The story of Toktok began when I was thinking of building a bamboo race car for a design project in Gangtok under the apprenticeship of Mr. Sonam Gyaltsen, co-founder of the multidisciplinary studio Echostream. He wisely guided me to drop my car-crazy ideas and opened my eyes to the reality of transportation in the mountains.
I spent close to 7 months researching the mountain terrain; in urban and rural regions, the lives and thoughts of the people living there, their needs, struggles, habits and routine. It was worth the deep dive, for I realised what was most needed was easier connectivity and freedom of transport. I came up with a simple solution to an age old problem of a disconnected society and economy: a geosensitive personal mobility device called Tok Tok. Tok Tok is a geographically sensitive design or solution that is locally produced, for local problems with local resources.
Post-research, I was experimenting and building prototypes which could combat the multiple facets of the mountainous city terrain: narrow lanes, stairs of all kinds, windy kaccha roads, steep angles, no excess space, heavy pedestrian traffic, no elevators, landslide prone areas etc. This phase of my process helped validate the problem I was working on—lack of connectivity within and to the city. Limited mobility equals limited resources and that puts any society at a slight disadvantage. Still, being in Sikkim gave me access to super materials: Bamboo and Cane. With access to this beautifully flexible material with excellent load bearing and tensile properties, I picked up the heat gun and began bending some cane. I had the experienced craftsman Mr. Palden Sherpa show me the ways and bends of the bamboo, making me realise that working with a natural material is about delicate craftsmanship as opposed to production through brute strength.
Eventually, the outcome was as simple as a cane cart which was foldable and carryable with a removable wheelbase, and straps to hold the load. But this seemingly simple device resonated with potential in Sikkimese eyes. It was a start to solving their mobility issues. Various sectors like construction, healthcare, commerce, agriculture, tea and tourism, most of which bring economic benefit to Sikkim could flourish and function more efficiently with better connectivity and mobility.
This project is a testimony to the simple yet effective impact of our abilities as humans to understand, analyse and improve a situation, may it be with a product, a system, a policy or even a poster. The strongest emotion that connects us is being kind and helpful to everyone around us and beyond, in any means possible, for that unites us and makes us stronger.
