Eight-year-old Krisha Vaidhya has not only made her banker parents proud by bagging the prestigious award for designing a futuristic chair for Mars under a competition hosted by the acclaimed Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, but also brought laurels for India too as the youngest participant to be bestowed the honour. As part of the award, she won 3,000 dirham and a visit to a state-of-the-art prototyping lab in Dubai.

Her model of the futuristic chair, fabricated from recyclable household items, has legs that double as a levitation device (with boosters) to keep it afloat in the high gravitational pull of the Mars while manoeuvring in the harsh volcanic Mar’s surface. Enconsed in a globe-like module with a protective cover of ash proof glass, the chair is featured to provide a 360 degree view to the rider.

Krisha named her prototype Krisha’s Kursi, for the latter means ‘chair’ both in Hindi and Arabic, honouring her birthland (UAE) and motherland (India). Her mother, Navita Gupta Hakim, a banker turned chef, shared, “Krisha is extremely proud of her Indian roots. Watching Mission Mangal left an indelible mark on her. She was further fuelled by the UAE’s Hope Probe. On coming across the contest — Chair of the Future — she sought to participate in it, celebrating UAE’s entry as a proud nation into the elite space club.”

As part of the competition, the participants had to create a prototype of a chair and make a short video presentation explaining about it. She was competing with aproximately 250 design personnels from all over UAE and across all age groups. Krisha won her prize in the ‘future’ category. She has had a multicultural experience, thus, shaping her view of the world. She has persevered and has an attitude to find innovative ways to accomplish tasks. She is also fascinated by the Bhagwad Geeta with her belief in the power of a ‘guru’.

Her mother shared that during the lockdown, Krisha amazed every one with her resilience. While most struggled with the ‘new normal’, she readily adapted to technology and was also recognised by her school. She has created another frugal invention on her YouTube channel based on Newton’s 3rd law. A self-moving tray that can be used for quarantined people. Hope her story inspires more youngsters to show the world their true potential.