Grassroots innovation, often colloquially termed ‘jugaad’ in the Indian context, represents a vast, untapped reservoir of creative problem-solving. It embodies frugal, functional, and context-specific solutions developed by individuals and communities at the periphery of formal research and development ecosystems. However, this ingenuity exists in a precarious legal and institutional vacuum. While celebrated for its resourcefulness, it is simultaneously hampered by a lack of scalability, sustainability, and legal protection. The prevailing intellectual property (IP) regime, designed for capital-intensive, formal innovation, presents significant barriers-prohibitive costs, complex procedures, and stringent patentability criteria-to grassroots innovators. This article argues that a paradigm shift is necessary, moving from attempts to shoehorn grassroots creativity into an ill-fitting IP framework towards developing a bespoke, multi-pronged jurisprudential and policy strategy. For our purposes, we can classify grassroots innovation into three broad categories which are Category 1: Improvisational Solutions (The Classic Jugaad), Category 2: Systemic Frugal Innovations, Category 3: Codified and Community-Held Traditional Knowledge. It analyses the inadequacies of the current Indian legal instruments, including patents, designs, and copyrights, in safeguarding these unique innovations. Drawing on the work of institutions like the National Innovation Foundation, it proposes a holistic framework. Key recommendations include the introduction of a second-tier ‘utility model’ patent system, the creation of decentralised ‘Gram Innovation Kendras’ for local support, the establishment of innovation promotion vouchers to defray IP costs, and the development of a sui generis framework to protect community-held traditional knowledge. Ultimately, the article posits that by transforming our legal and institutional approach, we can transition grassroots innovation from a celebrated but transient phenomenon into a sustainable engine of inclusive growth and self-reliance.