Manju Latha Kalanidhi By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Ravi Kumar Devara has always been restless. An action-oriented man, the lockdown and news of the pandemic got him thinking. In mid-March, he sat for a few hours in his backyard to come up with a simple mask/helmet that covers eyes (thus preventing the user from touching the eyes, which is necessary to prevent infection), and when one unlocks it, the mask squirts a few droplets of sanitiser after which you can remove it and carry on with your work. Ravi, an engineering graduate from Kakinada and currently in his hometown since March, says he has used simple things such as a rubber tube, a pipe inside for the sanitiser and a simple set of glasses for the smart helmet. “If we can manufacture it in bulk, we can sell it for Rs 50. With this idea, I went to approach our collector Muralidhar Reddy, but I could not get an appointment to meet him. However, a journalist I met at the collector’s office shot a video and that went viral. Seeing the idea, Sandeep Mankatala, Global president of Telangana Information Technology Association asked me to take part in a hackathon to find Corona solution. My invention won the first prize and that prompted me to approach the higher authorities to discuss my ideas. But I am not able to do so and if we can get together with the government, we can make 1,500 units a day and donate it to the public and prevent them from the virus,” he says. Ravi’s video where he describes how it works and why it is important for the times we are going through has gone viral and is getting him applause and even inquiries from business houses. “I prefer to go with the government as that will ensure that the product is sold at the least possible price and will do good to the society,” he says about the idea that got enlisted in the ‘Top five ideas selected by TSIC and International jury’ list which was released earlier in March. Ravi had a startup till recently in Hyderabad and has recently started a cafe called Chai Boy in his hometown, but he feels that his little jugaad can help the public. “I wish we could take a swift decision on this and do something concrete. I hope I can get an appointment with the Telugu CMs KCR garu or Jagan garu to discuss this,” says a hopeful Ravi.

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