A four-strong team comprising Ajaypat Jain, E. R. Subramanian, Gagan Anand and Anshul Singh — all class XI students of Apeejay School, Noida — was adjudged winner of the annual ‘Future Cities 2020’ competition on January 19. Promoted by the Central government’s department of science and technology (DST) in association with Bentley Systems, a US-based infrastructure software design company (annual sales: $400 million) in 2006, the competition is modelled on a similar contest for school and college students promoted by Bentley Systems in the US. The programme is a partner-ship between government, universities, and the business community to create civic design blueprints for India’s cities of 2020 utilising Bentley Systems software. The winning team is awarded a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, a shield and certificates of commendation.

In July last year, more than 20 schools from the national capital region were invited to submit project proposals for the proposed games village which will accommodate about 8,000 athletes and officials during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010 scheduled to be held in Delhi. The competition mandated each team to submit a Power Point presentation, a physical and computer simulated model before a judges’ panel comprising architects, planners, scientists and engineers drawn from reputed consultancies, DST, and Delhi Development Authority.

“Real work on this project started in November. Our teacher guided us in intensive internet research, we attended the software training workshop and visited a few project sites,” says Ajaypat Jain.

“The school provided us complete support by way of labs, facilities, extra classes, as we worked overtime to put this model together,” adds Gagan Anand. “The challenge before us was to factor in the fragile ecology of the proposed villages, vari-ous regulations and also maximise the utility of the site. Quite obviously we were successful to a great extent,” remarks E.R. Subramanian.

As per the rules of the competition stipulated by Bentley Systems, the boys made a compact table top model, devel-oped a simulated centre with green buildings, sports centre, fitted places with occupancy sensors to check energy consumption, installed carbon monoxide monitors, electrostatic precipitators, digital library, hybrid transport, robot mechanised navigation system, an aquarium, convention centre and tourist complex.

Appreciating the creative talent of a new generation of minds, Union minister Kapil Sibal lauded the design capability and creativity of the Apeejay team with the hope that youth will “one day determine the infrastructure future of this great nation”.  

Autar Nehru (Delhi) 

Siddharth Kashyap
Engagingly articulate Siddharth Kashyap, a class VII student of the CBSE-affiliated Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Chennai, was adjudged the winner of the International Creative Craft Competition (ICCC) 2007, organised in Mumbai by Pidilite Industries. This is no mean achievement, as the competition which started as a national event in 2005 has since been extended to include five countries, and last year drew the interest of 2 million students from 10,000 schools across India, Dubai, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

ICCC 2007 was staged at four levels — school, city, zonal and the mega final. Siddharth triumphed at all levels and was conferred a cash award of Rs.50,000 by HDFC Standard Life, with his craft teacher Sudha Dharman being awarded Rs.10,000. Moreover his school won a digital camera for being declared the ICCC School of the Year.

At the inter-school level Siddharth crafted a ceramic piggy-bank shaped like a house which attracted the first prize. Thereafter he began displaying his scientific bent of mind in designing craft models. In an inter-school competition in Chennai last September, Siddharth presented an eco-friendly car powered by solar energy. Christened Sid 95 after its creator, the car was built using papier mache and a Meccano set for the base. It won him a gold medal in the inter-state (zonal) to qualify him for the mega finals held in Mumbai on October 27, where he had to compete with 15 finalists from five countries.

“The final was quite tough as we had to build our models on the spot within 90 minutes. Moreover, the topic ‘village’ given to us the previous day was modified to ‘futuristic village’ on the day of the final. But I quickly set about making the huts, a well, railway station, school and hospital, a hydropower station and biogas plant using chart paper and thermocol,” recalls Siddharth who is thankful to his marine engineer father CPK Kashyap and mother Durga for their support and encouragement.

Unsurprisingly the ICCC 2007 craft champion aspires to qualify as an engineer. “The International Creative Craft Competition sponsored by Pidilite Industries is a commendable effort because it stimulates children to see the big picture and visualise great projects,” he says.

Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)