The feat achieved by student inventor Anang Tadar, who has left everyone in awe with his innovation called ‘Goggle for Blind’ is an astounding outcome of the ‘spirit of inquiry’.
A student of class XI of New Galaxy Academy, Nirjuli, the young inventor says that his creation is an outcome of his interaction with a blind girl which moved him and motivated him to use technology to help visually impaired people. The technology he chose was similar to parking sensors used in cars.
This is what spirit of inquiry can do!
From Isaac Newton to Einstein—eureka moment was achieved all through divergent thinking fuelled by the desire to known about the unknown. Throughout history, medicines, gadgets and technology which turned out to be a boon for countless across the world have been the outcome of such thought processes. Whilst some scientific advances have been achieved purely by chance (e.g. the discovery of Penicillin) most require a questioning, seeking mind and perseverance at the highest level. Today science does not tend to advance by chance - humans are at such a level of understanding (through our continuation of efforts) that we must in general use a 'trial and error' basis for research, which is where intelligence and our basic feelings of curiosity are hugely important.
But unfortunately, our education system somewhere over time has stifled ‘inquiry and curiosity’ among students. What we are producing are run-of-the-mill individuals whose creativity and free thought have been smothered to unhealthy levels. We are spoon-feeding students and brain-washing them with knowledge all this while crushing their free-thought and expression. Questioning in classrooms has become restricted only for teachers and if it is the other way round, the student has a fair chance of being reprimanded for impolite behaviour. There you see, the Indian education system is caught in a non-creative, exam system with textbook education that does not encourage the spirit of inquiry.
For the country to become innovative, productive and prosperous, it is imperative to reverse the creativity gap to raise “the speed limit of creativity of the country”, through new, affordable and accessible teaching-learning methods that would spark and instil the key building blocks of creative thinking and action.