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No small feat, this

The maker of the smallest milling machine in the world, Iqbal Ahmad speaks of his creation

ME AND MY MACHINE Iqbal Ahmad with the four-inch wonder

The entire panel of judges at the Sherline Machinist Challenge in the U.S. was amazed. They had never before seen such a small engine from the whole of Asia. So the maker of this four-stroke machine measuring 18 to 20 inches in height and one foot in width and breadth got a special third prize on the grounds of innovating such a wonder without any technical training. The year was 2003 and the maker was a 57-year-old non-matriculate, Iqbal Ahmad from Nagpur, Maharashtra.

In 2004, Ahmad sent his creation to Germany for the largest Steam Engine Show twice and bagged the award for being the only Asian to implement this innovation. Returning to Sherline in 2005, he bagged the second prize. Ahmad has already secured his position in the Limca Book of Records, and in the Guinness Book of World Records for having manufactured the smallest engine in 2001, a position that till date has no other claimant.

Now again, this product of the Bishop Cotton School who had to leave studies because of financial crunch, is vying for a slot in the Sherline, which is going to be held on April 22-23, 2006. This time, Ahmad has further reduced the size of his engine and also its function. Now it is a four-inch high milling machine.

Ahmad says, "It is not just a model machine but a working model which can produce miniature components. The machine I sent to Germany was a locomotive, which could pull up to five persons. This time again there is no competitor who has produced such a small milling machine."

But then, the picture is not as rosy as it seems for this untrained engineer whose sheer passion for producing miniature wonders for the world to see drives him to do this painstaking work. Says he, "This time I am not getting sponsorship from the Government. In 2003 too, I entered the competition through my nephew. In 2004, the Department of Science and Technology - DST - sponsored my trip to Germany and the U.S twice. But this time they have come out with a rider that according to a protocol, they can't sponsor my trip the third time consecutively and for three more years I cannot get Government sponsorship according to some clause, because others have to be given a chance. I had spoken to the secretary of the DST Mr. Ram Murthy and even Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science and Technology about it.

No one to compete

My question is, when there is no one to compete for this slot, whom they are talking of giving sponsorship to? And the competition will not stop for three years. I am going to bring the award for my country, so why should the Government not sponsor me? If I don't get the sponsorship, I will have to withdraw and some other nation will get the award," says Ahmad, a grandfather of two.

Now this owner and manufacture of more than 15 miniature machines the size of a palm, a thumbnail, etc. who owns a machine shop with classic and antique cars, is "anxiously waiting" for a positive response from the Government.

Is anyone listening?

RANA SIDDIQUI

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