‘Jugaad’ is a concept deeply ingrained in Indian culture. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Science & Technology

India and the power of ‘Jugaad’

From makeshift transport to unique irrigation systems, ‘jugaad’ is all about an out-of-the-box, ‘make-it-work’ mindset

Vikas Choudhary

India is all about ‘jugaad’. Indians can innovate and improvise with the most frugal of resources. People in the country can use everyday items in unexpected ways. 

People in the country can use everyday items in the most unexpected of ways.

In these photos for instance, farmers in rural Rajasthan use a motorcycle-drawn plough to prepare their field, with a wind turbine towering in the background.

‘Jugaad’ personifies an out-of-the-box, ‘make-it-work’ mindset.

Bikes are used as ploughing machines, primarily through innovative, low-cost modifications developed by local innovators and farmers in various parts of the world, especially in India and Africa.

From makeshift transport (like auto-rickshaws with water pumps) to unique irrigation systems, ‘jugaad’ is all about an out-of-the-box, ‘make-it-work’ mindset.