The ATL experience of two young innovators of Sikkim

Supriya Sharma and Choden Tamang, two young innovators of class 9th from the Paljor Namgyal Girls’ School, Sikkim were walking down the school aisle, when they noticed an old room open for renovation. Curious girls went to their teacher, Ivan Lepcha, asking about the same and were enlightened about a neoteric lab to be setup soon – The Atal Tinkering Lab.

Soon, the students throughout the school started learning the new technologies – 3D printing, IoT, electronics and so on. One fateful day, the students were in a design thinking class where they had to identify community issues. Choden and Supriya started exploring the various challenges people face in their neighborhood in Sikkim.
They quickly noticed that they live in a hilly region of the country, where road safety is always a challenge. In hilly roads, one mistake could cause any vehicle to lose balance and fall into the abyss of the hills, with no chance of survival. The loss is immense and unbearable.
Quickly learning and leveraging resources available at the Atal Tinkering Lab, Supriya and Choden advanced to the Tinker Club of their school.
The students got their first opportunity to participate in the AIM School of the Month Challenge.
The ‘sensor-based robotic accident prevention technology for hill-roads’ developed by them was an imminent success which made their school win the School of the Month Challenge. And this was just the start. Choden and Supriya took their idea further and participated in numerous contests.
They brought laurels to the school when their innovation was among the Top 5 Exhibits showcased in Science and Technology for Harnessing Innovations (SAATHI) meet held during the India International Science Festival (IISF) by Department of Biotechnology in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 6th October, 2018. The students were felicitated by Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT, and Dr. Ashutosh Jain, Secretary, DST.

Their innovation story is so beautiful, that even UNICEF, India noticed it. On the 14th November, 2018, Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF joined hands together to celebrate Children’s day. To celebrate World Children’s day, UNICEF hosted a talk series by students on 17th November 2018 in New Delhi, where Choden delivered a speech about her experience, inspiring millions of students worldwide to make, break, create, tinker and innovate.

Inspiring stories like these are the fuel for every citizen of the country, reminding all of us that no matter from where you are, no matter how old you are, No idea is small and Always dream BIG!

Students : Supriya Sharma, Choden Tamang
Mentor : Ivan Lepcha, ATL incharge, Paljor Namgyal Girls’ School, Sikkim