For the first time in Sri Lanka, a rural inventor has designed a gun to drive away wild elephants and other animals that harm crops, people and houses.
The inventor, Palitha Angekumbura of Galkanda in Kandy has already got a patent for this weapon.
“The gun when fired makes a big notice and this drives away animals without causing them any physical harm,” he said. He is doing some more modifications and will put this into the commercial market by the end of the year.
He said that he was into innovations from his childhood and also designs fancy items made out of coconut based material. “I have designed 100% natural brooms and exporting around 800 per month to the USA before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Later exports were also made to Canada and several EU countries.”
He said that today nearly one million plastic brooms are imported creating a major environmental issue and authorities must look at promoting locally made nature brooms.
He recalled that on Vesak day in 2004, he crafted a coconut shell based illumination for the Ankumbura Police and on Vesak day in 2014 built a lantern using 350 coconuts at Poojapitiya local council premises.
During this event, a coconut development officer, M. Nimanti contacted me and later visited my house to see how I make these items. “About a month later, she asked me to come to the Galagedara local council for a broom related training which helped my career development to a great extent.”
“Later I won several regional awards and also participated in exhibitions in Hyderabad, India.”
He said that due to this success he formed a company, Kapruka and together with his Managing Director, Dr. U. D Sisira Kumara many villages also were roped in to increase the supply.
“In addition to meet the growing demand with the assistance of relevant authorities we introduced this technology to inmates of Prisons who were being rehabilitated for drug addictions and later to partly abled soldier homes which helped us to increase our exports and also giving revenue to these segments.”
Dr. U. D Sisira Kumara said that in a bid to increase local sales in their ‘coconut based products’ such as necklaces, wine glasses, ashtrays, trays, glasses and masks were introduced to tourism areas in the South and were also high in demand.
The duo said that after the C-19 this market export folded up and they are now seeking support from the Export Development Board and other export related institutions to help them to open up this market not only for them but to other local manufactures as well.”
