'JABBAR Gears' -- thus proclaims a board on a rickshaw exhibited at the convention. Standing right next to it is Sheikh Jabbar of Nagpur, professional rickshawpuller and special invitee to the convention. Innovator extraordinary, Jabbar has built in a special set of gears in his rickshaw.

Equipped with the experience of driving autorickshaws and trucks, when Jabbar took up pulling a rickshaw "the thought of mechanical gears for it (the rickshaw) was always at the back of my mind but somehow I never got the time for it; also, money was a constraint." Three years ago, he finally managed to install a 3-gear system in his rickshaw.

"It was a great success. I am not as young as I was 20 years ago but now with the gears even the young bloods have trouble in keeping up with me, " he says with a twinkle in his eyes. Jabbar now plans to upgrade the 3-gear to a 4-gear system.