Name : P.S. Senthur Balaji
District & State : Erode, Tamil Nadu
Award : Class 11th – 12th
Award Function : IGNITE 2015 Awards
Award Year : 2015
Innovation Description
IPR Status
Senthur has come up with the idea of a latch, which can be useful for people travelling frequently or living in rural areas. The latch can be used for locking a door temporarily in public restrooms or other places, which have broken or no latches on the doors.
The idea occurred to Senthur out of his own experience of travelling. “Once when I had to travel to a far off place by train, the train I had to board was an hour late.While waiting, I suddenly heard my stomach rumble and realized it was upset. I rushed to the toilet at the railway station and was surprised to see that there was no latch on the door. I somehow relieved myself but the whole experience was embarrassing. When I came out, I wondered about the plight of women travellers. This made me think of a portable latch,” says Senthur, who is the only child of his parents. While his father is a businessman, his mother is a homemaker. The family has a dog, which Senthur misses a lot as he stays in a hostel.
Once the idea was developed, he created a lot of drawings and showed them to his friends, who encouraged him.At school, subjects that come with a practical application, instead of formulae, appeal to Senthur. A foodie, Senthur likes to surprise his mother with his ability to cook well. He plays football and badminton and reads a lot on concepts related to technology.
Unlike most children his age, Senthur has his future plans sorted. “When I complete studies, I want to work first in an international company like Google or Microsoft and then lend my expertise and exposure to an Indian company. Later, I will start my own company and once I hand it over to the next generation, I will join a technology magazine, where I can share my expertise on technology,” says the 18-year-old, who believes that India will become a powerful force in creating tech innovations.He wants to make India fully developed and independent in its use of technology.
“The things we do for ourselves are gone when we are gone. But the things we do for others remain our legacy,” says Senthur.
http://nif.org.in/innovation/portable-latch-for-restrooms/848