The harmful effects of plastic are all common knowledge now. However, a decade ago, people were not as aware of the ill-effects that plastic has on the environment. It was the year 2010. Eleven-year-old Tenith Adithyaa M was walking past a market in Watrap, a village in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, when he noticed farmers setting fire to a heap of banana leaves. Curious, he approached the farmers and one of them explained that it was because the leaves had wilted and were of no use to them. This got the youngster thinking and after four years of dedicated research, Adithyaa came up with an innovation called the Banana Leaf Technology, which increases the shelf life of banana leaves to almost three years and is completely chemical-free and eco-friendly!
Taking us through the technical aspect of Banana Leaf Technology, Adithyaa shares, “There are seven to ten biotechnological processes involved in enhancing a banana leaf. The cells are preserved such that the natural components of the leaves remain intact.” The viability and reusability of the products depend on the grade. Adithyaa explains that his products are available in four different grades — based on the thickness and durability of the product.
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Thirty different daily-use products, including tumblers, envelopes, plates and boxes, are produced by the young innovator and like-minded researchers in his company, Tenith Innovations, using banana leaves as their primary raw material. Adithyaa asserts that anything that is manufactured with paper can be recreated with banana leaves. “We define the process as cellular leaf enhancement. The raw leaf undergoes a few processes and they are made into different products based on the need of the customer,” says the Computer Science engineering graduate from SVS College of Engineering, Coimbatore.
While trying to wrap our heads around the technical aspect, we gape in awe when Adithyaa says that the entire process of cellular enhancement is done in just three to four minutes.
Though he reiterates that this is his best invention ever, Adithyaa has come up with 19 other inventions that meet everyday needs in all sectors, ranging from electrical to agricultural, and is working on three new ones at present. He has bagged seven international and two national awards for his different innovations to date. “When I was in Class 11, I was invited by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee as a special guest at Rashtrapati Bhavan for a month.”
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Tenith is also the founder of Altruu, a global integrated social network and social media service. Altruu tries to connect people along with providing them genuine verified information and a platform for social service
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The cost of the products created by Tenith Innovations start from prices as low as 10 paise. Beat that!
