Young Kashmiri fan of Nikola Tesla generates electricity in a firepot

Science geek and experimenter, Sohail Ahmed Parray has previously tried charging his phone with his shoes

This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Urdu

Sohail Ahmad Parray’s room is filled with scrap electronics. It looks like it hasn’t been tidied in years.

Sohail, 20, hails from Chersoon, a village in Awantipura about 37 kilometres from Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian administered territory of Kashmir.

In this room filled with electronic clutter, Sohail along with his brother Abrar Ahmad Parray and their cousin, Muazzam Ashraf Wani, has been successful in generating electricity after 20 days of experimentation with a traditional local firepot called “Kangri”, which is widely used by the people of Kashmir during the harsh winter months.

Sohail has been conducting experiments in his room since childhood. Explaining how he generated electricity through a Kangri, Sohail told Independent Urdu: “We have a lack of electricity in Kashmir, which is particularly hard on students preparing for their exams. So, I wanted to figure out an alternative energy source.

“I used equipment such as thermo-electrical coolers and made a mini inverter using rechargeable cells and thermal paste and through this was able to convert heat energy into electrical energy.”

Posters with pictures and quotes of famous scientists of the world adorn the walls of his room of experiments. Sohail says that he is a big fan of scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla.

“In 2016, I conducted a power project on the waters of Jhelum River without using a dam. However, due to the prevailing situation at the time, few people could know about it.”

Along with the firepot-generated electricity, Sohail has been successful in making shoes that can charge mobile phones.

“When we walk or run, our feet generate mechanical energy which can be a great source for creating electricity”, he explained. 

Sohail is busy with many such projects these days and is optimistic about their success.

The 20-year old added: “I am experimenting with how to create alternative sources of energy, but during military operations in South Kashmir, the internet gets cut off or the speed becomes slow, which affects my research. Still, I’m very hopeful about getting some good results in the coming days.”

Translated by Abdul Qayyum, Edited and proofread by Taimur Rehman, Tooba Ali & Celine Assaf