City Pulse

TURN TO NATURE!

June 10, 2014 By Team ICMYC
Nature is used in many ways. And more than being used, it is expolited in lot more ways. The difference lies in the element of whether it is renewable or not. Many hardly consider the latter possibility of nature's non-renewable feature and end up losing irrevocably. But few are cautious, such as Mr. Shivakumar, who relentlessly preserves the gifts of nature. Mr. A.R. Shivakumar confidently claims “Nature has answers to all our needs”. The Bangalore-based scientist is a crusader of sorts who, throughout his career, has been promoting sustainable living. As a pro-active member of the society, he believes one must fulfil all basic needs by using amenities provided to us by nature. His home in Vijaynagar is a perfect example for this. The building has no BWSSB water connection and instead for the last 16 years, the family is depending on the surplus rainwater collected and stored in 5 different tanks. The family of four consumes minimal amounts of electricity as the family uses solar heating and lighting. Surrounded by lots of greenery, the house remains much cooler compared to other houses. What good is all scientific knowledge if one does not know how to use and apply it in daily life? Mr. Shivakumar knows very well how to apply his scientific knowledge to facilitate a sustainable way of life. He works as the Principal Investigator of RWH (Rainwater Harvesting) at the government-based Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) and is well-known for his contributions in the study of RTW, as well as solar power energy. With countless inventions and 4 patents to his credit, Mr.Shivakumar has been working selflessly to spread awareness on how city dwellers can make use of natural resources to meet their daily needs. His extensive knowledge on solar power and water conservation has not been restricted to his house alone. His ingenious ideas have been implemented in various public and government buildings across the city. He won the national award for inventing ‘high-efficiency low-voltage electric water heater’. This particular water heater was invented to curb power problem faced by residents in Himachal Pradesh. These people were frequently experiencing power outages due to excess power consumption during peak hours. The pop-up filter for rain water harvesting is another clever invention under his belt. It helps to purify the rainwater collected on building tops. Mr. Shivakumar and his wife Mrs. Suma humbly call themselves ‘weekend farmers’. They spend their weekends growing and cultivating crops on their farmland near Tumkur. While toiling on the field one day, the scientist stumbled upon an inventive idea that led to the invention of coconut frond shredder. Mrs. Suma has been a constant support to her husband. She is also actively involved in improving the state of the society by promoting her husband’s cause. Mr. Shivakumar is truly a role model to citizens of our city, especially in the current time of acute power and water shortages. With over 20,000 households that have adopted his inventions and techniques to conserve environment, we look forward for a brighter future where people will finally learn how to take less and give more to nature.