There’s a reason 11-year-old R Pugazhendhi from Alapakkam village in Ranipet joined the free science and tinkering club in his school a few months ago. It wasn’t so much to learn a hobby as it was to help his mother. “Whenever our water tank leaks, my mother travels 7km from our village to the town to get someone to fix it,” says Pugazhendhi. “I felt bad seeing how after finishing all the housework, she has to do this as well. So, I decided to learn how to fix things.” Pugazhendhi has since fixed the tank in his house and installed taps.Pugazhendhi is one of several children across 14 districts who are learning skills such as plumbing and phone and cycle repair through Aid India’s Science and Tinkering Club, where children from rural and govt schools are taught by their village plumbers, cycle and phone mechanics and electricians.“Learning abstract concepts may not work when children are dealing with real constraints,” says V Subhramaniam, project director of Aid India. “By teaching practical science, we want children to see technology as something they can use.”Vignesh K, a mechanical engineering student and cycle mechanic who teaches at the Tinkering Club, says, most families in these villages find it difficult to access basic services. “Even going to a hospital often means travelling by cycle, but the nearest cycle repair shop is 5km away, leaving people stranded when something breaks down,” he says. “That’s what made me want to teach these children whatever I know.”Ezhumalai M, a local plumber during the day and teacher at night, says the children are excited and curious about learning a skill. “When I teach them basics such as plastering or when and how to use a ‘T’ pipe, they immediately think about applying it at home. They also come with plumbing problems in their house and learn how to fix them,” he says.Having begun in 2018, the club has so far worked with more than 3,000 children. Among them is V Lavanya from Amarapuram who just learned how to fix a puncture and reattach a cycle chain. “Now, I don’t have to miss school because my cycle has a puncture,” she says.
