“I am glad that Agastya provided me with so many opportunities,” declared Gowtham B., a curious and enthusiastic 20-year-old who has been involved with Agastya as both a Young Instructor Leader (YIL) and a volunteer. In the sixth standard, he was selected to participate in the YIL programme in recognition of his immense potential. He has also served as an Operation Vasantha (OV) volunteer since 2019, teaching 30 to 40 students in his village every evening.
Currently, Gowtham is in the midst of his third year at Kuppam Engineering College, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications. Through his studies, he has been able to help his village with technical issues and stays active in the community as a youth member.
His successes may not have been possible without Agastya’s support. Gowtham credits the organization with the development of his capabilities, improvement in skills and confidence.
“Agastya brought out my inner abilities and I was able to realise and analyse my potential,” he said.
Gowtham was able to visit the Campus Creativity Lab in Kuppam at least once a month from his sixth standard onwards. When he arrived on the campus for the first time, he was awestruck by its beauty and the breadth of concepts on display in its labs.
“It was a ‘wow’ moment for all of us,” he recalled. “We were fascinated by the life-sized science models, the Ecology lab, the garden in the shape of a human body, the hut in which we all sat and the art centre.”
Through Agastya’s experimental and practical approach, he and his classmates observed, discovered and developed methods to understand and explain their findings, igniting their curiosity and encouraging them to think creatively. Colourful formulas, puzzles and numbers adorned the walls and tables of the math lab, making typically intimidating concepts — such as pi, (a+b)2, cuboids, and pentagons — appear fun and engaging. While in the math lab, he was able to see and feel how all the sides of a cube are equal, allowing him to more easily grasp the ideas.
The science labs piqued his curiosity even more. In the biology lab, he saw organisms in three dimensions — contrasting with the flat pictures in his science textbook — and learnt about herbivores, carnivores and the food chain through games and videos. Simple experiments with kitchen chemicals like vinegar and baking soda produced bubbles and froth and made chemistry entertaining. Gowtham asked many questions and, after watching the instructor, demonstrated experiments to his class too with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal.
Gowtham was so spellbound by these creativity labs that he wanted one in his school. He and a few of his friends presented this request to their school headmaster, who approved a room for it. They obtained some frogs, tortoises, insects, and even a human skull for their biology lab. A decade later, his school’s lab still exists.
Thinking Outside the Box
Gowtham’s inquisitive nature identified him as a prime candidate for the Young Instructor Leader (YIL) programme.
The YIL programme is built on the stipulation that “the attitude of the leader should be such that (s)he empowers the others and allows them to grow under his/her guidance.”
With his leadership skills and positive attitude about learning, Gowtham was a natural fit for the position.
His ability to work with others was evident when, along with two others, he presented a model in the eighth standard. His team learnt to make an innovative fire-extinguisher and improved their communication, reasoning, building, time management, and presentation skills.
Throughout the process, Agastya instructors provided plenty of support and helped him overcome many problems. They set a focus for him to improve his English-speaking skills, asking him to concentrate on grammar, then word formation, and to watch English movies on television.
Agastya also helped him think ‘[outside] the box’ — his ‘Hot Steriliser’ model for ICUs was short-listed for the ‘INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research)’ award at a district-level science fair in Chittoor. During the selection round, students had to come up with innovative solutions for social issues. The INSPIRE award jury commended Gowtham’s idea, and though he did not win, he relished the opportunity to think creatively.
“It is a boon to have Agastya in our lives,” he said. “Agastya sessions also brought out talents which I did not know I had in me.”
His improved confidence manifested itself in the world of performing arts, too. In the ninth standard, he gave a dance and mime performance during an alumni meet, despite the fact that he had never been on stage before. During the meet, he also got the opportunity to speak to other people who were personally inspired by Agastya.
“This gentleman told us that he, too, was from a financially poor background but his determination and strong will helped him to become successful in life,” Gowtham recalled. “Hence, I, too, can pursue my dreams to join a multinational company and earn well, despite the challenges in my life. That is my life’s formula, which has brought me [until] here.”
In his early adulthood, Gowtham continues to be a change-maker. He has taken the lessons learned from his time with Agastya and applied them to issues in his community. Recently, students at his OV centre told him about leakages caused by improperly maintained taps and surroundings. His professor encouraged him to find out ‘why’ and ‘how’ he could solve it.
After committing considerable effort into finding a solution, he came up with a model called ‘Efficient Solution for Water Management at Residential Places.’ In 2023, his innovation won second prize at Anveshana, Agastya’s annual Science and Engineering competition. He is interested in patenting it before selling it as a product.
Nowadays, Gowtham is as resilient and motivated as ever. His father passed away a year ago, leaving his mother, a farmer, as the sole breadwinner. She is responsible for taking care of the financial and educational needs of Gowtham and his younger brother, who is currently in his second year at Doctor Y.C. James Yen Government Polytechnic College in Kuppam. The monthly stipend of INR 2,000 that he gets for his work at OV is critical in helping his family.
But despite his family’s setbacks, Gowtham’s dreams are undeterred.
“Eventually, I wish to see myself as a CEO of Mindtree or Amazon in about five years,” he declared. “Consistency, hard work and determination will always help in achieving success.”
