“My uncle would come home exhausted every day, carrying a 20-litre tank of pesticide on his back. Watching him in pain made me want to do something, and that is how the idea of ‘KrushiBot’ was born,” says Aditya Pingale.

In the small village of Awankhed, in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, a 17-year-old is trying to change the future of farming. He does not have millions of rupees in funding or a team of engineers working in a high-tech lab. What he does have is a big heart, a stack of scrap parts, and the support of his school.

Growing up as the son of a farmer, he has seen firsthand how unforgiving rural life can be. His mission is to make life easier for farmers because he feels their pain in a way few others can understand. Having seen the relentless struggles of those he loves, working from dawn to dusk, battling the harsh weather, and enduring physical exhaustion, he understands all too well the toll it takes on both their bodies and their spirits.

His father works tirelessly to provide for their family of six, while his uncle, a grape farmer, often returns home after a strenuous day in the fields, weighed down by a heavy pesticide tank that leaves his body aching. “I watched him come back every day, and complain about his stiff joints and sore body. It broke my heart,” Aditya says softly. “I knew there had to be a better way to solve these problems.”

From watching pain to building hope: The birth of an idea

This sense of frustration and empathy lit an idea in the student’s mind. He knew that the endless cycle of physical strain and financial burden was not sustainable, and he was determined to change it. That is when the concept for ‘KrushiBot’ was born, an innovative solution to ease the heavy load carried by farmers like his uncle.

With nothing but determination, ingenuity, and the help of his school, he turned his dream into reality. The bot is designed to tackle the physical challenges of farming, particularly the arduous task of spraying pesticides. Built from scrap materials, the bot is not only a mechanical solution, but it also stands as a symbol of hope and innovation for the farming community. Though it may not boast the high-tech resources of large companies, it embodies the power of local knowledge and a desire to improve the lives of those who need it most.

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