Motihari: People fondly call him ‘cycle-wala’. Sixty-five-year-old Mohammed Saidullah, an innovator of world famous amphibious bicycle and tricycle, in Bihar’s Motihari town is living a disgraceful life.
Saidullah, shot to fame when he created an amphibious bicycle to save himself and family members from flood waters in 1975. The same year his Jatwa village in Banjariya block was flooded and local boatmen had refused to carry Saidullah and his family to safe places.
The bicycle led his to win a life-time achievement award in January 2005 from National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous body under Department of Science and Technology, GOI which promotes grassroots innovations in the country. Here Saidullah was conferred the award by former prez A P J Abdul Kalam.
Saidullah today finds it difficult to afford two-square-meal a day. His left leg was lately bruised somehow, it has grown now and now Saidullah walks with limp.
“You are talking of medical treatment. I think more than medical treatment, getting my stomach filled twice a day is important,” Saidullah told TOI when asked why he doesn’t get his bruise treated.
The innovator, who used to pull rickshaw in Motihari town during 1958 to 1960 to support his education, had just modified conventional bicycle to make amphibious one. The amphibious bicycle had air floats at both the wheels and fan-blades in the rear wheel. Such an improvisation had made his bicycle run flawlessly on water. The bicycle was also able to run in reverse direction.
During Independence Day parade in 1995 at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Saidullah had exhibited his bicycle before Bihar governor A R Kidwai. On August 22, Saidullah had crossed river Ganga on his amphibious bicycle before a surprised governor and stunned crowd in Patna.
Among the innovations Saidullah had exhibited before the governor included a self-made tractor, engine of pumping set, bicycle and other products.
“I myself heard a cash award of Rs 51,000 was also announced at the Independence Day function. But I could not get that. I made efforts to know the problem, but in vain,” he added.
Discovery Channel had prominently profiled him in a series of innovations, Saidullah’s innovations also found mention in BBC, Newsweek. NIF also nominated him for Shell’s World Challenge Competition 2006.
“My entire family was against me when I was selling lands to buy equipment to do innovations,” Saidullah, who has sold all of his property except for a hutment, said.
“I am crying to sell this hutment as well. But unfortunately no one is interested in buying it,” Saidullah, sitting by a plaque “House for Sale” in his hutment, wept at the end of the interview.
“When creativity meets necessity, it is innovation; and when hunger and deprivation meets creativity it is ruination,” Saidullah summed up his plight.
Currently Saidullah survives out of petty work in his workstation.
