A star is born

A star is born

September 2017

By Jamuna Rangachari

Aptly called the mini Stephen Hawkins of India, Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati overcame a debilitating condition to break many records in creativity and scientific innovation, says Jamuna Rangachari

Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati, 15, from Jaipur is wheelchair-bound as he suffers from duchenne muscular dystrophy, a motor neuron disease. Despite this, he believes that the only disability one can suffer from is a low self- esteem. Hearty, as his loved ones rightly call him owing to his high spirited personality, doesn’t want his parents to feel sad about his condition. He knows that all they want is his happiness and so he works hard for it. Having successfully transformed his life with his positive attitude, Hearty confirms, “Miracles are not found up in the heavens but within us. Those who cannot walk can fly with their attitude.”

 Innovator and inventor

Hearty loves to create things, and has designed a low cost wheelchair and modified car with a ramp, for the disabled. Recounting the farewell ceremony of cricket maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, he says, “I noticed that his mother and coach were not brought to the stadium in proper power wheelchair accessible vehicles. It was surprising and sad to see that even rich and successful people suffer due to a lack of accessibility.”  Hearty strongly believes that the problem of accessibility to such gadgets in India can only be solved by innovating. “You can either suffer or innovate,” he says, adding that he has opted for the latter and aspires to help millions across the nation with his innovations. So much so that he wants to gift two power wheel chair accessible vehicles to Sachin Tendulkar, one for his mother and another for his coach.

Hearty cannot play outdoors and so he plays indoor games. Once, when  nine year old Hearty was playing chess with his father, his friends from the building came over. He wanted them to join the game but realised that chess could accommodate just two players. He decided to create a circular board for multiple players and with his father’s help succeeded in just six months. The beauty of these innovative chess variants is that they follow traditional chess rules. Hearty firmly believes that any chess variant must follow traditional chess rules for two reasons: firstly, chess was invented in our country and secondly, the new variants must be traditional chess-friendly. India ranks first as far as circular chess variants are concerned, leaving Japan, known to be a leader in the field of chess variants’ inventions, behind. Having patented his creation, Hearty is currently the youngest patent-holder in India and the youngest disabled patent-holder in the world. He is also the winner of the CavinKare Ability Special Recognition Award and the Sri Balaji Society's Child Innovator Award. Since then he has designed and received patents for twelve- and sixty-player boards capable of 100 unique variants in all. Further, Hearty has  begun work on 6x16 SUDOKU and is trying his best to find the algorithm for a higher version of the game.

A nature lover

Hearty deeply admires the British physicist, Stephen Hawking and dreams to emulate his never-say-die attitude. In fact, he has rightly been referred to by many as the ‘mini Stephen Hawking of India’. In  the wake of the calamities that have befallen our world, Hearty dreams of a peaceful and happy planet for all. He has finished working on a project, ‘Disaster-free World’, and hopes to submit it to the United Nations. He is sure that if his ideas are implemented then the earth will be a happier place. He urges everyone to stop blaming nature for the harm caused due to our greed. “We have cut down forests and mowed down grasslands to build our own homes,” he says. “The weather patterns have changed affecting rainfall as well. When floods come, we look to the skies and curse Mother Nature without realising we’re part of the problem.”

Hearty is not comfortable with air conditioners. “The term ‘A.C.’ is faulty as air conditioners only condition the temperature of the air and not the air itself,” he says. “True air conditioners must give out air that is healthy and heals. I am working on an air conditioner concept that will consume the least amount of energy, be environmentally friendly and give customised healing based on the needs of people. When my idea materialises, I will need the support of Baba Ramdev for its application.” Seeing Hearty’s tenacity and unrelenting spirit, I’m sure he will succeed.

Long after I had spoken to Hearty, his belief that differently able individuals are not necessarily disabled  kept echoing in my mind. After all, his journey through hardships to the stars is proof that he is a supremely abled person. I hope that all his dreams come true and look forward to hearing  more about his achievements.

Jamuna Rangachari is a writer who has authored two books for children, and compiled and interpreted Teaching Stories-I and II for Life Positive.