Meet Manishka Dubey, 1O-year old innovator from Dehradun. Her innovation “The Children’s Safety Band” has received sesveral appreciation and awards. Many Children’s Magazine have talked about her. Let’s know about her innovations, inspiration and interests in breif. Tell us about the Safety Band. How does it work? The Safety Band is connected to a Bluetooth device, which in turn is connected to the parent’s phone. If the child goes beyond 22 metres, the alarm will buzz on the phone and band. When in danger, the child needs to press the black button to start the buzzer. Alerted passersby can scan the QR code to get the parent’s name, phone number, address and the child’s name. What inspired you to make the ‘Safety Band’? Once in Kolkata, when I went to the Kali Mandir with my Naanu and Naani, I was lost in the crowd. My Mom used to say “If you are lost, do not trust strangers. Go to the Police.” I went and the Police called my Mom using my ID card. My Mom informed Naanu and they picked me. I did it this way, but what if somebody else has been there? What problems did you face when building the ‘Safety Band’? I faced problems finding the right material. The current version is made of denim. Before this I made it with cardboard and foam. My robotics mentors Shivakshi Ma’am, Shailendra Sir and JD Sir have helped me a lot with this. How does your family support you? My Mom encourages me a lot and so did my Naanu and Naani. I am blessed to have a family that supports me in my activities. Tell us more about the awards you have won? Some of my awards are the Gold Medal from the National Research Council of Thailand for innovation of Kids Safety Band. Then, I bagged second position in the Tech Fest and in the National Coding and Robotics Championship. I have also received the Youngest Innovator Award in Technoxian World Robotic Championship. And yes, all this at the age of 10. What are your other interests? I love reading books. I personally believe that books that books can be your best friends to lighten up your path, when nobody else is around. Books give you the perspective and enhances your imaginative capabilities. If I talk of myself then I recently read “Women in Science”, “Women in Space”, and Ruskin Bond’s “Cherry Tree”. I also finished a book named “Heidi”. And I am reading “The Gutsy Girls of Science”. I am learning RC Flying. Secondly, I love to play the ukulele and do swimming as well. What is your message to our young readers? To all the youth out there, Dreams can be fulfilled if you are passionate and dedicated. Do your best, keep improving and learning. Failures area a part of the journey. They will indeed cross your way. But what that entrepreneur, who never faced a failure?