Kalam-inspired child makes steering wheel from waste

Udhampur: Young minds are the sharpest. Learning is quicker and action too. The education system today focuses on books and learning, but times are changing as young geniuses are choosing to take a different path to prove themselves.

An eleven-year-old sixth grade student Swastik Sharma, the son of Subash Sharma and a resident of Govind Nagar in Udhampur, has used waste matter to create a car steering wheel with steering rod.

Making both of these items at home so that he could play the car racing game on his computer, Swastik said that he felt uncomfortable playing with a mouse, and therefore, he created a steering with a rod.

Swastik said that he was inspired by former President and eminent scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and expressed a desire to become like him.

"I saw the children playing games in play stores and due to which their eyesight was getting lower day by day. So, I decided to make a steering wheel with steering rod and other components which the original car has, and used only waste material to make this whole item," he said.

"Now, I can play the game comfortably with this new equipment and it is also very economical," he added.

Swastik appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to upgrade the website of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards as he had tried so many times to upload his invention to the said website but has been unable to do so.

Swastik said he would upload his invention again when the website is upgraded.