Good Sports: Modest Inventor
Arunachalam Muruganantham of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, is a school dropout, but that didn’t stop him from inventing a machine that’s helping scores of underprivileged women in India. His machine, distributed to 1,300 villages in 23 states, produces low-cost sanitary pads.
As BBC News reported, Muruganantham went to great lengths to invent the machine, almost losing his family and his status in society in the process. His machine has not only helped consumers, but has also created thousands of jobs for women.
Despite all the effort he put into the machine, Muruganantham has not tried to maximize his profits. He and his family continue to live in a modest apartment.
“I have accumulated no money but I accumulate a lot of happiness,” he told BBC News. “If you get rich, you have an apartment with an extra bedroom—and then you die.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips and more.]
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