`Agri Se So’: Meet Kashmir innovator who developed smart tool that saved farmers from spinal problems

SRINAGAR:   Shahid-ul-Islam Bhat could not sleep for weeks after seeing farmers crashing after hard day labor. Farmers were increasingly developing lumbar and spinal issues and some of them were left unable to work even at a young age.

Pained to see their plight, Bhat decided to explore his skills and invent a tool that could make farming easy, After toiling for a year, Bhat invented `Agri Se So’, an all-in-one tool that can help in sowing seeds and drilling soil. It can be converted into a sickle or axe for cutting crops.

“I could not endure the pain of farmers.  I wanted to do something. I tried to make a tool that could ease their burden. I started with wood and tin sheets. Once I mastered it, I used metal. Since I did not have means, Islamic University helped me in my pursuit,” Bhat told The Kashmir Monitor

Hailing from the picturesque village of Thokarpora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the B.sC (first year) Zoology student wanted to become a mechanical engineer to live his dreams. But life had other things in store for him.

Coming from a humble background, his father and elder brother are daily wage earners in south Kashmir. He started pursuing his dream when he was in class VII, but due to a lack of avenues, it did not click.

‌“`Agri Se So’ is unique product. It can perform the works of more than four products. It is an eco-friendly product that does no harm to the environment and no harm to human beings. The three unique features of the product are foot spring used for drilling and also for crop cutting,” he said.

Given the success of the tool, Bhat has decided to patent it for posterity. “I have decided to launch my own company. I have also decided to patent this product. I want to make farmer and people-friendly products to ease the burden of the common man,” he said.

A few years ago, the young innovator hogged the headlines for reusing solid waste to save the fragile environment in Kashmir

From empty soft drink bottles to steel scrap, Bhat reused waste to create trucks and sports car replicas.

The young innovator has been working to create a shoe that would be used as a torch while walking. “Our elders go to masjids for Fajr and Isha prayers and it is pitch dark outside. So I want to create a shoe that will have an inbuilt torch and help people to navigate the route with ease,” he said.