Dec 23, 2004
An apology to Dr. Herbert Kroemer
A small rosy reverie is not uncalled for. World energy needs will be reduced to a bare fraction of what they are today if VHS is realised. Oil fields will neither be coveted nor oil money drive religious extremism. And lambs will lie with lions and the world will slow down, giving environment a chance to restore itself. Well, don’t we all live for that perfect world. Let us believe Aasis will lead us to it.
For GoodNewsIndia a greater story than the invention itself is that India’s better self, is alive and well. First there’s the boy himself, the only child of two hard working teachers. And they live in a little heard of —but delightfully named— town called Pattanamthitta in Kerala. Next there is the headmaster Mr John, of Aasis’s SDA English Medium School, who didn’t mock the young man’s idea when he brought it up an year ago. Luckily, he teaches English and not physics or else he might have said the laws won’t allow it. A teacher encouraged him to build the first model.
When the model was ready, the media and the Kerala government arrived at Aasis’s doorstep. Our unstoppable President Kalam wrote to enquire and had the idea evaluated. The Prime Minister’s office sent a senior staffer to see what was needed. Finally the National Innovation Foundation came on-board to do all the hand holding necessary to take the idea forward.
Aasis is now at building a real life VHS which will be used to pump tail-race waters of a dam back to the source. If it works we won’t need any more dams; we would simply keep pumping a given quantum of water over and over again to generate all the power we need.
Over the phone speaking to GoodNewsIndia, Principal John calls Aasis, a very bright, humble, hard working boy. Aasis himself is soft spoken but full of confidence. They have had an over-fill of attention and offers —and there have also been security concerns because of the monetary potential of the idea.
Brief encouraging messages are welcome at either the school’s or Aasis’s addresses. But definitely no queries seeking more information, offers of assistance, business proposals or collaborations.
Aasis wants to left alone with his mystical invention.