JOIN USClass X students 'ink' a success story
Two students of class X at Sri Ramakrishna High School in Puttur have made their mark among the greens at the national level by inventing an eco-friendly ink.
Pramoda N V and Bhargava C S developed an ink from seeds of ‘Alale Kaayi’ (Chebulic Myrobalan or Terminalia Chebula), a herb found in tropical regions and widely used in villages for its medicinal properties.
The students embarked on the project a year and half ago for display at the National Children Science Congress. Pramoda told Deccan Herald: “We decided to prepare an eco-friendly ink as advised by our resource person, Dinesh Nayak, an advisor for the Mangalore Special Economic Zone Green Belt.
Our teacher Vasanthi guided us. After several trials and errors, we managed to develop the ink using powdered Terminalia Chebula seeds, water, glycerin, vinegar, acetone and seeds of Semicarpus Anacardium.”
He said the brownish-red ink can be made bluish-black by adding the essence of bindweed (Clitoria Ternatea).
The students didn’t lose heart when their project could go only up to the state-level in the Science Congress.
But the judges at the event were impressed by the project report handwritten using their own invention. As a result, of the 69 competitors, their team was part of the top eight teams from India selected for ‘Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science National Science Fair’, hosted by the Department of Science and Technology, Intel and Confederation of Indian Industry at Mumbai in November this year.
The team, if it makes to the top six, will represent the country at the ‘Intel International Science and Engineering Fair’ to be held in Los Angeles, California, in May next year. Apart from the two, another team from the State in the race is from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mandya.
Bhargava said the ink, which he claims is non-spreadable and waterproof, will cost only Rs six for 60 ml. The ink has been sent for chemical analysis to the National Institute of Technology Karnataka and for printing test at the Manipal Institute of Technology, said an elated school principal H Sashidhar Rai.
The students have continued their research to prepare ink for ballpoint pens, printing press and hair dyes. They feel the ink will also be useful for the textile industry.
The ink has become popular among their classmates. Bhargava said they are now processing applications to patent their invention. “We would never sell the formula of our ink. It’s our hard work,” said Pramoda who dreams of becoming an astronaut.