Bandipora, Nov 28: A five time gold medal winner in innovations and inventions ,Jahangir Arshad Bhat of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district has modified and automated the traditional Kashmiri Samovar”.
This 27 year old Jehangir who has over 20 patents in his name, is the University of Texas graduate and runs an institution called “Kashmir Innovates”,
He has modified Samovar in a way so that it not only pours the tea into the cup without intervention but when the tea boils, its lid closes automatically so that the tea is not spilled.
“Samovar” is a traditional Kashmiri kettle used to brew, boil and serve Kashmiri tea and kahwa. It is made of copperware with engraved or embossed calligraphic motifs and has been part of Kashmir’s culture for centuries.
Jehangir is known for his 20 patented innovations.During this innovation he has worked with his students at Kashovatics, an institution which provides a platform to students for innovations in different fields.
Talking to Rising Kashmir Jahangir said that the Samovar he has automated works on IR Proximity sensor and he has shaped it as ASIC( Application-specific integrated circuit)design. “There’s no controller or programming used in it”, said Jehangir while pouring tea from the Samovar he has made.
Jahangir said that the students of humanities under his supervision worked on this transformation, so they made it very small. “The IR Proximity sensor, when it checks the proximity of the cup, turns on the relaying circuit which then turns on the pump inside it and the tea comes out,” Jahangir said.
He said that being the integral part of Kashmiri culture, on every occasion, be it a marriage or a condolence, the Kashmiri Samovar serves guests everywhere and the hot tea in it sometimes burns many people when it spills. “Aim behind modifying it is to make its use simple and easy so that this cultural asset can be with us forever,” he said.
Jahangir said the thermal control used in the Samovar controls tea from spilling.”Thermal control keeps checking the temperature continuously. When the tea comes up, the thermal control, after sensing the temperature of tea, turns the lid off which controls the tea not to spill and that stops the tea from creating mishap”, Jahangir revealed.
Jahangir said that the interplay between innovation and tradition is rarely a linear process and the dynamics and tensions related to both demand nuanced attention. “Traditions enable or restrict innovative processes, innovation can preserve traditions, be it in the form of knowledge or local cultures”, Jehangir said.
