Innovative solutions using the resources at hand are referred to as ‘jugaad’ in India

“Shall I turn the music up louder?” The rickshaw driver screamed while making eye contact with me in the rear-view mirror. I felt my ears would explode already, and I was about to go deaf. So, I screamed back: “No, thank you. It is already quite loud like this.” The tuk-tuk driver looked amused. He kept on screaming. “I wanted to turn my vehicle into a little disco so that people can enjoy the music. The boxes behind you are new.”

That was not the only time that I sat in a tuk-tuk with the music blaring loudly, but this one by far exceeded all my previous experiences. When I first sat down in the rickshaw to go to one of my interviews in the city, I noticed the happy sounds of Indian music. But once I entered the tuk-tuk, the enthusiastic driver turned up the music to such an extent that I really feared for my eardrums. I tried to cover my ears with the scarf I’d brought along, but it didn’t change much. When he proposed to turn it up even louder—I thought he had already reached the maximum volume—I was terrified. But from his point of view, he likely just wanted to be hospitable and show his new client the new stereo system he had invested in and that his tuk-tuk had turned into an official “disco tuk-tuk.”

Jugaad – Innovative out-of-the-box thinking

People in India quite often amazed me with their sense of innovation in everyday situations. I frequently saw vehicles that had somehow been reassembled, using all kinds of unusual items. For example, a bicycle would be transformed into a little shop by placing a counter on it. People would then sell something or offer some kind of service from it. Such innovative stands and ideas were no rarity in India. However, it was only recently that I came across a word that describes this kind of “innovative out-of-the-box thinking.”

In her insightful book The Atlas of Happiness, Helen Russell writes about the Indian concept of jugaad, a colloquial Hindi term that can be translated as “innovative fix.” It refers to frugal innovation, improvisational ingenuity, and resourcefulness. In short, it means getting things done with what you’ve got, no matter what. Russell refers to an Indian friend of hers, who explained that having a jugaad attitude can be an asset. She would, for example, sometimes say at work: “I’ll do some jugaad,” meaning that she would figure out a solution. It is about making things happen instead of just sitting and waiting for the ideal situation or conditions. It impliejus a deeply grounded belief that there is always a way. You just need to find it.

Not all jugaad practices in India are, however, always positive. For many people, this approach to life was born out of scarcity, a lack of opportunity, or the will to survive in difficult circumstances. And in some cases, the practiced approach can border on illegal or dangerous behavior. For example, when a rickshaw driver puts a wooden plank at the front and the end of the vehicle and starts calling it a school bus—without any security measures in place. Practicing jugaad from a stable position is desirable, while practicing it from a place of need is not. Basic needs should be satisfied without having to revert to jugaad principles. But once basic needs are being met, jugaad can be a very inspiring attitude that can help you fly.

Everything is “figureoutable”

The jugaad approach reminded me of the “everything is figureoutable” concept, developed by the motivational speaker and writer Marie Forleo. She argues that by adopting the right mindset, everything in life—no matter the challenge or the situation—is figureoutable. You just need to believe in it, get creative, roll up your sleeves, and work for it.

I love this practical “let’s find a solution” approach. One of the motivational post cards in my office reflects this, too. It says: “If plan A does not work. Don’t panic! There are still 25 more letters in the alphabet.”

When talking to an Indian friend about the jugaad attitude, he pointed out, however, that a slight difference between jugaad and “everything is figureoutable” might be that jugaad is usually related to a problem that is external, not an internal motivational problem. So, jugaad is getting creative and resourceful and using whatever material or network you have at your disposal to find a solution to a concrete problem or challenge you face. Marie Forleo’s principle can be used for external and for internal struggles and might also be used as a mantra to motivate yourself internally for a task. But the basic attitude behind both approaches is similar. You can find solutions by thinking outside the box.

How to use jugaad to your advantage

I think that the jugaad principle can be beautifully used at home when thinking about how to use your living space in the best possible way or when brainstorming solutions for little everyday problems. When the Covid pandemic hit the world and my husband started working from home, we had to quickly find a solution on how to best use our home to create two working spaces that worked for us. We brainstormed different ideas and then decided to set up a little work space corner in one part of our bedroom. But jugaad can also consist in activating a network when you need to find a solution to something. When my husband and I had to sponatenouly attend a meeting at the other side of Switzerland, we were quick to do some jugaad and think about the different childcare options for the day that we could explore.

Jugaad is a mindset, an attitude that there is always a solution to a problem or a challenge: by being creative, thinking about the networks and different resources at hand, and sometimes re-functioning resources to just make things happen and fulfil the needs for the moment without additional resources. So, next time you face a difficult situation or a challenge, it could be helpful to just remember: Okay, everything is figureoutable. Let’s do some jugaad and find a solution!

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