Aaradhya, a Class 12 student of Mamta Modern Senior Secondary School, New Delhi, collaborated with her classmates, Mayank Kataria and Abhishek Poddar, and developed Vayu Shodhak, a unique air purifier at the ATL in their school.

“Delhi is choking. Even as I speak to you, the air quality continues to drop, worsening the congestion and breathing issues that my sister and I have been struggling with,” begins Aaradhya Sharma.

“It isn’t merely outdoor pollution that is affecting our lungs —it also exists inside our home, and is twenty times worse. I had had enough of suffering, and that is when the idea of developing Vayu Shodhak came to me,” Mayank adds.

Elaborating on the merits of this cost-effective and ecofriendly air purifier, Vayu Shodhak is capable of removing dust particles up to PM 2.5. It reduces mould and unpleasant odours in the room and keeps mosquitoes at bay.

It also enriches oxygen in the room through the use of bluegreen algae or cyanobacteria called spirulina. And above all, when compared to high-quality air purifiers that start from Rs 10,0000, Vayu Shodhak costs three times less.

The ATL at Aaradhya’s school and the boot camp that the team attended was instrumental in turning their vision into reality. “We interacted with industry experts who not only praised our efforts but gave us effective feedback to turn our prototype into a fully functioning model. As school students, we had access to numerous resources on-demand that made the entire process incredibly smooth,” they concluded.