Patana: Nirmal Chandra Mohant, 72, of Chemena village under Keonjhar district’s Patana block, who once made headlines in the 1970s for running a self-built radio station called Akashvani Chemena, is back in the limelight — this time for inventing a human body sensor capable of detecting intruders.
Mohant has developed the sensor using components from a transmitter, which he has installed in homes and fields to prevent unauthorised entry. The system is even capable of switching on lift irrigation points and motor pumps remotely from inside the house.
Mohant had set up Akashvani Chemena in the 1970s by connecting a homemade transmitter to other radio receivers. Despite limited financial support, he continued his experiments quietly. His work recently resurfaced after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi praised his radio innovation during a public meeting in Keonjhar.
Also Read: Forest mafia nexus: Two arrested by DFO, freed by range officer
Born in 1952, Mohant studied in Chowdwar Technical School up to Class IX in 1968 and later completed his matriculation from Turumunga DB High School. During his school years, he built a transmitter using electronic tubes, coils, resistors, capacitors, and voice microphone parts. In 1976, while studying Intermediate Science at Keonjhar Science College, he showcased the transmitter at a science exhibition. He and his friends used the transmitter to call the principal to the exhibition, and their voice was broadcast on the radio.
The device could broadcast audio directly to radio sets, and he and his friends used it to relay old songs and comedy programmes across Keonjhar town, branding it Akashvani Chemena and Akashvani Keonjhar. The transmitter operated on medium wave and could break into any radio frequency in Odisha. Police once attempted to trace Mohant but, failing to find him, warned his friends instead. The group stopped broadcasting, and Mohant remained in hiding for a week. As the broadcast had taken place during an exhibition, no legal action was taken.
In 1985, with ₹150 given by his father, he opened a repair shop for clocks, radios, VCRs, and video cameras and continued inventing. In 2013, he built a battery-powered tricycle on his own and gifted it to a differently abled person in Keonjhar town, earning widespread appreciation.
He now operates an LI point pump installed on his farmland near a riverbank using a password-enabled mobile phone. While cultivating a garden on his three-acre plot, he developed an electronic human body sensor and transmitter system to protect it. If an intruder enters the garden at night, the device detects human movement by sensing friction changes and sends a signal to the transmitter. The receiver then emits a loud sound, alerting him that someone has entered the premises.
Nirmal said he could develop more advanced devices with proper encouragement and support. He added that with policy intervention, old mopeds and scooters could be gradually converted to battery-operated vehicles. Expressing his gratitude to the Chief Minister for acknowledging his efforts, he said if the government wishes, he is ready to train young people for the purpose.
PNN
