The deadline was fast approaching. He was sure that he will not complete the generator in time. The annual national science exhibition is the most prestigious competition for a high school student to take part in. To be considered for the competition the first step is get through an initial filtering from the division of schools. A good academic record had made his selection in the school a cakewalk. But at a divisional level he was a complete nobody who had a level playing field and that overwhelmed him. What he wanted to do for the competition was pretty simple but effective stuff. He was trying to construct a generator that would convert the muscular energy into electric energy. For building such a device he was using the lever mechanism from a discarded sewing machine and connected it to a huge assortment of magnets that he had collected from different household appliances He had a conducting wire wound across an insulated box housing the magnets. The sewing machine was supposed give a continuous rotating motion of the magnet, producing an electric current across the conducting coil. The concept looked simple enough. But the execution was not as simple as it seemed, simply because of the convoluted connections required between the magnets and the sewing machine.
As the deadline approached, he became more restless. The idea of failing was too much to even think of. He had the simple yet profound fear of not making the mark amongst his peers. His obsession made him lose his focus in almost all walks of his life. "If its bothering you so much, I will ask my mechanic to have a look at that" said his father in an encouraging tone. The idea brought out an instant relief to the boy. His relief turned into instant happiness and satisfaction when he saw his father's mechanic work in person. The latter was sure a master at work. He effortlessly connected the set of magnets to a wooden shaft, drilled a hole across the wooden frame housing the conducting wires, connecting its end to a pedal through a crank-shoe and the reciprocating motion to the crank-shoe being provided by the drive wheel crank of the sewing machine. Finally the conductors were connected to a set of LEDs that read 'Eureka'.
With gleaming pride he was showcasing his generator, to all the people visiting his booth that read - "Converting muscular energy to electric energy." His gadget was very well received. As the judges arrived, he could not control his emotions, and was without any effort trivialising the works of Colgate ad models. He was not concerned about the results of the competitions that was to be announced. His main motive of impressing his peers and other visitors. He was still basking in that glory.
"And the winner of the competition is Ramesh of 9 C", announced the lady on the mike. He was rather taken aback and surprised. He ran to the stage to collect his prize. The presenter gave a warm hand shake and asked him to wait. " Engineering is a very noble and unique profession. One has to find solutions for everyday problems, where the options available are very limited. Today, in Ramesh, I see a person who could extend his logical thinking to creatively solve real life problems. If he can in a similar way apply his mind to solve real life problems in future, I am sure our society has found one of the best engineers around. Congrats ramesh!!" These words were piercing his conscience like anything. Now the very same action bought him no satisfaction but rather killed off his peace of mind. And today, 15 years later when he saw his name in the MIT TR35 list, he knew deep in his heart that he still is repaying the debts he incurred on that very eventful day.
As the deadline approached, he became more restless. The idea of failing was too much to even think of. He had the simple yet profound fear of not making the mark amongst his peers. His obsession made him lose his focus in almost all walks of his life. "If its bothering you so much, I will ask my mechanic to have a look at that" said his father in an encouraging tone. The idea brought out an instant relief to the boy. His relief turned into instant happiness and satisfaction when he saw his father's mechanic work in person. The latter was sure a master at work. He effortlessly connected the set of magnets to a wooden shaft, drilled a hole across the wooden frame housing the conducting wires, connecting its end to a pedal through a crank-shoe and the reciprocating motion to the crank-shoe being provided by the drive wheel crank of the sewing machine. Finally the conductors were connected to a set of LEDs that read 'Eureka'.
With gleaming pride he was showcasing his generator, to all the people visiting his booth that read - "Converting muscular energy to electric energy." His gadget was very well received. As the judges arrived, he could not control his emotions, and was without any effort trivialising the works of Colgate ad models. He was not concerned about the results of the competitions that was to be announced. His main motive of impressing his peers and other visitors. He was still basking in that glory.
"And the winner of the competition is Ramesh of 9 C", announced the lady on the mike. He was rather taken aback and surprised. He ran to the stage to collect his prize. The presenter gave a warm hand shake and asked him to wait. " Engineering is a very noble and unique profession. One has to find solutions for everyday problems, where the options available are very limited. Today, in Ramesh, I see a person who could extend his logical thinking to creatively solve real life problems. If he can in a similar way apply his mind to solve real life problems in future, I am sure our society has found one of the best engineers around. Congrats ramesh!!" These words were piercing his conscience like anything. Now the very same action bought him no satisfaction but rather killed off his peace of mind. And today, 15 years later when he saw his name in the MIT TR35 list, he knew deep in his heart that he still is repaying the debts he incurred on that very eventful day.
