Remya Jose

A rust-proof mesh cylinder inside a metal box is connected to two pedals. Put the clothes in the box, add detergent, fill half the box with water, and pedal for four minutes. The cylinder moves fast enough to scour off the dirt with constant beating against the mesh. Rinse, and clothes are dried 80 per cent. Cost: Rs 3,000. For another Rs 2,000, a cycle with a seat can be added on.

Remya’s father, P.A. Joseph, once turned down her request for a washingmachine. Since then Remya’s thoughts hovered on a machine that works on mechanical energy. Several sessions with the local mechanic yielded a simple machine. The parents couldn’t have asked for more. "She studies well, has won prizes in elocution, essay-writing, short story, mono act—she also learns her catechism well," says her father. Remya, of course, brims with ideas: a smokeless oven, a vacuum cleaner that uses water.... Meanwhile, if the washing machine patent is accepted, she hopes she will have enough funds to pursue an electronics engineering degree in a reputed college.