My feat no better than others: Youngest IIT topper

Image: Sahal Kaushik (second from left) and Ruchi Kaushik (extreme right)

It’s not just his age.

Or even his astounding achievement.

The fact that his mother, bravely took a decision to bypass the traditional Indian education system, and homeschool her son, to guarantee him the best opportunities, is especially impressive — a decision vindicated by Sahal’s extraordinary talent.

Even more impressive is 14-year-old Sahal Kaushik. His modesty floors you, much more than his achievement.

He is the youngest Indian to crack IIT JEE, considered one of the most prestigious competitive exam in India but merely offers, “I do not feel that my achievement is in any way better than others (who gave the IIT JEE).

“Others also know what I know,” says this Delhi topper and 33rd ranker about his feat at such a young age.

Sahal seems to have inherited this humility from his mother Ruchi Kaushik, who sacrificed her career as a doctor to supervise Sahal’s education — a decision for which she was criticised by people outside her family — after she realised her son’s talents when he was just three.

Interestingly, Sahal scored only a modest 78 per cent in physics, chemistry and math in his Class XII board exams which brought as much happiness to the Kaushik family as his IIT JEE achievement.

“Some (children) have to strive harder than then he (Sahal) did,” Ruchi says in response to whether homeschooling is better than traditional classroom education. “We must appreciate those children as well,” she says.

Sahal and Ruchi spoke to rediff.com‘s Onkar Singh on a range of issues relating to Sahal’s achievements and how she came to her decision to homeschool her son.

What are your plans now? Where will you apply, what will you study? What are you looking forward to the most?

I will study Physics at IIT Kanpur. I have still not made up my mind as to what I am looking forward to.

What job/profession do you want to pursue?

I want to be a research scientist in astrophysics or physics. I was always interested in astronomy. Perhaps that is the reason why I am leaning more towards astrophysics.

What inspired you to take the JEE?

JEE tests your analytical and IQ skills. It also tests your speed and mental calculations. I found these aspects very interesting. Also, I never wanted to achieve something like climbing the Mount Everest like Arun Vajpai did :-).

How many hours did you devote to IIT JEE preparation every day?

I never studied more than four to five hours a day and that too not at a stretch. I study for the love of the subject. I love challenging problems. Besides studying at home, the instructors at the Narayana IIT Academy, Dwarka, would individually coach me and keep me on track for the IIT.

You have the experience of home learning. What was your experience of home schooling?

I always felt that home schooling gave me the freedom to explore any subject to any depth that I wanted. I had the flexibility of schedule to study any subject for whatever time I wanted. My mother would spend time with me and I could ask any number of questions that I wanted to know.

You studied at the Narayana IIT academy Dwarka. What was your experience like?

It was a good experience. My teachers were affectionate and they treated me like their younger brother. I had no hesitation in saying that I did enjoy studying at the institute. I do not feel that my achievement is in any way better than others. Others also know what I know.

How did you fare in Class XII? Were you and your parents happy with the results?

I got 78 per cent marks in physics, chemistry and math. I and my parents were very happy with it.

Who are your inspirations/idols? Do you also play any games?

I like (James Clerk) Maxwell (a physicist and mathematician), (Albert) Einstein (physicist and philosopher) and (Isaac) Newton (physicist, mathematician and astronomer). I like swimming and badminton. No sportsman has ever been my idol.

What do you do in your free time when not studying?

I listen to music, read historical books and work on the computer.

Ruchi Kaushik is elated that her son is the youngest Indian ever to crack IIT entrance examination at 14.

” I am delighted with his performance in the IIT JEE which I feel was attained with the least amount of pressure and effort. That speaks volumes about Sahal’s ability to compete at the highest level,” Ruchi told rediff.com. She talked at length about her decision to home school Sahal than send him to a regular school.

What made you take the decision to home school your child?

Sahal was about two to three year old when he could spell five to six letter words; he knew addition, subtraction and multiplications. This surprised me a little because he was far ahead of children his age group. This made me realise that if Sahal went to school he would regress rather than progress. That is what forced me to home school Sahal.

When did you decide to take such a brave decision?

I personally do not feel that this was a brave decision. Rather it was fulfilment of my child’s requirements and that was needed to make Sahal bloom and flourish.

Was there no opposition from family etc?

There was no direct opposition from the family or friends but apart from our immediate family nobody really agreed or believed in my decision. My husband Colonel Tapeshwar Kaushik wholeheartedly supported my decision.

How did you go about it, did you have a plan?

The home schooling was more open and flexible. I had no structured plan to follow and it changed with the time, Sahal’s interests and requirements.

Did you have a daily routine, what was his and your day like?

I never had a daily routine. I am doctor by profession but I left my practice when he was just two. Since I was at home I could devote more time with Sahal and both developed better understanding for each other. That’s what helped in the end.

Do you think home schooling is better that traditional classroom education?

I personally think that both systems have something to offer and there are some drawbacks as well. It varies from person to person as to what suits them. Every child is not Sahal. Some have to strive harder than then he did. We must appreciate those children as well.

Weren’t you concerned when your child was not performing well in school and board exams? Especially since 90 per cent plus marks is the standard of most IIT aspirants?

No, I was not worried because the pattern of answering required for the two exams was totally different. CBSE requires more of step-by-step written answers while IIT requires more of mental speed calculation, which Sahal is very good at. However both do require clarity of concept.

What advice/ tips would you give to parents who want to home school their kids?

Home schooling requires lot of time and devotion and patience. It is a 24-hour job with no breaks. You have to ensure that you do not lose your cool as the child asks question after question and you got to answer them with the best of your ability and make him understand that as well. Sahal was good to grasp the things in no time.

Reference Link
http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/may/28/slide-show-1-achievers-sahal-kaushik-youngest-iit-topper.htm

Courtesy
Rediff.com

What the doctor ordered: new shoes

Happy feet:R.S. Umesh Sambaji measuring a woman’s feet to make customised Micro Cellular Rubber footwear for her in Shimoga.

SHIMOGA: It is common to find people frequenting medical shops with a doctor’s prescription to get medicines, but to find people flocking a footwear store, prescription in hand, is a rare sight.

Ever since the news about his medicated footwear appeared in a section of the press, R.S. Umesh Sambaji, the owner of Tourist Foot Wear on old Tirthahalli Road here, has become a much sought-after footwear manufacturer. He receives enquiries not just from Shimoga, but from other parts of the State as well.

The footwear manufactured at Mr. Sambaji’s company is said to have a therapeutic effect for several complaints including diabetes, arthritis, backache, knee joint pain, heel pain, elephantiasis and fungus.

The main material that the company uses in its footwear for the “cushioning effect” is Micro Cellular Rubber (MCR). The footwear is especially prepared for flat feet, unnatural or deformed feet.

Based on a doctor’s prescription, the company also manufactures footwear for polio patients and those who are weak or have twisted feet.

Mr. Sambaji, who has been in the business for the last 25 years, first heard of MCR footwear when an old doctor from Manipal visited his shop and asked for it. “As I had not heard of the medicated foot wear till then, my curiosity increased,” he said.

To double check that the MCR material he found in Kerala was indeed therapeutic, Mr. Sambaji got it substantiated by medical specialists in Shimoga and Manipal.

He then decided to manufacture footwear on an experimental basis. The venture was an instant hit and there was no looking back from there on.

Modest beginning

Mr. Sambaji started manufacturing footwear in a small cabin from in front of the Tourist Hotel in 1979 with a capital of Rs.2,000 that he borrowed from a bank. He now has a staff of 10.He says that he prepares customised footwear based on prescriptions from podiatrists.

“I am immensely pleased when I get feedback from customers saying the footwear was helpful,” he said.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052854420300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Solar street-lighting for Jakkampudi township

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is planning to use street-lighting powered by solar energy at Jakkampudi Township on the city outskirts, where a township with 8,000 houses is being constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Once the project materialises, the township is going to be the first one in the State to have such a facility.

The township consisting of 14 km-long roads, on which, it is estimated, that 775 streetlights are required. The entire project cost is estimated at Rs. 3 crore, in which the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) has come forward to offer a direct subsidy of Rs. 1.25 crore. The remaining amount, however, to be allocated by the civic body from the JNNURM funds. Tenders have been called for and pre-bid meetings are going on with regard to the street-lighting project. The plan is to replace the conventional tube lights and chokes with the LED (light-emitting diode) of the capacity of 15 watt. Each conventional tubelight requires 40 watts and another 12 watts for the choke, whereas each LED requires only 15 watt capacity. Life of the lamp is another advantage with the LED, as compared to the conventional mode of street lighting. The LED’s lifespan of 50,000 hours is 10 times that of the conventional tubelight.

In the new mode of street-lighting, each streetlight will be considered a unit that consisting of pole-mounted solar photovoltaic panel and battery. The MNRE has issued guidelines with regard to the installation and maintenance of the units. The firm that installs the lights must take up the responsibility of maintenance for a period of five years and assure the replacement of battery wherever it is needed. The firm must also take up the responsibility of cleaning the panels periodically.

Tender documents have been submitted by five firms so far and periodical meetings are going on to finalise the technicalities.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052859990300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Toppers can be creative too

She has done on-the-spot portraits of VIPs such as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and M. Karunanidhi

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— Photo: K. Ganesan

SPOT ON:P.S. Bharathy with her school Principal S.Ayyappan (left) and father Shanmugasundaram.

MADURAI: She is known as a ‘portrait girl’ among her friends. There is a reason: as a student, she had the rare opportunity of meeting several VIPs, including A. P. J. Abdul Kalam when he was the President and also Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and draw their portraits on the spot.

P. S. Bharathy, a Class X student of S. E. V. Matriculation Higher Secondary School here has also displayed a portrait of success in the Board examinations this year by scoring 486 marks and securing third place in the district.

“Drawing is my hobby and I have won several prizes at the national level. A memorable moment was when Mr. Kalam gave me the chance to do on-the-spot portrait (soap carving) during one of his visits to Madurai as President. I met him at the Circuit House,” she said.

Her father being a drawing master at Al Ameen Higher Secondary School in the city, Bharathy’s teachers described her passion for drawing as a “genetic influence.” The girl’s sketching success also includes various other eminent figures such as A. B. Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

The Madurai student said that she did a project to show that drawing had a positive impact on the mental ability of challenged students “and it was for this project that Mr. Kalam sent a note asking her to meet him and explain the details.” Art and craft, clay modelling, portraits, natural sceneries, collage, soap carving and the determination to become a scientist are among the things that are going on in her mind right now.

S. Ayyappan, Principal, S. E. V. Matriculation Higher Secondary School, was a happy man when the student’s name figured in the district toppers’ list. “She has visited Singapore to participate in international events. Bharathy has won international certificates and the girl’s plus point is her humility,” he said.

The girl’s father Shanmughasundaram said that his daughter was very much interested in extracurricular activities and she had also started teaching drawing to students. This girl was among the district toppers who were felicitated by Collector C. Kamaraj at the Collectorate on Wednesday.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052860020300.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Chance to make dreams come true

Programme organised by PSBB Group of Schools in collaboration with IIT-M Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Science in action:Students performing an experiment at the chemistry lab in IIT-Madras as part of Research Science Initiative’s summer programme.

CHENNAI: For a Class XI student, to play around with Nanomaterials or get a chance to design a fuel cell is the stuff of dreams. But for those who are part of the Research Science Initiative’s summer programme, these are part of the everyday timetable.

RSI is an annual summer programme in which about 30 to 35 selected students, who have completed Class XI, spend six weeks in an intensive research programme under the guidance of scientist mentors.

The participants are required to submit a project report on a chosen field of interest by end of the six weeks.

The programme is being organised by the PSBB Group of Schools in collaboration with IIT-Madras.

Tanmay Shankar, a student of Bala Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, said “It is an amazing experience to be able to interact with professors and scientists from leading institutes when you are still in school.”

Calling it a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of the research world, he said that in-depth understanding of various fields also helps to better judge the merits of various options that are available after finishing Class XII.

M.V. Sivasubramanyan of Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT campus, said that the programme has helped him see science in action everyday. “I now think a lot more about the scientific principles behind everyday events. Real learning is something which helps one notice things which they otherwise would not.”

The summer programme is fully residential, with the students staying at the IIT-M campus.

It also includes extra-mural lectures by personalities from non-scientific backgrounds.

“Staying with other students in a learning environment is like experiencing college while in school,” S.Vignesh, a student of DAV Public School, said about the programme which began on May 5.

“This is like summer camp for students with a research bent of mind.”

V.V.Sreedhar, a professor at Chennai Mathematical Institute, who gave a talk on Wednesday on the history of structural topology, said

“Students must be encouraged to understand the close links and inter-disciplinary nature of various branches of science. The ideas and concepts are the same, only scientific language is different. The classroom environment must play a role in rousing their curiosity and persuade them to pursue self-learning.”

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052859350200.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

A special success against all odds

CHENNAI: It was a success-against-all-odds story for the toppers in SSLC examinations of various special schools in the city. While a few battled poverty, others overcame their disability to emerge as winners.

For L. Sukanya, student of Little Flower Convent for Blind, scoring 481 in the SSLC examinations, results of which were declared on Wednesday, is the first step towards pursuing her aspiration of joining the Civil Services. Daughter of a jewellery shop employee, she did her primary education in a matriculation school until she realised she could not cope up with the mainstream academics. “I was made to stay in the hostel at the Convent. Initially, it was painful to study in a special school. Now, I am grateful,” says Sukanya.

However, despite a centum in mathematics, she does not have much option. “I have to choose commerce, as science is not part of the syllabus in special schools for blind,” she says. K. Priyanka from the same school scored 484, which is the highest total so far for the 83-year-old school. She battled out a string of academic and societal challenges right from her primary classes with her “perseverance and self-confidence,” as her teachers put it.

J. Abirami from the Little Flower Convent for Deaf secured 373 (out of 400), which her mother said “was result of her diligence and commitment.” The Government School for Blind recorded a 100 per cent pass this year, with 26 students appearing for the examination. P. Saravanan and R. Selvam from the school top scored with 435.

“This year has seen a jump both in the top score and in the pass percentage and we hope to see a consistent increase in the performance of the students,” says Bro. John Xavier, Headmaster, St. Louis School for Deaf and Blind. The school has recorded a 100 per cent pass, with P. Narasimhan topping the list with a score of 456.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052859590200.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Youth awaits chance for promoting Tamil ambigrams at Tamil meet

Photo:

AWAITING A CHANCE:S. Gowtham displaying his Tamil ambigrams.

Coimbatore: Even as the entire State is gearing up for the World Classical Tamil Conference, here is S. Gowtham, a student of Computer Science at Amrita School of Engineering with a series of Tamil ambigrams that can take the language a step forward.

Ambigram is a design or art form that may be read as one or more words when looked at angles of 90 or 180 degrees. The words readable in the other angles may be the same or different from the original words. One such ambigram that Gowtham has created is Kalaignar that can also be read as Muthalvar (Chief Minister).

“Tamil can be a very flexible language for ambigrams,” says Gowtham. He adds that the language is older than the ambigrams and has the ability to blend itself with other languages which could help in mutual understanding between people of different nationalities, thus, helping break language barriers. With ambigrams, proficiency in a particular language would no longer be an issue.

Ambigrams came into focus after the release of books by Dan Brown namely the ‘Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons’. They can be very helpful in passing secret messages between defence personnel and networking services.

Gowtham says that there are many English ambigrams available on the Net but when it comes to Tamil, there are hardly any. He has done around 20 Ambigrams, a few of them being The Hindu-Unmai (Genuine), DMK-Tamil, out of his passion for the language and wishes to get them into the World Classical Tamil Conference and prove that Tamil is one of the best Asian languages ever.

Gowtham looks forward to creating ambigrams that can be used to compress text. One of the main features of ambigrams is that it can compress and encrypt the text in a single step. He says that with the help of ambigrams one can compress a given text to half of its size. Gowtham is currently working on his book for ambigrams that will contain 676 combinations of letters.

The World Classical Tamil Conference that will contain great Tamil literary works can have a space for Tamil ambigrams that can generate curiosity amongst the public. He looks forward to a chance to draw the attention of the scholars to do more Tamil ambigrams with their help. At present, he is on his own and there are no set standards or guidelines for preparing Tamil ambigrams. “I want these ambigrams to become popular to take Tamil to more people and make them understand the rich legacy of this language.”

He is at present knocking the doors of the Collector and officials involved in World Classical Tamil Conference arrangements for a chance in the form of a small corner in the exhibition hall. Once ambigrams make a foray into Tamil, they will become more popular, he says. For details, contact Gowtham at 9865249072 or 9865162509.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/28/stories/2010052859570200.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Text messages save pregnant Rwandan women

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A man scrolls through his mobile phone to carry out a money transaction in Nairobi May 12, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Noor Khamis

(Reuters) – At midnight Valentine Uwingabire’s back began to hurt. Her husband ran to tell Germaine Uwera, a community health worker in their village in the fertile foothills of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Equipped with a mobile phone from the local health center, Uwera sent an urgent SMS text message and within a quarter of an hour, an ambulance had whisked Valentine to hospital. Minutes later Uwingabire’s third child was born.

“We called our child Manirakoze, which means ‘Thank God’,” she told reporters, sitting outside her mud and bamboo house pitched in the shadow of Karisimbi volcano, home to some of the world’s few remaining highland mountain gorillas.

Had it not been for Rwanda’s new Rapid SMS service, Valentine would have been carried in agony, down the hill to the nearest town on an improvised stretcher.

As is the case in much of Africa, fixed-line telephone networks are virtually non-existent outside of the capital and major cities.

The Rapid SMS scheme — a joint initiative between three U.N. organizations — is being tested in the Musanze District where 432 health workers have received mobile phones.

Health workers register pregnant women in their village via free SMS text messages and send regular updates to a central server in the capital, Kigali. They are monitored during the pregnancy, and those at high risk brought in for check-ups.

Rwanda, Africa’s most densely populated nation, is ranked among the world’s worst for maternal mortality, according to U.N. data, and it is an important target for the global body’s goal to reduce maternal deaths by 75 percent globally by 2015.

“NO MATERNAL DEATHS”

John Kalach, director of the nearest hospital in Ruhengeri, says since Rapid SMS launched in August 2009, his hospital has had no maternal deaths, compared to 10 the previous year.

“We used to get ladies coming here with serious complications just because they delayed the decision because the journey was very long,” he says.

Kalach says authorities can use the data to work out which diseases affect women during pregnancy, the causes of death for children below five years, the volume and type of drugs required, and to monitor population growth rates.

Friday Nwaigwe, UNICEF’s country head of child health and nutrition, says the next step is to give mobile phones to 17,500 maternal health workers across the country and eventually to all 50,000 community health workers.

“In Rwanda we have 750 out of every 100,000 pregnant women die every year. It’s a very big problem,” Nwaigwe says.

Still, in a nation where only six percent of its 10 million-strong population has access to electricity, a country-wide expansion of the scheme may run into problems.

Germaine says to charge her phone she has to walk 20 minutes to the nearest charging booth, and Kalach says some remote areas of the hilly country do not yet have network coverage.

But surrounded by trees heaving with chandeliers of green bananas and fields bursting with beans, Uwera and Uwingabire agree a simple text message has had a big impact on their lives.

“We used to use a traditional ambulance made of mats, like a stretcher made of papyrus and sticks. It takes one hour by walking — or five minutes in a car,” Germaine says, cradling baby Manirakoze and proudly brandishing her mobile telephone.

(Editing by Jeremy Clarke and Michael Roddy)

Reference Link
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64R2CL20100528?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

Courtesy
Thomson Reuters