Unravelling the hidden talent

Mulugu: All that the younger generation needs is a platform that provides an opportunity to showcase their talent. Intinta Innovator, an initiative of the Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC), is one such programme that scouts for budding innovators. Ponnam Ranaprathap Goud who recently finished Intermediate from the TS Model School and Junior College at Bandarupally, 3 km from Mulugu, caught the eye of TSIC by creating a sound box using a waste plastic can.

Although 18-year-old Ranaprathap hails from a tribal hinterland where modern gadgets are a rarity, he wanted to have a good soundbox. The reason for it was that he practises beatboxing, a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines, using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

Owning a sound box is indeed a luxury for Ranaprathap due to poverty. His mother Sharada, a farm labourer, is the only breadwinner in his family. Speaking to The Hans India, Ranaprathap said, "I wanted to make a soundbox on my own. I fetched a speaker, an amplifier board, a Bluetooth kit from an electronics shop, and fixed them to a wastewater can. I also fixed a woofer, sub-woofer and tweeter to enhance its performance. It's pretty cheap compared to the sound boxes available in the market." The soundbox also has bass and treble volume controls, in addition to a USB port, a micro SD memory card, 6.30mm jack mic connector inputs with FM facility, he said. The soundbox also has a 12V battery, and a 12V adopter to run it on alternating current.

It may be mentioned here that Ranaprathap had also manufactured a DC (direct current) water pumping machine of 0.5 HP. It runs on a 12V battery with an automatic on/off function. His idea is to pump out the rainwater from a house.

"Quite often we see rainwater entering our houses located in low-lying areas. This motor functions automatically to pump out the rainwater. It's a submersible pump," Ranaprathap said.