'Mega Tinkering Day' inspires innovation in Jabalpur, students build DIY vacuum cleaner using ATL

Jabalpur, Aug 12 (IANS) Creativity and innovation took centre stage as ‘Mega Tinkering Day’ was celebrated across the country on Tuesday, aiming to foster problem-solving abilities, technical skills, and inventive thinking among students. At PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, the event unfolded with special enthusiasm as part of a four-day programme, where students showcased projects developed with the support of the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL).

Among the standout creations was a functional model of a DIY vacuum cleaner, designed to tackle household cleaning using basic, easily available materials. Students demonstrated their working prototypes, reflecting the day’s theme of 'DIY' innovation.

IANS spoke to students and teachers, who shared their ideas and how ATL improved their thinking.

Vikas Singh, a Class 10 student, said: "Today we have made a vacuum cleaner with the help of Atal Tinkering Lab, which will help in cleaning garbage. This project taught us new techniques and time-saving methods. If the government approves our prototype, we will try to turn it into a real product."

The enthusiasm wasn’t limited to boys; girls also participated in equal measure.

Shruti Yadav, a Class 9 student, said: "I learned that we can create useful everyday tools ourselves with innovative thinking and apply them in real life."

Another Class 10 student, Gyanvi Kumari, said: "We made a vacuum cleaner through small technical experiments. If we learn these skills from childhood, we can take them to a higher level in the future and bring pride to the country."

Teachers and instructors present at the event emphasised how initiatives like ATL and the New Education Policy (NEP) are empowering students to gain practical, technical, and industrial knowledge even before reaching college.

Tinkering Instructor Akash Soni said: "The NEP and ATL are vital in encouraging students to implement new ideas practically. This will help make India a manufacturing hub in the future."

ATL In-charge Sonal Shukla added: "Our aim is to nurture creative thinking and problem-solving abilities. Students here work with Arduino, sensors, and other technologies, steering the country toward becoming a developed India."

Beyond just technology, events like Mega Tinkering Day also instil values of teamwork, innovation, and analytical thinking.

According to NITI Aayog, the 2025 Mega Tinkering Day marked India’s largest-ever school-based tinkering initiative, mobilising over 4 lakh students nationwide. More than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs participated, with 4,73,350 students from 9,467 ATL-equipped schools engaging in hands-on projects to design and build a DIY vacuum cleaner in real time.

The event was hosted virtually and simultaneously across schools in 35 states and union territories under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), showcasing the nation’s collective spirit of invention.

--IANS

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