Meet the winner of the first prize:
Uday Kumar.
Uday, 34, is an architect and lives in Thiruvanathapuram. He designs apartment complexes and information technology buildings. He has also designed some of the GSLV Mark-III project complexes utilised by ISRO in Thiruvanathapuram.
He is a native of Bhilai and graduated in 1992 from NIT-Raipur, Chhattisgarh, with a degree in architecture.
He spent seven sleepless nights meticulously designing his interpretation of India's first mooncraft. And his precision won him the first prize!
Says Uday, "A contest always appeals to me. Right from primary school days I have participated in all possible contests that came along -- mainly science and botany related -- with only few defeats. After graduating as an architect I have won three competition projects in the short span of my career.
"Being a rediff user I came across this wonderful pop-up mooncraft design contest. That was it. I started working on it, stealing precious time from my profession.
"Right from school I have had an inclination towards space missions, robotics, mechanics, electronics and explosives. By the time I reached eighth standard I had read huge Russian books on various topics, which I would buy from flea markets at throwaway prices. Space missions are the only complex processes which involve almost all aspects of applied science and engineering clubbed together.
"Surprisingly, the failure of a space mission inspires me a lot. It makes me think and rethink why and what could have gone wrong? Then something clicks in the mind: an alternate solution or a better way to prevent those failures. Perhaps this applies to most people but then only few are capable of presenting their inspiration along with innovation as a working model or at least on paper."
Check out Uday Kumar's Mooncraft Design
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