This collection of inspiring stories can be used by teachers to make classroom instruction more lively and to send out positive value-based message to students.
Most of these stories have been taken from the Internet and newspapers and magazines. We acknowledge our gratitude to them.
Water Cooler That Runs Without Electricity!
Arvind Bhai Patel from Vanch, Gujarat, studied till class 10 and then dropped out of school due to financial constraints. But that did not stop his progress. Patel has made several inventions, including for a water cooler that runs without electricity. He has sold several hundred units of this cooler so far.
16 Year-Old’s Invention
16 year-old Arsh Shah Dilbagi from Delhi invented TALK, an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device that helps people with developmental disabilities and speech impairments to communicate in a normal form of speech. It is the only such device in the world that uses breath as the way of interaction. The technology uses variations in a person’s breath and helps him or her dictate letters. The device, which is so compact that it can fit into one’s pocket, has nine different voices for different genders and age groups. The user has to place the sensor under the nose and make shorter and longer exhales to send dots and dashes, which later get converted into words and phrases.
Dilbagi has pledged to give away one free device to someone in need for every 3 devices sold.
Unique Sanitation Park
Over one-third of the world’s population lacks access to a toilet. The World Bank estimates that 53% of Indian households resort to open defecation.
The Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement has constructed a Sanitation Park, the first of its kind, at Sargur village in Karnataka. It displays different kinds of toilets that can be built, suiting all budgets. Visitors are given a detailed tour of how each type of toilet works and the costs involved and are sensitized to the need to practice safe sanitation.
Changing the Lives of Coconut Tree Climbers
Traditionally, professional tree climbers have been engaged by coconut planters in Kerala for plucking the fruits. But now it is difficult to find such climbers. The late Mr. M. J. Joseph, a school drop-out, developed an innovative tree climber that consists of two metal loops for holding the legs, a handle at the top for hand grip and a pedal base at the bottom. The loop on either side is lifted up by the simultaneous movement of the hand and feet. In this way, one can easily climb a coconut tree in minutes—a boon for people who want to get coconuts down from the tree-tops!
Cycle That Rides on Water!
In his 60s, Mohammed Saidullah is from a village in Bihar. He has studied till the tenth standard and has numerous inventions to his credit, all of which he has named after his late wife, Noor.
In 1975, there was a massive flood in Bihar, which lasted for about three weeks. Saidullah had to cross the Ganga to get provisions. To cross the river, he used a boat, and in the city, he used a bicycle. It then struck him that if he could make the bicycle float on water as well as move on land, it would save money. Within three days, he developed such a bicycle, which he christened as “Noor Bicycle”. Using this cycle, he crossed the Ganga, from Pahelaghat to Mahendrughat! Initially he spent Rs.6000 on the development of the floating bicycle. But now he says he will be able to make it at a cost of Rs. 3000!
Special Shoes for the Visually Impaired
Around 300 million people in the world are visually impaired and face difficulties every day in activities as basic as walking. Anirudh Sharma and Krispian Lawrence came up with an interesting idea to simplify the lives of such people: a special shoe called ‘Le Chal’ that can assist the visually impaired in navigating easily. The shoe can be connected to the user’s smart-phone through Bluetooth. It vibrates according to the directions to the destination. It can lead the user to the desired destination by notifying him or her about the turns on the way.
