Replacing wooden wheels of Bullock Carts

The bullock cart (also known as a bullock wagon or bullock team) is a common means of transportation used traditionally since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them. Bullock comes from the old English for castrated male cattle. Used especially for carrying goods, the bullock cart is pulled by one or several bullocks or oxen. The cart (or a jinker) is attached to a bullock team by a special chain attached to yokes, but a rope may also be used for one or two animals. The driver and any other passengers sit on the front of the cart, while load is placed in the back.

Observation:

The invention of the WHEEL definitely brought about a revolution of its own. It made transportation of goods much easier. Traditionally, the Bullock Cart wheels are made of different types of wood and sometimes, the rim is covered with metal sheet as well.

Suggestion:

It is a well known fact that rubber tyres fitted on wheels use lesser force as compared to wooden wheels. Charles Goodyear, and John Dunlop have established this quite conclusively. However, when the entire world is moving towards better cars and tyres every day, there are still thousands of bullock carts that still have wooden wheels.

The result:

• Excessive load on the bullocks, leading to fatigue and health issues related to the animal.
  
• Speed of the carts is slow.
  
• Efficiency of the bullock-carts is low.

What can be done about it :

The Government of India can undertake replacing all the wooden wheels with that of rubber tyres suitable for farming. This would not only decrease the load on a vast majority of animals , but also increase the efficiency of work (be it transportation or farming). A small increase per bullock-cart would accrue to a huge amount for the entire country. Second hand tyres are not that exorbitant. The owners of the bullock cart may not be financially well off to invest in the tyres themselves. However, where the government can spend millions, a few thousand more for the 'common man' would go a long way in improving the condition of people and the bullocks in many villages of the country.

Reusable Cloth Bags To Replace Polythene Bags

The credit for this post goes solely to my good friend Nandini Paniker. She wrote to me about the reusable cloth bags in response to an earlier post of mine titled "Multi-compartment Shopping Bags". Her idea is as follows:

Observation:

Vegetables and fruits when bought from the daily vegetable market, or even the supermarket, need to sorted later. This not only is an added burden on time and energy, but is also quite a monotonous task. The other alternative is to use 'Plastic / Nylon Covers' which again is not advisable from an environmental point of view.

Suggestion:

Nandini suggested carrying cloth bags to the markets, which would be extremely helpful in segregating the groceries right from the point they are picked up. The cloth for these bags need to be really thin, so that they can be directly put into the refrigerator, and the vegetables can have ample ventilation to breath.

Citing example of her mother, Nandini also suggested that these cloth bags can be readily made at home from old saris. My mother, too, on hearing this idea has made many such bags, and is having a much simpler time sorting vegetables every week. (A photograph of the bags that she stitched is uploaded above) A sample bag can be given to the local tailor, who can then churn out such small bags out of the surplus cloth left after stitching. It would not only lead to an increase in his revenue, but will also help people become more aware of the environmental issues related to use of plastic.

Thanks Nandini for a brilliant idea!