A group of class 10 students in Telangana have proved yet again that those from marginalised sections of the society can excel if they are just given the right opportunities and support.
Six students from the Telangana Minority Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) say they have designed an eco-friendly bike.
Sayyed Alam, Md Saleem, J Akash, Akil Kumar, Md Isanullah and Mallikarjun who, study in Kaghaznagar TMREIS campus, excitedly tell TNM about their bike.
With a wide smile on his face, Sayyed Alam tells TNM that they named the bike 'TMREIS -Unique One'. "We have created this bike by using 1.5-kilovolt BLDC motor which will get power through four batteries of 32 amps each. Power will be generated with the help of dynamo (an electrical generator) that is connected to the BLDC motor and a small belt," he says.
The students explain that the rotation of the belt will generate power that will be stored in the batteries, making the bike self-sufficient to run. "As the bike runs, power will be generated continuously - we are just converting kinetic energy into electrical energy. There will be no sound pollution, no air pollution while riding this bike, making it eco-friendly," Alam adds.
He and his teammates also say that the Unique One is the first such design in the eco-friendly category, to the best of their knowledge. The bike’s first test drive was done recently by Shafiullah, an IFS officer and Secretary of TMREIS.
According to students, the bike can go up to 40-50 kmph speed, which can be increased by changing up the batteries.
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The class 10 students had expressed their interest in developing the bike when Shafiullah had visited Kaghaznagar a few months ago. The Secretary approved the project, and “facilities were provided to them in TMRS Bahadurpura Boys 1 [school], Hyderabad. The students were made to stay at the said school for completing the said work. Their tremendous efforts materialised and in a short span of time, [and] the gearless bike was ready,” a TMREIS media release says.
These institutes are part of a Telangana government initiative where residential educational institutions are run for students of SC, ST, BC and minorities communities as part of its KG to PG education mission. The six students behind Unique One thanked TMREIS as well as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for providing support and encouragement for the project.
"We all are from poor families. Until we joined in these schools, we didn't have anything. We have seen suffering due to lack of facilities, poverty, and hunger,” Alam shares. “Now, with the support of the government, we were able to make this bike. After joining here, I dream I can become a great scientist of India."
While Alam hails from Jainoor in Asifabad, a remote corners in the state, the other five are from the erstwhile Adilabad district.
After the success of these six students, more students of TMREIS institutions will be encouraged to take up such activities. “An exposure workshop will be held at Hyderabad during summer vacation to encourage these types of innovative projects by TMREIS students. Further these students will be groomed with the help of IIT Hyderabad,” the media release said.