The word ‘Jugaad’ originated in Punjab and is used for the locally made motor vehicles. These vehicles are like wooden bullock carts, and are made by carpenters by fitting a diesel engine to it. ‘Jugaads’ are used in all villages of Punjab. Now the word ‘Jugaad’ has become synonymous with low-cost, innovative quick-fix solutions invented by creative and imaginative persons by out-of-box thinking to solve difficult issues by simple common place methods. Two Examples of ‘Jugaad’ are as under:
Once an Army truck was stuck under an old bridge at the back of Red Fort, New Delhi. This truck was loaded with a huge generator and was required to reach India Gate at the 26th January Parade. Neither the bridge could be broken nor could generator be reduced in size. The problem was to be solved within one hour. All engineering talent failed to offer solution. Finally a passerby, an ordinary truck driver, suggested the Army Personnel to deflate the tyres of truck by 3 inches. The concerned Army officer did it and the truck crossed smoothly under the bridge. This is called ‘Jugaad’.
There is another such interesting case. Once a couple was coming to Delhi from Chandigarh. The tyre of their car got burst. They parked the car on road side to change the tyre and replace it with stepney. They removed the four nuts of the wheel. Suddenly one monkey came and took away all the nuts. The couple really got stuck up the highway where there was no workshop nearby. However, one villager gave them a ‘jugaad’ idea to remove one nut from other three wheels and fix these three nuts to the fourth wheel. With three nuts on all four wheels they slowly reached the destination. This is called ‘Jugaad’.
Global management experts attribute India’s rapid economic growth to ‘Jugaad’. In a recent survey by the Legatum Institute, 81% of Indian businessmen said ‘Jugaad’ was the key reason for their success. This term is now used as much by enterprising street mechanics as by key business men and professionals and is understood all over India and abroad.
The word ‘Jugaad’ has entered the Wikipedia also. Refcently Oxfort English Dictiontry has also added this Indian word “Jugaad” in it, desribing it “as a means involving the use of skill and imagination to find an easy and cheap solution or alternative to the problems”.
So, you can also ‘jugaad’ your way to success.
K.K. Bajaj
Founder, ICoFP