Going with the Flow

They were moments of inspired genius when Archimedes proposed his theory or Newton his laws of gravity. In a similar manner, it was to avoid his daily duty of switching off the pump motor to avoid the tank from overflowing that inspired 14-year-old student Viraj Gapchoop to create the 'Semi Automatic Water Pump Controller'. Gapchoop, a standard ten student from Jnana Prabodhini Nava Nagar Vidyalaya was awarded the second prize at the 'Inspire Award', which is initiated by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India.

"The sensors available in the market were too expensive, so I tried to make something out of the scrap that I found at my disposal,"says Gapchoop. And with whatever he could gather, he made an instrument where the overflowing water is accumulated. Its weight pulls down the switch of the water pump, thereby shutting the supply down. "The one that is installed at my house has been working for the last two years without any failures,"says Gapchoop, adding, "The instrument saves almost 10 per cent of the water and electricity wastage. There were 1150 projects out of which Gapchoop's 'Semi Automatic Water Pump Controller' got the second prize which makes him the first from the state to win this prize. To encourage students to opt for studies in pure sciences and to develop scientists and researchers, the government had come up with this initiative. "It definitely feels good to win the award." Commenting on his future projects he says, "Right now I'm working on an instrument which would help the farmers." Apart from his science related endevours, Gapchoop has also made movies which have gone to environmental film exhibitions like Vasundhara Film Festival and Environmental Film Festival, Mumbai. "One of my films had won the fourth prize at the Mumbai festival," he says.

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