovative model driverless metro train. This model got the first position in the college. My self-confidence started increasing and I decided that I have to keep doing something new. So, along with my studies, I continued my training, internship etc. from different places. Because in engineering you cannot succeed by just studying theory. For this model of mine, I also got respect from the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2015.
After completing his studies, Anand wanted to do something in the field of innovation. But the financial condition of his house was such that the responsibility of doing a job came upon him. He tried for a job in many places and got a job at one place. But Anand felt that he could not go further with this job. So once again he listened to his heart and started his own center to help engineering students with training and projects.
He started the center with only eight students. But he prepared the projects of these students in such a way that other college students also started joining him. Till now he has given training to more than 300 students. He told, “Here students are given a three-month summer training course. In which apart from preparing students for their degree projects, courses like Robotics, Embed System Design, Innovation are also offered. Also, training many children and preparing them for the industry.”
Rishabh Tiwari, one of his students, says that he did a month’s training from Anand’s center and got to learn a lot which is working for him in the industry today.
Innovations made along with teaching students
Apart from training the students at his centre, Anand has also made it his innovation-hub. Anand is moving forward by working on different innovations. Like after driverless metro, he worked on another innovative project. This was how power could be made from speed breakers. However, it is yet to reach a large scale as they need a lot of funding for this. Apart from this, he has invented such as Restobag, Ladoo Making Machine, BCM Positive Machine and Sticknochair.
Talking about the Restobag, it is a bag cum chair model. During travel, people often do not get a place to sit easily. In such a situation, they can relax by making their bag a chair. Anand says that once he had to make a long journey standing in a train and from there he got the idea that many people like him must be facing this problem everyday. That’s why he made this innovation. This bag is easy to carry and also, it can be used as a chair when needed.
If it is used as a chair, a person of 50 to 80 kg can easily sit on it. Anand claims that till now he has sold around 1000 restobags. The cost of his bag cum chair is Rs 885. Apart from this, he has also made a machine to keep people’s health good. His BCM positive machine massages the feet and maintains proper blood flow. This activates all the cells and increases immunity.
Akhand Pal, who has used both of his products, says that both the bag cum chair and the BCM positive machine are very useful. He is using the machine regularly, due to which he is feeling a positive effect in his health. At the same time, the bag is sometimes used during travel.
“But it is a very useful thing because often one has to travel standing in the bus-train. Sometimes people stand for hours at the railway station waiting for the train. So, this bag cum chair is very useful,” he said.
Banai Laddu Making Machine
Anand tells that the idea of the machine making laddus came to him after the lockdown in 2020. He saw how the shopkeepers are making laddus by getting sweaty in the heat. This is neither right from the point of view of cleanliness nor health. Then he thought why not have a laddu making machine. “It is not necessary that the idea that you have thought up has not come in someone else’s mind before. When I did research, I came to know that there are many types of laddu making machines available in the market. But at the same time I noticed that most of the machines are very budget. So I decided to make the machine at an affordable price,” he said.
After many months of hard work, he prepared his machine and launched it in his village. With the help of this machine, 27 people are getting employment in the village. Because they are making laddus and selling them with the help of machines. He told, “The first model I made was around Rs 3 lakh. Although it was cheaper than the machine available in the market for seven-eight lakh rupees, but still many people said that you should make the machine at a lower cost. So I got involved once again and now I have made a laddu making machine costing one lakh 65 thousand rupees.
This machine can be taken anywhere and in a minute you can make 60-70 laddus. With this machine, you can do the work with complete cleanliness and less effort. The maintenance of the machine is also very easy. So far they have received orders for 20 machines from different states. Anand says that people can pre-book for his new model through his website.
Another of his customer Vinod Tripathi says, “I am using his BCM positive machine in my house, which is getting great benefit from us. Apart from this, a sweet shop in my neighborhood also has a laddu machine made by him. I regularly visit the shop and the artisans there say that this machine is also working very well.”
Have attended more than 60 seminars and conferences
Anand received the ‘Guest of Honor’ award from Brainfeed Magazine in 2015, the Innovator Promoter Award from the Department of Science and Technology, Uttar Pradesh. At the same time, he also received the Innovation Award in 2016 for the project to generate electricity from speed breakers. He has also filed patents for many of his innovations, while he has got patents for some. “I have got 8 patents and five are under process. Apart from this, I have also published more than six research papers. Along with this, I am also called for seminars and workshops at different places.”
Anand has so far attended more than 60 seminars and conferences. He has also given more than 150 lectures. What makes him most happy is the fact that many of the students he taught are working in good places today. He has also given a different direction by supporting the ideas of many students. “I once read that in China, Japan and other developed countries, children were taught innovation from the sixth grade. They are guided and supported by their ideas. I want this to happen in our country also so that in the coming times the children of our country also move ahead in the field of innovation. That’s why my endeavor is to create a platform where I can help people at the grassroots level, big and small, to take forward innovative ideas,” he concluded.
To contact Anand Pandey you can email him at info@akptechnovision.in.
Editing – G N Jha
photo credit: anand pandey
Also read: ‘Quick work, mother’s comfort’ 14-year-old Navshree made eight kitchen machines
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