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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
EK Ravindran’s low-cost and long-lasting ‘made-in-Wayanad’ wooden treadmill attracts health freaks
SULTHAN BATHERY, KERALA: Fifty-four-year-old EK Ravindran, a furniture shop owner in the hill town of Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, never thought that an experiment with wooden planks, ball bearings and a nylon belt would turn out to be a huge success after three years.
The novel idea to construct a treadmill began in the middle of 2020, when Ravindran faced hassles with his daily morning walk due to the fear of wild elephants who started to graze on the road he used to take.
Ravindran, who had back pain and other health issues due to long hours of sitting as part of his job, decided to construct a machine that was cost-effective using wooden planks.
“I wanted to take up physical exercise on a regular basis. But the risks posed by wild animals and stray dogs posed a major hurdle for my regular morning walks. This issue forced me to think of an alternative,” Ravindran told The New Indian.
Initially, I had few ideas for constructing a traditional treadmill. Finally, I started working on a plan where I had to use wooden planks with ball bearings and nylon is something that I had to purchase,” he added.
Ravindran is currently working on 26 orders he has received after the video of his signature treadmill went viral on social media. The construction cost of the treadmill is ₹12,000 and it takes three days to assemble one wooden treadmill.
“The video that has gone viral in his small town has helped him a lot and for the past three weeks he has been spending time exclusively manufacturing treadmills,” Ravindran said.
Ravindran’s first treadmill was sold to Riyaz Mohammed, a mobile service centre owner based in Kozhikode.
“The wooden treadmill I bought from him is indeed very helpful when it comes to performance, as it has all the qualities of an electric treadmill while using it. I too had hassles for my morning cycling as the roads here are narrow and there is high traffic nowadays,” Riyaz said.
“I bought this last week from Ravindran after I happened to see the video on social media. I had certain apprehensions regarding speed control. But on this treadmill, the speed can be controlled automatically. The only issue here is the sound it creates. This is because of the wood and the ball bearing,” he added.
After a video of the treadmill went viral on social media, Ravindran has been getting calls seeking details about the treadmill.
