Jugaad before getting widely accepted as a synonym for innovation was a village made truck widely used in North India. Its not exactly a truck, its just a cart fitted with a diesel motor originally intended for pumping water. The truck is a spellbound example of Indian innovation, or Jugaad.
in a recent survey by Legatum Institute 81% of Indian business men admit that jugaad was the key reason for their success. Anil Ambhani once said " Reliance succeed not because of invention but of innovation"
In simple terms if a barrier come along, jugaad is something that will not go back but either jump over it or find a way around. Yes, even corruption is jugaad.
For instance one of the finest examples of illegal jugaad turning out to be a blessing for the lower end could be that of hawala market, which is used by drug lords for money laundering. But it also enables poor migrants to remit money across countries, faster and more cheaply than formal bank system. Jugaad is now widely accepted around the world us an efficient management technique. So is it taught formally in several IVY league universities.
One another example of jugaad i cant resist from telling is that of the great washing machine sale boom that happened in Ludhiana. Companies were wondering what is it that made this not so big town (back then) to show up a washing machine sale rate that competes with the metropolitan cities. Later to their great surprise it was revealed that many dhaba owners bought washing machines not to wash cloths but to make large quantities of lassi with minimal effort and very less time.
A few more Jugaad snaps from India
Picture courtesy :-
http://www.myindiapictures.com
