inventor achieves greater heights

by Surekha GALAGODA

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Finances and support are the only drawbacks of people in rural areas although they have plenty of talent and are determined to achieve their dreams come sun or rain. Most importantly they wish to be self-sufficient and this impetus drives them to greater heights.

M.H. Deeganatha, the owner of Nath Industries from Boralugoda, Hingurakgoda has invented a Dust Separator and collector which can be used in about 36 sectors. He won the Presidential award which included a plaque and Rs. 10,000 cash.

Deeganatha's added feather in his cap is that he is a farmer, electrician and inventor. I am a farmer by profession and I needed a mill to complete the chain, but when I built the mill I understood that there was a great deal of environment pollution due to the dust coming out of the machine when cleaning the rice.

Therefore, I decided to check it and that was the birth of the dust separator and collector."

But there were many hurdles along the way for Deeganatha.

Though he knew what he wanted, he lacked the technology which compelled him to write to the Central Environmental Authority.

They sent him 12 addresses and only the NERD replied his letter. Seeing no end to his problem he decided to do the invention himself, but finances posed a problem."No bank gave me a loan. I pawned the hand tractor and took Rs 15,000 at 6% interest and built it.

His son's friends in Japan admired Deeganatha's capabilities and sent him equipment and vehicles worth over Rs 50 lakhs as a gift.

Deeganatha had been a student of The Ceylon German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI) at Katubedda. He was a scholorship winner and studied power electricity. During this time he underwent many hardships but never gave up as he was determined to study.

Applications were called for a Bachelor's degree in Labour education and he was selected with a Mahapola Scholarship but after two years the universities closed and that put a temporary stop to his education. Deeganatha saw a newspaper advertisement and applied for the post of electrician at the Riyadh Telecom.

Seeing his capabilities he was recruited as a worker supervisor. When he came on holiday he learnt airconditioning at the CGTTI and on his return he joined the Saudi Airforce.

"The experience I gained while working in Saudi Arabia cannot be measured in monetary terms but Sri Lankans were second to none when it came to work as all Sri Lankans were talented.

We saw the best equipment and also got an opportunity to work on them and this opened our horizons.

As I loved my work I purchased a lot of equipment and brought it to Sri Lanka."

An old boy of Minneriya Maha Vidyalaya and Pembroke Academy, he is married and has two daughters and two sons.

Deeganatha said that the Hingurakgoda Provincial Council has given him a tax rebate for six months for his company while they have promised to release a driver and a two-wheel tractor to bring the dust collector and dust separator to the BMICH.

It will clean all the roads up to the BMICH, said Deeganatha.

The Ministry of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion will support to release the goods which he has received as a gift from Japan without paying the customs duty. A 3D animation CD of the invention will be produced with the help of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission (SLIC).

In addition he has got financial assistance as well as a lot of support from the SLIC for which he is very thankful to the officials of SLIC, especially to Mrs Pushpamalee.

He thanked everybody including his family, the Hingurakgoda Provincial Council, the teachers of CGTTI and others for the support and encouragement.

"I am willing to provide the technology free to anybody as I want the country to prosper and do many more inventions for the benefit of our people," said Deeganatha outlining his future plans.