INDIAN KIDS ARE ON GREENING DRIVE

How about a marker pen with red chilli or turmeric ink? Or a mosquito repellent produced from papaya leaves?

Budding scientists from Maharashtra and Gujarat have come up with these products, receiving recognition at an international science fair.

Venkatraman and her classmate Neha Kulkarni, products of Modern English School, Mumbai have developed an extract from the leaves of papaya that can control mosquitoes. They studied the efficacies of the extract for several months and found that ''the mortality rate of mosquitoes was 86 percent''.

Their product is completely bio-natural and cost effective. It doesn't cause any harm to the soil, plants and human beings

''We collected papaya leaves, crushed them to make an extract, diluted it in water and studied its effect on mosquitoes in different stages,'' Kulkarni told IANS.

Venkatraman and Kulkarni showcased their innovations at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF) in US last month and bagged the third prize beating nearly 1,500 young innovators from across the world.

Similarly, another pair of budding scientists from the S.G. Dholakiya Memorial High School in Rajkot, Gujarat, has produced marker pen ink from chilli (red ink), turmeric (yellow), carrot (saffron) and even rose petals (pink).

''First, all different types of coloured vegetables are taken and crushed separately. This solution is boiled at 100 degrees Celsius for nearly 20 minutes. It is kept for self-cooling and after nearly an hour, the dye is prepared,'' said Pooja Dholakiya.

''Kerosene is added in different proportions to the dye. Then 0.5 cm diameter cotton cording is taken and poured into the dye. After about one hour, people can use it as marker pen,'' explained Dholakiya's classmate Ridhi Dasani.

They too represented India at IISEF 2008. As a team they got a $1,000 award at the fair.

Seeing the young talent of India, Indian Science and Technology Minister, Kapil Sibal remarked, ''It's heartening to see that budding scientists are going eco-friendly. This is a good sign for both science and new innovations.''

Source: Indo Asian News Service