One of the many sensitive topics discussed in households is the topic of Miscarriage. According to the survey conducted by the National Family Health Survey in 2019-21, miscarriages occur often in India, with a rate of 4.9% with 23 % of cases occurring in the first trimester (<12 weeks). There can be many reasons for a miscarriage, most of them being biological but one of the reasons that may affect the pregnancy indirectly is public transport. Public transport poses a challenge for pregnant women, potentially increasing stress and discomfort, which could indirectly affect pregnancy outcomes. It can cause an indirect impact, and specific concerns regarding risk of falls or injuries, especially during rush hour.
A 14-year old from Bhubaneshwar, Odisha studying in 9th std. Rishita Samantaray noticed this unnoticed problem when her house help’s daughter had a miscarriage. It was because of the jolts and bumps during the journey while she was travelling to her village by bus. She miscarried her first child too because of the same reason. This left Rishita all bothered and wanting to help improve this situation. Rishita admits that, “Conducting fundraisers has raised a trigger for me to get neck-deep into social service”.
Observing the society’s reaction and being a witness to miscarriages, misogyny, and struggle, Rishita wondered how she can contribute to making public transport safer for pregnant women. A simple solution was to inform the bus drivers that a pregnant woman was boarding the bus so they can ensure minimal discomfort and harsh jolts. But this solution brought with it few big questions-
How will the driver know anyway? Will every pregnant woman have to inform the driver’s personally? Who will keep a track? Who will be responsible?
With extensive research, Rishita innovated a device that works as a biometric system, designed to be installed at Government bus depots and stops. This device will consist of a government-backed database of pregnant women, elderly people, and specially-abled people that would be maintained and connected to the system. A DF robot Huskylens AI Camera would scan their faces and immediately recognize the identity of the passengers and once the match is found, the GSM/GPRS shield would send an alert to the bus driver and conductor to take extra care during the entire journey. Rishita says that the system costs Rs. 4000 but if it’s mass produced, the cost can come down to Rs. 2000. She titled the project, ‘Comfortable and Safe Travel for Pregnant Women in the Bus’.
She represented Odisha for the Nationals for Inspire Manak in New Delhi with this innovation. She also got awarded the Doctor APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Mind Innovation & Creativity Award. However, this is not the end of Rishita’s achievements. She is the Youngest Grandmaster in Odisha and has solved the maximum number of Rubik’s cubes in the shortest time frame. She is a published author for her book Comic Crusaders launched by the Governor of Odisha. She is the Youngest magician in Odisha and performed on the main stage of Patha Utsav. Rishita’s mother says that, “She has always been into social service and volunteer work”, and it is quite true as she is also the Youngest volunteer for the Audio book project Hear2Read, which provides accessible audio textbooks for the visually challenged. Last but not least, she is not left behind in Equestrian sports too. She has won bronze, silver, and gold in the National Horse show, Delhi.
This was the story of Rishita Samantaray who didn’t turn a blind eye to a problem, but rather faced it and brought forward a solution. This is the bright future of India that our elders are always talking about. Take this as a sign to not hold yourself back because of your age. Take this story as a sign to be bold enough to try and create a solution for a problem unseen and unnoticed by others. That way, you won’t be just a part of the bright future, but you will be building it.
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