A Ventilator also called as respirator is used when a patient is serious and requires outside support for breathing.

Ventilators have become synonymous for emergency care, unfortunately due to their high cost, not every hospital and patient can afford them.The good news is World’s smallest and cheapest ventilator has been made in India, revolutionising critical care.

This portable ventilator which is cheaper and can be useful amid shortage of conventional ventilators.

Trilok Sawant an engineering student residing in Mumbai has developed automatic portable ventilator called “Spandan”.

It is worlds cheapest ventilator to help Covid-19 patients, costs just INR 250.

A single controller can be used for six ventilators, thereby bring down the cost to INR 1000 for six units, he is a final year electronics and telecommunication engineering student.

The ventilator can be used for treating 4 patients at a time and can be easily moved anywhere by patients, even it can be used at home.

“Incase if a hotel is converted into an ICU, we can simply put this device and start using it as it doesn’t require other infrastructure” said Trilok

Seeing people queue for life support equipment, Trilok Sawant was convinced that there was acute need for a cheap and portable ventilator.

“ICU is very expensive in private sector, even the richest of rich can’t afford it for a long time” said Trilok.

According to 21 year old ventilator innovator he made this prototype device using scrap items available at home in just 8 hours!

The ventilator can run both on electricity and battery, his device can be used to send medicines through windpipe; the model is scalable and has a very low cost. India like most countries has a critical shortage of beds and ventilators for its 1.3 billion people.

India has estimated 40,000 working ventilators, but that will be inadequate in case there is surge in Covid-19 infections, the number of coronavirus cases in India is exponentially increasing.

In India alone the confirmed positive cases of coronavirus have surpassed 12,759 so far, while at least 423 people have died in the country from the infection.

If there is an unreasonable surge, India will definitely have a huge problem, No country has enough ventilators, No Nation will be able to cope with the epidemic; dealing with surge will surely be a challenge.Therefore measures like lock down are best ways to prevent the further spread of Covid-19 outbreak.

Trilok has bagged more than 40 National awards for his achievements, he was also awarded as best Innovator for the year 2018 among 10,000 scientist in India. Trilok has 2 elder sisters, his father is a retired bus conductor and mother a house wife are very proud of him.

After knowing Trilok’s invention of “Spandan” the low cost automatic portable ventilator, North Mumbai BJP MP Gopal Shetty visited his residence to see the invention along with Dr,Bipin Doshi an experienced mechanical engineer  to evaluate the basic model.

They appreciated the model and said that this ventilator would be very useful to the country in present health care crisis.

I will help him financially and in other ways required to encourage his talent and hard work and will make him part of Make In India project.” said Gopal Shetty

The United States has praised the Indian engineer for building low cost ventilator.

StoryMakers Congratulate Trilok Sawant for his remarkable and innovative ventilator for helping the patients in challenging times.

Indian Government should come forward and focus on his invention for further development.

A new generation of precocious youth is solving the problems of today with ambitious ground breaking tech.

India has a young Inventor with great potential; his noteworthy contributions in field of science make us proud all over the world.

We hope he achieves all his dreams.

(Interviewed and Written by Raavya Sarda)

Fencing is one of the five sports which have been played from the first modern Olympics but very few of us in India might have actually seen a fencing session and still fewer if asked might not be able to name a fencer.

Being associated with hardly acknowledged sport Vaidehi Lohia is overcoming all her barriers and prefers to focus only on fencing.

I am 14 years old, was born in Aurangabad in a middle class family; my father runs a courier business and mother being a school teacher; within 24 hours after my birth my parents discovered I had hole in my heart, the doctors said I would die with it, I was kept in intensive care unit for 3 weeks the defect was closed on its own and have been repaired.

I am a fighter and chose to do what I am doing today.

So in year 2015, I picked up fencing as a sport in my school in Agrasen Vidhya Mandir Aurangabad Maharashtra.

I compete with Foil type of sword, one of three weapons used in fencing; it is flexible, rectangular in cross section and weighs under a pound, the other two types are Epee and Sabre (weapons used for fencing).

All events require the fence to touch the opponent with their weapon, in order to score the opponent; In Epee and Foil scoring touches have to be made only with the tip of sword, whereas in Sabre touches can be made with any part of sword; further in Epee entire body of opponent is a valid target for scoring touch, but in Sabre only upper body excluding hands is valid target and in Foil only the torso is valid target for scoring touches.

It is said that the fencing blade is the second fastest moving object in all of the sport, behind only the bullet in shooting; though some doubts have been raised about the claim, fencing is a sport where clash last for about 10 minutes, it is important to be physically and mentally agile.

As of now my aim is 2028 summer Olympics; my day starts at 6 am in morning and is dedicated to practising fencing, day in and day out I thoroughly enjoy practising this art and qualifying to higher levels.

My coach Tukaram Mhatre sir under his guidance, I was sent for many competitions and bagged many medals from state to nationals and the tally is nearing 70 medals; including gold silver and bronze.

• Won silver medal in 2017 at National school games Telangana
• Bronze in 2017 at school state fencing championship Aurangbad
• Silver in 2018 at school state fencing championship Dhule
• Won gold in 2018 at school state fencing championship Aurangabad
• Gold medal in 2018 at Federation state fencing championship Satara 
• Gold medal in 2018 at sub junior fencing championship Dhule
• Bronze in 2018 at Senior state fencing championship Latur
• Bronze in2018 at Senior state fencing championship Yavatmal
• Silver in 2019 at All India Inter SAI fencing championship Kerela
• Gold in 2019 at  National school games Nasik
• Silver in 2019 at Youth state fencing championship Aurangabad.
• Won Gold in 2019 at Senior state fencing championship Nasik
• Silver in 2019 at West zone national fencing championship Nasik
• Silver in 2020 at Cadet national fencing championship Telangana
• Bronze in 2020 at Youth national fencing championship Tamilnadu

I might be calm, almost shy person but there is more to it than what you see; don’t underestimate me!

Fencing requires a great deal of mental focus, so in order to be successful, you need to plan your next move ,and watch your opponents move ;I have developed good hand-eye co-ordination, balance and quick reflexes.

I was unprepared for Asian fencing championship Bangkok last year and lost out, because I was too anxious and stressed out to be able to give my best in qualifiers, now I have a better understanding of my abilities and clearer picture of my goal.

When I go for matches in different states, keep facing different struggles, different rice, food cooked in different oil or just living by yourself.

Fencing Association of India was recognized by Indian Government in 1997 and it is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association, Asian Fencing Confederation, Commonwealth Fencing Federation and Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE).

I feel I am not at that level, not yet at least and has miles to go before attaining the status.

Still a lot of time has left for 2028 summer Olympics.

I am serious about fencing and my school has been extremely supportive by encouraging me and have given permission in favour of home tutoring for 2 to 3 hours every day instead of regular schooling as I travel around the country constantly for matches.

While my mother Kavita has been a constant companion and can document every detail of every match, my father provides emotional heft.

Vaidehi is a fierce competitor and a great young talent, we have never limited her, we have allowed her to find her way, says Kavita vaidehi’s mother.

Her accomplishments speaks for themselves; her inspiring story of overcoming odds and chasing her dreams, on and off the course is a life story in and of itself.

Vaidehi Lohia may be only 14 years old but she is expected to compete for many more medals in upcoming championships.

She will be another young star to look out for!!

Written by Raavya Sarda

This mumbaikar is not less than a super hero who feeds thousands everyday also known as Beach warrior on a mission to clean all beaches and riverfronts in the country.

Chinu Jeet Kwatra: I am blessed to be born in a middle class family and enjoyed my childhood.

I always wanted to be in army or navy so I could serve the nation but being the elder and pampered child in family I was not allowed to do so, my life used to revolve around my parents and younger brother so when I was in standard 10^th due to financial crises my mother started her own dhaba in mulund to take responsibility of entire family at that time I understood the situation and started helping my mother in dhaba along with teaching my friends.

I have done MBA in finance and subsequently pursued pg diploma in marketing from wellingkar institute so this way I have completed my dual MBA by attending college on weekdays and weekends.

In 2014 before my final exams of MBA, I lost love of my life in a terrible accident and was completely shattered due to which I was in severe depression and tried committing suicide twice but failed.

One day I told my mom about this suicidal thoughts but she challenged me to go out and work for other people and realize the dreams of my late girlfriend.

Later in 2017 after working for more than 3 years in corporate, I decided to quit my job completely and dedicate myself towards serving people and my Ngo, for personal living I thought to start my own business into ecofriendly products.

Currently we are running projects like Beach Warriors,Roti Ghar, M.A.R.D( Menstration a right to discuss), Project Pathshala, Naari Pathshala and Roti Ghar for Animals.

Spread happiness by favoring one child at a time:

Roti Ghar was started by khushiyaan foundation is feeding nutritious food to 1000 children daily;

Our aim is to feed children and women nutrional meal every day, these kids and women live in tiny huts in slums surrounding the dumping ground where they have minimal access or no access to food at times.

Their meal consists of dal rice and pickle and some days with piece of cake or gulab jamun.

People can make contribution during special occasions such as birthday anniversaries or in memory of any loved one, a small contribution of Rs 35/- covers the cost of a meal, we cut the cake and even send videos and photos to donors, the donors can join us too during the celebrations.

The food is cooked in centralized kitchen, besides we have network with vendors for vegetables and food grains which help us to buy quality ingredients in bulk at reasonable cost.

We started cleanliness sessions too, we ensure they wash their hands before eating, pray before eating and finish their food. Children are asked to bring their own steel plates to avoid disposable garbage, we want to change their lives and make them better individual.

Beach Warriors on a Mission:

Mumbai’s beaches are covered in trash while most people just complain, we initially started a one day campaign ‘Save the Ganesha’ it was evident that we need volunteers for this, there was a professor of mines from ‘wellingkars’ college who saw the post about cleanup drive, so she got interested and supported us at each step, she told me,‘chinu this is not one day initiative and you have to take this further’.

Dadar beach was nothing more than an open dump yard, I realized this is not a one time or one Sunday process; since then I made it a regular process.

I have a team of over 1500 volunteers and we call ourselves Beach Warriors, we have also earned place in limca book of records by mopping 200 tonnes of garbage in worli fort area.

Change has been noticed, but people have to be more responsible since city like Mumbai is progressing every minute, it’s a positive sign.

Having cleared almost 2500 tonnes of garbage till date, I am confident that we will be able to make every beach in country clean and beautiful.

Naari Shakti:

Started in 2017 where our focus is to empower women and educate them in such a way that they can handle basic form filling documentation so they never get conned.

There is another segment in Naari Shakti programme called as M.A.R.D Menstruation a right to discuss constantly encourages men and women both to step out and talk; initially we encounter shyness and hesitation but we make sure they are aware of it so we distribute biodegradable sanitary napkins, we have reached out to more than 2000 women in interiors of Thane Airoli and Borivali.

Our Ngo has also introduced alternative of sanitary napkins like menstrual cups in chawls and societies of Mumbai.

Menstruation is nothing but a very normal biological phenomenon and adolescent girls and women should understand that they have the power of procreation only by this virtue.

My biggest dream is to see India gain the tag of ‘Developed Nation’.

We salute the spirit of individuals like Chinu and every volunteer who is trying to bring back the divinity of our beaches and who are paving the way for more Indians and inspiring them to tackle the grave hunger problem in every way they can.

Mumbai is proud of you!!

If chinus story inspired you get intouch with him at chinukwatra@gmail.com or whatsapp him on 9769181218, follow roti ghar on facebook @rotighar official and on insta at rotigharindia.

(Written by Raavya Sarda)

I started my career as a fashion stylist for television ad-shoots after I got married wore saree on regular basis as I love wearing saree and I respect the attire brought down by my grandmothers and mothers.

I took career break because of random shoot timings, got busy with my family and kids. I was a housewife and used to get many compliments for the way I wore sarees, I used to help people drape saree and so they started recommending me to others, this is how I realized I should start taking workshops and change this passion into profession. Saree is classic Indian attire and has perennial and eminent history and I want to popularize the art of perfect saree draping.

My workshops under Mayuri Saree draping tutorials last for three hours and I teach at least five Different draping styles per workshop.

Women who usually cater to my workshops are between age group of 21 to 55, some are about to get married and others come to brush up their skills and learn newer ways to drape sarees.

Trying to revive the art of draping I teach different fusion draping styles with pant or a shirt or with crop top; draping saree in gown style or pant style and many more… kind of combination of cultural influence with modern sensibilities.

My greatest inspiration are my clients who push me to innovate.

I have done draping for brides, celebrity ad-shoots, catalogue-shoots,polticians wives, weddings, even foreigners are not left behind I have draped many foreigners in big fat Indian weddings.

Saree is a powerful fashion statement.

I know around 150 to 200 styles of saree draping,for me draping workshops are more than passion, I keep discovering more which keeps me updated with current fashion.

Like every other job this also has its own challenges  like dealing with different garments stressful brides.

Draping Mukesh Ambanis sister Deepti salgaonkar and her daughter Isheta Salgaonkar for Akash Ambanis wedding was a big break.

Every single draping is a learning experience for me as every woman has different body structure and different style taste.

Mostly women prefer beauty parlour services for saree draping but in current times they have realised that professional drapers can add an element to make their appearance more attractive which makes a strong statement of expressing oneself.

My husband has been the biggest strength and support system, as they say behind every successful man is a woman, I proudly say behind every successful woman is a man who supported and encouraged her.

(Written by Raavya Sarda)

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