ENTHUSIASTIC: Ganesh Ram, who wants to be a mechanical engineer, with his innovations. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bangalore: Mothers are happy if children keep their school uniform clean. But what if a child washes his uniform using a washing machine developed on his own?

K.S. Ganesh Ram, an eighth standard student at St. Paul's School in J.P. Nagar, has developed many household appliances, some of them scaled down models, using plastic blocks with tiny electrical motors.

His latest "invention" is a 2-kg washing machine using 250 watt of power, which he designed to help his mother. "I worked one hour everyday for a month and used an old exhaust fan motor and wooden handles for blades inside the washing machine. Today, I wash my uniform using this machine," said Ganesh Ram, who is thrilled with his effort. So is his mother. It all started when Ganesh Ram was five, and asked his mother Asha for a mixer-grinder to play with.

When his mother refused, he started designing his own mixer-grinder. He later went on to design in his grandmother's house, a computer, modular kitchen, elevator, idols of gods, a robot and a wall clock.

"My family has encouraged me and the physics professors in the neighbourhood have helped me," said Ganesh Ram who wants to be a mechanical engineer.

A boat called "Titanic" was the most impressive working model he has made, said his grandfather K.V. Ramaiah. The model of a house which he had designed using blocks was used by an engineer to design a house in the area, said his mother.

When he couldn't buy the toy "Thomas, The tank engine", a famous cartoon character, he designed it himself using blocks. He has also designed a water purifier using old water cans.

"Ganesh Ram uses scrap material for designing working models, so it is not a financial burden for us," said his mother. He is also good in his studies and is creative in developing models from plastic blocks, said his aunt Chandra.

Ganesh Ram's other inventions include a video game (which he designed using plastic blocks and wipers from mixer grinder) and a unique rope-producing machine using broken cricket stumps and an old motor of an exhaust fan. "I saw people making ropes manually and the idea of producing a rope-making machine came to my mind," said Ganesh Ram. He is now working on a remote controlled car model that runs with the help of a battery. "My next plan is to make a fully automatic washing machine for my mother to help her wash all our clothes," he said.

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