For 15-year-old Chaitanya, science is a way of finding about things, everything seems possible in science. Access to digital learning has gotten him onto a mysterious quest for the unknown. 

What does it take to believe in things that may or may not exist? A conviction, confidence, faith! Chaitanya from grade 10 possesses a very inquisitive mind. He has often been told that the place he is constantly looking for doesn’t exist. He is also grateful for a few friends who keep boosting his morale and encourage him to keep going. 

While speaking about his unique experience, he shares, “I am always thinking of unseen places that exist in the world. Once, while searching for some school assignment information, I came across a subcontinent that disappeared many years ago. I think it was during the Ice Age that it vanished. Some people think it is a myth, some have researched and gone deep into its study. I think it is mentioned in Tamil literature too. Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu religious text talks of a continent that had disappeared.”

Access to eLearning tools has only feasted his curiosity. There is a world beyond textbooks that keeps inviting. And Chaitanya is willing to travel as far as it takes. 

“When I grow up, I want to be able to find out more about that continent. It has been a year since I have been searching for this,” he adds. 

While history is clearly what pulls him as a student, he has also been able to connect well with science after the ILF Improving Education program was activated in his school. “At our STEM lab, there are quite a few mechanical instruments available. We have made several projects with that including simple circuits, automated car, magnetic project, laser light alarm etc. Recently I tried making a laser light alarm system along with a friend.”

“To me, science is a way of finding things, innovating new things; science can do anything, nothing is impossible,” he concludes.