The rise of ‘Frankenstein’ laptops in New Delhi’s repair markets
Spare laptop accessories stacked inside a Nehru Place shop that specializes in laptop and mobile repairs.In a dimly lit, cluttered workshop in Delhias Nehru Place, the air hums with the sound of whirring drills and the crackle of soldering irons. Sushil Prasad, a 35-year-old technician, wipes the sweat off his brow as he carefully pieces together the guts of an old laptop. It is a daily ritual a resurrecting machines by stitching together motherboards, screens, and batteries scavenged from other trashed older laptops and e-waste a to create functional, low-cost devices.
aIndia has always had a repair culture a but companies are pushing planned obsolescencea
Right now, there is a huge demand for such ahybrida laptops," Prasad says, his hands swapping out a damaged motherboard. Most people donat care about having the latest model; they just want something that works and wonat break the bank."
Across India, in metro markets from Delhias Nehru Place to Mumbaias Lamington Road, technicians like Prasad are repurposing broken and outdated laptops that many see as junk. These aFrankensteina machines a hybrids of salvaged parts from multiple brands a are sold to students, gig workers, and small businesses, offering a lifeline to those priced out of Indiaa …