Mahi, who played drums in NASA, struggles for the net: Bhaskar, who studied in a government school, gave an interview to Bhaskar, father said - telescope, laptop is needed

The more I search for NASA, the less it is. My net is complete in searching. Mahi Bhatt Mahi is facing a shortage of telescopes and other technical equipment for her studies. Telescopes are also very expensive, which we cannot easily afford according to our financial situation. Hemang Bhatt, Mahi's father, 14-year-old Mahi's name has been doing the rounds in the media recently. A few days ago, the world knew this girl as an ordinary student, but now her identity has changed. Mahi has passed the exam of a very difficult junior scientist of the famous American space agency NASA (NASA), whose name is heard in the field of space. Nearly 6 lakh students from all over the world appeared in this exam, out of which only 3 have been selected, including Mahi and she has become the only student from India to be selected. Mahi, who has made Gujarat famous all over the world, is struggling for internet, telescopes and laptops. Mahi, who is currently studying in Std. 9, was brought up in a government school. It is Std. She was studying in an English medium government school at Khokhra Public School of the AMC School Board till 8th December. Sitting on the same bench in the class of the government school where Mahi used to study, she had a special conversation with Divya Bhaskar. Read Mahi's story in Mahi's own words..... "Earlier, I used to study in a private school, but during Corona, I came to this school. I studied from class 4 to 8 here. It was good to go to a private school, but the fees were high and our financial situation was a bit bad, so I came to a government school. Here, along with my studies, I also learned other activities. I have learnt science fairs and so on," he said. "When I was in the first grade, there was a science fair, in which I participated and made a rocket out of newspaper on my own. Then I became interested in it. I used to take part in the science fair held here every year." "I have learnt a lot from this school. I learned how to give a speech, how to talk to whom. At the state level, I participated in the election speech. I got a rank at a science fair." "I didn't know about the NASA test, but I did a Google search and found a link to how to join NASA. When I clicked on it, the last 15 minutes were left and I joined in. This is how I was able to appear for the junior scientist exam. A total of 6 lakh students appeared for the exam, out of which three were selected. "I hadn't thought of going to NASA, but I thought I'd go to NASA. It was my dream to go to NASA, but I didn't know I would get selected at such a young age." "NASA questions are more difficult than our Std. 10 and 12 papers. I believe that the NASA exam. It will be easier to take the 10-12 exam. NASA exams ask questions related to space." "Along with the basic questions, there are also general knowledge questions. I started in June, and within 1-2 weeks of that, I got an email from NASA. That's where I started my journey. I was searching everything on Google-YouTube. People had given feedback that junior scientists were also being tested. I tried it that way, and I succeeded." "To appear for the NASA exam, a student must have studied in a government school for 3 years and secured first rank in a science fair for 3 years," he said. "At the time of the NASA exam, I was in Std. 9. I rarely went to school and searched on Google and YouTube all day. I used to pick up cheap books or books that someone had given me in the past. The encyclopedia book has helped me a lot.' "My project was a hydrophonic irrigation and sprinkler system, in which I came first. That's why I got a chance to appear for the junior scientist exam at NASA." "People who failed last time also take the NASA exam again, and new people like us also take the exam. Those who have failed know what questions they will ask now, but they did not pass this time, the 3 students who have been selected are new," he said. "There are no old NASA exam papers or paper styles to be seen. Neither YouTube nor NASA put it on their websites. I didn't get any guidance on the exam, but I got a lot of support from the school. NASA exams are not the same as those taken in schools." "Every student has different interests. For example, if a doctor wants his son to become a doctor, but if that student wants to become a cricketer or any other line, then he can go and achieve success. That's how my father used to coach for UPSC-GPSC, but I was more interested in space and science, so I told my father, and then he set me up.' "I was wondering if I would pass this exam or not, because there were people who were smarter than me, but my luck and my hard work were together and I passed. I was the youngest in the exam. There is no age limit for this exam," he said. "NASA only looks at skill and talent. First there is a written test and then an interview. The chief professor and the chief scientist are conducting interviews. This exam is of 100 marks, in which 80 marks are required to pass. I got 96 marks in the exam. It was a proud moment for me that I passed the exam. At that time, I was walking around the house happily. I felt that my hard work had paid off. When the results came, everyone was telling me that you have really done it at a young age." "NASA holds webinars in the afternoon, but here it is at 2 am Indian time. Exams are held immediately after the webinar. Workshops, webinars or lectures are delivered by NASA's Chief Scientist, Chief Research Scientist and Chief Professor. When you pass the exam, they give a certificate, in which they also give marks and say that the student has passed with so many marks," he said. "When the rocket launch date is decided, I will be called to NASA, which will inform me by mail. NASA does not post details of the rocket that will be launched on its website. NASA has no expenses, there are scholarships. It's the U.S. government that bears the costs." "When I go to NASA, the first thing I want to do is look at the views around its main gate. I also want to see how the rocket launches." "I want to go into rocket science specialistism in the future. I want to be a senior scientist. I want to go to space and do research and come back. We want to see if we have an Indian space station in space." "I want to work in both NASA and ISRO. I am a member of many space agencies. I want to cooperate with Europe, Australia, international institutes, the UN, UNICEF and UNESCO," he said. "I spend 14 to 15 hours of my day on space studies and the rest of the time I focus on my schooling. The more I search for NASA, the less I do. My net runs out of searches. I have also received a lot of support from the government. Deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghvi has asked me to give him a laptop. I need a telescope so I can do research." "I am currently studying in Std. 9. Now I'll come to 10th standard. NASA lectures end at 4 a.m. and I have to get up at 6 a.m. to go to school. I get a lot of support from the school. My family is also very supportive of me. My family also wakes up with me during the night lectures." "Abdul Kalam is my role model. "I will use my talent for India," he said. They have brought India to the forefront. Similarly, if I become a scientist in the future, I will also use my talent for India. I want to participate in PM Modi's Pariksha Pe Charcha programme." After talking to Mahi, we also spoke to her father Hemang Bhatt. The words of Mahi's father Hemang Bhatt. "We are proud of Mahi. He has worked hard day and night without looking at festivals. At present, we are facing a shortage of telescopes and other technical equipment needed to study Mahi. Telescopes are also very expensive. Which we can't take easily according to our financial situation. When Mahi watches 2-3 NASA videos, the net gets completed quickly," she said. Read the feelings expressed by Asmita Solanki about Mahi in her own words. "I have been working as a teacher for the last 15 years. I've been teaching in this school in Khokhra for 3 years. Mahi was my student in the last year. I am very proud to know that Mahi has been selected for NASA and that my student has reached this level." "We have different activities at the school level in the schools of the Nagar Primary Education Committee. If there was a competition including a science fair and we had to prepare a speech in it, if we gave Mahi 10 or 15 minutes, she would prepare and give a speech in such a short time. Maheshbhai Govindiya is the headmaster of Khokhra Public School. Read what he said about Mahi. "In the year 2020, during the Corona period, Mahi took admission here from a private school in Vastral. He has studied up to Std. 8 from the same school. She was brilliant in studies ever since she took admission in this school. She used to participate enthusiastically in various competitions and science fairs." Mahi's brother Devarsh is also currently studying in the same school in Std. 5. Her brother Devarsha is currently studying in the same classroom where Mahi used to sit during her class 8 studies. Kishan Singh is the assistant administrator of schools in the English zone of the Rathodnagar Primary Education Committee. Read what he had to say about Mahi's achievement. "One of the oldest English-medium schools is the public school in Khokhra. We were proud to know that our teachers have given excellent education to the children as Mahi was selected in the NASA Junior Scientist Examination. Our hard work is paying off," he said. "There are so many such students. The head teacher of Asarwa Public School is trying to get his students to interact online with children in the US. Similarly, Jumani, a student of class 8 of Sabarmati Public School, has gone to Sri Lanka to play lawn tennis at the junior level, which is a big achievement for us. "Town Primary Education Committee chairman Sujaybhai Mehta, vice-chairman Vipulbhai Sevak and body and administrator Lakhdhirabhai Desai are concerned about the education of the children 24 hours a day," he said. "Mahi's philanthropic activities have also been an inspiration for us. After Uttarayan, Mahi collected the string around her house and on the road for 3 consecutive days and shared the video on Facebook. Seeing this, I thought, if my student can do this, why can't I? With this in mind, I also collected a string of kites. That's why I consider Mahi as my source of inspiration."