Class VIII student Van Kannur makes working car from scrap, dreams to become an engineer

In a quiet corner of the municipality of Sriekandapuram in the Kannur district, an extraordinary performance of a class 8 -student has received attention to a budding engineering genius. Abel, son of Shibu, a Autorickshaw driver, and Beena, has built a functioning car with discarded materials, admiring the local population, teachers and others.

The 13-year-old student of Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Payyavoor, has compiled the vehicle from scrap metals, stored parts of old engines and materials collected from local hardware and scrap.

Repair things

“When he studied in class IV, he started repairing broken things such as fans, torchlights and bicycle parts. We always made jokes about it. But now it is clear that he was much further than our imagination,” says his father.

At the age of eight he made an earth -moving machine from coconut scales and a kick. What started as a curiosity from childhood, gradually evolved into more complex efforts. From repairing torches and mixer sharpening machines at home to repairing and re -designing bicycles, Abel’s skills grew rapidly.

He has adjusted a new cycle to him and even repaired the bikes of friends who were looking for his help.

When his father’s engine broke, Abel carefully observed the repair work in a local mechanic store in Madambam. In the end he only started to understand motor systems. Much of his technical knowledge is acquired himself, obtained by viewing videos and tutorials online.

I have ‘a’ figure

Mr. Shibu said that while Abel studied in class V, he demanded an old and unused bicycle to understand the functioning of the engine. Fortunately for him, he managed to get a discarded engine from a scrap store. “To my surprise, he not only learned the functioning of the engine within a few weeks, but he even repaired the vehicle and made it operational,” said Mr. Shibu. For this he obtained an ‘A’ figure during the Irrikur sub -district of Sastrolsavam in the Working Model category.

He received a lot of appreciation from people and during a congratulatory function, when a pastor asked him what he intended to make, he immediately said he wanted to make a car. He soon bought the engine from a motorcycle, scooty tires and other parts that are needed to make his own car. He took the help of a welder to form the car. Abel collected each part from a scrap and collected his first four -wheeler. The prototype vehicle, simple yet functional, can be driven around their connection.

Abel said he wants to become a mechanical engineer. “There is so much to learn. I just don’t want to stop building things,” he said.

Buzzing workshop

The hours after the school, the family courtyard turns into a buzzing workshop. Something is always built or dismantled, say his brothers and sisters Engel and Ajal who are constant support.

The modified car, now complete with a functioning engine, regularly attracts friends, local people and spectators who wonder about what a boy with a toolbox and a dream can build.

For Abel this is just the beginning. While his father sees him who drives the hand -built vehicle around their garden, he smiles with pride. “He not only builds a machine, but his future,” says Mr. Shibu.