This combination of a charkha and a dynamo generates both money and electricity
Khadi has always been associated with rural India and small artisans. Now, an innovative charkha designed by a Bangalore-based engineer promises to light up their lives, literally, by way of power generation.
The brainchild of 48-year-old Rajshekar Shankarayya Hiremath, the e-charkha combines the power of a charkha with that of a dynamo to produce enough electricity to light up a bulb or power a radio for several hours in a day.
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| R.S. Hiremath Flexitron |
Formally launched by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil in 2007, the innovation has won several awards including a national award for best innovation in the khadi field. Says Hiremath, “Charkhas are used by many people in India to produce yarn from cotton and similar materials like wool. The charkha for many in India forms a primary source of income or an addition to their daily income if used by housewives during their free time. However, such people lack many simple basic amenities, such as a light in their huts or homes.” This innovation takes care of both boosting income as well as generating electricity.
Hiremath says he was just nine when the idea of an e-charkha struck him while playing with his father’s cycle dynamo and his grandfather’s charkha. It took him almost 30 years before he could give it some shape. “Although the theory is very simple,” he says, “the aggregates never matched. As time passed and technology grew, the search for components was always on, it never stopped.” The breakthrough came when he began traveling abroad extensively. From 2007 to 2009, there were over 15 changes and improvements and the ideal prototype is now ready, he says. The three-time award-winning innovator claims to have created 270 innovations, including a solar battery charger for hearing aids that won him a national award in the year 1995, and talking maps for the blind that won him another in 2000.
| About the innovator |
| - Bangalore-based engineer R S Hiremath claims to have created 270 innovations till date. |
| - Three of Hiremath’s innovations have won national awards—the solar battery charger for hearing aids (1995), talking maps for the blind (2000) and the e-charka (2007). |
| - The concept of e-charkha is designed, developed and manufactured under the banner of Flexitron, promoted by Hiremath. |
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What is an e-charkha?
An e-charkha is a hand-driven spinning wheel that can be used for spinning various materials like cotton or wool. The spinning wheel is connected to a high-efficiency, three-phase generator, with a sealed lead acid battery. When the charkha is used for spinning yarn, the rotational energy of the spinning wheel is converted into electric energy that is stored in the battery. This can be used to power an LED. The battery can also be used to power a small radio. Hiremath says that, “The addition of a radio helps in dissemination of information in villages on many important topics like health, agriculture, disaster management etc. It also helps in breaking the monotony of work with entertainment.”
It is designed in such a way that spinning on the two-spindle e-charkha for two hours will produce 2,400 meters of yarn and provide a light output for 7.5 hours. According to the innovator, the LED light is of the latest type and has an extremely long life of at least 35 years. The generator in the e-charkha is also custom designed for this application and is of the three-phase AC version with no brushes, which makes it last for over three and a half decades.
Hiremath has sold over 1,800 e-charkhas till date, the biggest consumer lot residing in Rajasthan and Gujarat. He says, “The response till now has been overwhelming. Most users are delighted with the prospect of a charkha generating them money and electricity.”
| Factsheet | |
| Innovator | Rajshekar Shankarayya Hiremath |
| Innovation | e-charkha |
| Price tag | Rs 1,500 (for the kit) |
| Rs 4,500 (kit plus two-spindle charkha) | |
| Rs 11,000 (kit plus eight-spindle charkha) | |
| Features | - A hand-driven spinning wheel that converts rotational energy into electric energy |
| - Two hours of operation produces a yarn length of 2.4 km and a power backup of 7.5 hours | |
| - Generator in the e-charkha is custom designed and is of the three-phase AC version | |
| - Weighs 10-12 kg | |
| - Patent protected | |
Current status
The e-charkha, which weighs around 10 to 12 kgs, has two models—a two-spindle one and an eight-spindle one. The universal retrofit kit that can be easily attached to the shaft of any charkha is priced at Rs 1,500, while the two-spindle e-charkha costs Rs 4,500 and the eight-spindle one Rs 11,000. The innovator has applied for a patent for the retrofit kit, which consists of a three-phase AC generator, lead acid battery and intermediate control circuits for charge and discharge. It is currently manufactured at a facility in Bangalore and is mostly produced by disabled employees. The product is currently being marketed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Mumbai.
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Can you guide me how to purchase e-charkha?
I had tried to search on KVIC website, but didn't get proper link for the same.
Can you pl help me?
Thanks & Regards,
Ashish Barot.