Source:
https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/shankar-abaji-bhise-indias-forgotten-legend-who-created-more-inventions-than-anyone-else-506181.html
https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/science-and-future/shankar-abaji-bhise-indias-forgotten-legend-who-created-more-inventions-than-anyone-else-506181.html
India has seen so many inventors that have created revolutionary things
to help humanityand make lives simpler, like the Padma Shree ‘jugaad king’
of India Uddhab Bharali, who has over 140 patents to his name.
But before him, there was an Indian from Bombay who created a multitude of
revolutionary gadgets in the 19th century. Meet Shankar Abaji Bhise.
Born on 29 April 1867 in Bombay -- part of the British colony, India, he
learnt about creating things from Scientific American magazines. During his
early 20s, he even formed a club for the scientifically curious, while also designing crazy
gadgets like an electrical bicycle, a signal indicator for
Bombay suburban railways etc.
These were created at a time when due to the British Raj, independent creators
weren’t offered constant funding and attention for them to thrive with their
creativity.
But soon Bhise got his big break, through a competition organised by a
British Inventor’s Journal to design a machine for weighing groceries, in the
1890s. Getting inspired early morning, his revolutionary blueprint won the
competition, defeating British participants.
The big break to London
This brought him under the radar for administrators in Bombay, who
decided to help him get to London to get investors on board and share his
creations with the world. He came to London with a letter of introduction by
the legendary Dinsha Wacha himself.
He delivered this to Dadabhai Naoroji -- a nationalist colleague with a
flourishing business in England. He was impressed to see Bhise’s skills and
soon formed a partnership.
Creating crazy cool inventions
He worked out of a small workshop in London, which was usually very cold. But
he managed to create some really innovative inventions here too, including a
cool electronic signboard that was adopted by chain stores across Britain and
Europe.
He also created an automatic flushing toilet, a telephone, and several
kitchen gadgets. However, what was the most revolutionary from the lot was
Bhisotype -- a printing press that was forever going to change the ways of
printing.
However, he was unable to procure investment for creating the same in
time, resulting in the machine to not get adopted commercially. Extinguishing
his monetary resources, later decided to come back to India in 1908.
Meeting Ratan J. Tata
On his way back to Bombay, he met Gopal Krishna Gokhale -- a freedom
fighter -- who was truly mesmerised with the Bhisetype. Gokhale introduced
Bhise to Ratan J Tata of the Tata group and formed a larger partnership to
manufacture some of his other cool creations, including the Bhisotype. After a
few years, this partnership too came to an end, but this launched Bhise into a
new Western market -- the United States of America.
Travelling to America
Once in the US, he shot to fame with an iodine solution that he created to
enhance people’s psychic abilities, which was also promoted by Edgar Cayce --
an American Psychic and Mystic. Followers of Cayce continue to use this
solution. Post this, however, Bhise’s trajectory shifted from science to
occultism -- that eventually tarnished his reputation -- creating objects like
a ‘spirit typewriter’ which was a different take on the mystical Ouija
Board. He passed away on 7 April 1935, in New York at the age of 68.
