A Childhood Ignition: The Meccano Set of 1952<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To understand the birth of Ramji\u2019s passion, we must rewind time to the 1950s and go on a trip to a small village in Tamil Nadu called Pazhamaneri in Thanjavur district. One amongst five boys, Ramji grew up at his grandparents’ house in this village. Situated at the banks of the river Kaveri, there wasn\u2019t much to do for the young boy then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Ramji\u2019s father, an engineer who was working in Pune, bought him a Meccano set (a model construction system) when he was eight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy interest in engineering and making models started thanks to this Meccano set. My father bought it in 1952, and it made a big impression on me. Mind you, it was expensive and had to be imported from the UK. The set cost him Rs 40, which he paid for out of his salary of Rs 300. I would spend hours with this set building different models,\u201d Ramji tells The Better India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Wooden Kits to a Lifelong Love for Engineering<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seeing his interest in these models, his grandfather, a civil engineer, bought him some wooden kits and blocks the next year. With these kits and blocks, the nine-year-old would build houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, his father bought him some engineering books, which sealed his love for the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe four engineering books that my father bought at Rs 2 in 1961-62 opened up a whole new world to me. Those books are my Bible, and I still have them and the Meccano set with me,\u201d says the 79-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a keen interest in model making and engineering, he went on to pursue mechanical engineering in Pune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Business Pursuit: A Journey into Woodwork<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to set up something of my own, while my father wanted me to take a government job. Since model making was not commercially viable at the time, I chose to do woodwork. After my engineering, I learned woodwork from workshops doing this,\u201d adds the Mysuru resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1968, he set up a woodworking business in Pune. He did interior design and made furniture and moved to Bengaluru after a few years, where he continued his business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe set up a place in Bengaluru and our business flourished. We had almost 150 people working for us. We did different kinds of furniture and designed many houses. However, we had to shut shop due to some financial difficulties,\u201d adds Ramji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unwavering Passion: Transition to Model Making<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not one to be buoyed down by difficulties, he started doing interior design consulting from 2002. But his heart lay in model making. After moving to Mysuru, he would unwind at the end of the day by making his miniature models of trains and rockets at home. This hobby workshop grew with time and housed hundreds of models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Living the Dream at 74: ISRO’s Call<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The year 2018, and an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket model, was a turning point for Ramji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI once made a brass model of an ISRO rocket. The Capacity Building and Public Outreach (CBPO) team at the ISRO headquarters were very happy with the model and called me for a meeting. They wanted me to build more rocket models for them. This was the beginning of my dream turning into a reality,\u201d says Ramji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then 74, Ramji set up a space at his friend Moiz Vagh\u2019s factory in Mysuru, and there has been no looking backwards since then. The first order for \u2018Craftizan Engineering models\u2019 was from ISRO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read: Thela Gaadi’s Journey: From Funky Socks to Fashion Accessories Empire.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Fulfilling Journey: Models, Museums, and More<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe designed models for \u2018ISRO on wheels\u2019, which were six buses filled with the space organisation\u2019s satellites and rockets. We have had fantastic support from ISRO and have built various models for them,\u201d adds Ramji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISRO has, since then, placed thousands of orders for rocket models and kits. Craftizan Engineering also makes 1:2 scale models with models 50-75 feet tall. Ramji has made models of all of ISRO\u2019s missions from Chandrayaan-1, 2, 3 to Gaganyaan. Apart from ISRO, they design rockets for universities, schools, and private dealers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From crafting at his home, he now has a team of 50 people, including designers and engineers. They also design train models and have showcased them at the Mysuru railway station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have built a wall museum which traces ISRO\u2019s history. While some private universities have placed orders for this, we want it to be placed at government schools. The Maharashtra government is in talks to place these wall museums at many government schools in the state,\u201d adds the 79-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are currently working on wall museums at Science City, Ahmedabad, PSG college of engineering, Coimbatore and Savitha University, Chennai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aging Gracefully: Ramji’s Zeal for Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is incredible to see how Ramji has the energy of a 30-year-old. He\u2019s raring to go and is looking at a world of opportunities. He\u2019s got no plans of retiring any time soon. His day at the factory starts at 9 am and goes on till 7-8 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just love to work on my models with some Carnatic music playing in the background. Age is never on my mind and I would love to work all 365 days. I\u2019m glad that I got an opportunity to fulfil my passion. Every day is a new job as we create something new,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s grateful that the opportunity that he didn\u2019t have half a decade ago is available today. \u201cModel making is commercially viable today. As Chinese goods are banned, we are also looking at making metal moulds to make parts for toys,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n

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But is he satisfied with the work he\u2019s done? \u201cI\u2019ve only scratched the surface,\u201d he replies. He would really like it if more children would take an interest in this field. He also tells how many engineering college students from Mysuru have visited Ramji\u2019s factory as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only done 10 percent of the work I\u2019d like to do so far. Ninety percent of it is left. I want to propagate engineering from a young age. Children tend to pick up things early. I want to make Meccano like sets or kits to spur this interest. This teaches them basic, fundamental engineering skills,\u201d he adds. He hopes that one day, a young child would be inspired by his kits, like the Meccano set did for him all those years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read: Pioneering Portable ECG Solutions to Tackle Cardiovascular Disease in India.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Childhood Ignition: The Meccano Set of 1952 To understand the birth of Ramji\u2019s passion, we must rewind time to the 1950s and go on a trip to a small village in Tamil Nadu called Pazhamaneri in Thanjavur district. One amongst five boys, Ramji grew up at his grandparents’ house in this village. Situated at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n