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ice that could recycle and reuse water that drains away during a shower. His invention was made inside a strawberry box that held three layers of cleaning material--gravel, sand, and charcoal.

Explaining how his invention works, the Global Indian said in an interview, "When someone takes a shower, the water goes down the drain and through the pipe before it reaches a filter with three layers: gravel, sand, and charcoal. The water, which is now clean and filtered, sits in a storage tank before it gets pumped back up to the bathtub. Because over time, the filter gets clogged, there will be a little door to make sure you get access to the filter."

The grandson of Bengali novelist and Sahitya Akademi award-winner Sunil Gangopadhyay, Oyon took the help of his friend Mateo Rosado for the filtering process. Oyon reveals that his invention can save both water and money. "Even though the invention can be expensive, it saves the government from spending more money to get water and also reduced your water bill," he explained in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsSolEq5vZY

He credits his mother for making him participate in the Mighty Minds competition. "I went to Camp Invention in Watertown. We build things with recycled materials and my shower model was built mostly with recycled stuff. I spent an hour over two weekends putting together the presentation," he said.

Oyon has worked on another invention idea - The Space Cleaner - a solar-powered robot with one arm that melts space junk and the other arm vacuums up the melted liquid. The idea for this came to him while watching Apollo 13 with his parents. The Indian American thought to himself, “What happens to everything that’s flying off the ship into space?”

He plans to be one of the three things when he grows up - an inventor, work at Lego, or for Mojang (the company that develops the video game Minecraft).

ldSkills 2022 is something of a ‘special edition’, also because it was held across 15 countries instead of a single venue. India was represented across 50 skill categories, with participants bringing home two silvers, three bronzes and 13 medallions.  

Plan to win 

“Through my college magazine I had learned that Mohit Dudeja had brought India a silver medal in the patisserie and confectionery category in 2017,” says the alumnae of IHM Aurangabad. 

[caption id="attachment_25866" align="aligncenter" width="722"] Nandita during the WorldSkills Competition held at Lucerne, Switzerland[/caption]

Nandita had discovered her love for baking as a child and when she heard of Dudeja, she pored over his Instagram profile. She was deeply inspired by one post, in which Dudeja had written, “If you have the skills, you must participate and be confident of winning.”  

Nandita made up her mind to participate too, she tells Global Indian. She travelled to Lucerne, Switzerland, for the competition, going up against people from 15 countries.  

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, Government of India, has been leading the nation’s participation on the WorldSkills Platform. “Our training sessions for the competition were organised by the government,” says Nandita. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Indians’ patisserie and confectionery skills were comparable to the best in the world.

[caption id="attachment_25865" align="aligncenter" width="722"] Nandita during the WorldSkills Competition held at Lucerne, Switzerland[/caption]

The ten days spent in the breathtakingly beautiful Switzerland is an experience that has got etched in the youngster’s mind. Apart from the six days of events, the competitors enjoyed excursion trips. “It gave us an opportunity to get to know each other and develop friendships,” she says. 

Stepping into the world of hospitality 

Passing out from Amity International School in Noida, Nandita went on to pursue a degree in hotel management. “Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, it was just one and a half year of in-college experience. But five months of intensive in-house training in hospitality management at Taj Vivanta, Aurangabad proved very helpful.” 

Nandita also did an internship at Lavonne Hospitality, subsequently getting a job there, which helped her hone her skills even further. There, she was mentored by the senior chefs, who, upon learning that she was participating at the WorldSkills competition, wholeheartedly guided her. “It was good for me that the competition was postponed due to the pandemic. The delay helped me polish my skills and learn enough to bring home the silver medal,” Nandita remarks. “Most of the modules required for the competition were covered by my mentors, and the rest was taken care of at the government organised workshop,” says the pastry chef, who always looks forward to learning new things. 

[caption id="attachment_25867" align="aligncenter" width="783"] Professionals at Lavonne Academy prepared her for different modules  - Anosh Ranbhise, chocolate showpiece, Prathana Narang entremet, Vinesh Johnny, sugar stand and overall training, Joonie Tan, fondant, and Mani chef, bonbons[/caption]

For WorldSkills challenge, participants begin with a regional round and graduate to the national round, with the winners going on to represent the country on the global platform. The national winners are assigned an expert, who train them for the international challenge. That’s how Nandita became a protégé of Vinesh Johnny, one of the cofounders of Lavonne Academy.  

Baking and tennis 

The multifaceted youngster has been a national level lawn tennis player. “I started baking at the age of six and playing tennis at eight,” she says. She spent her school years juggling her academics, baking and tennis. “I was six years old when I decided I wanted to be a pastry chef and at 16, I started catering neighbourhood orders for cakes and pastries,” Nandita says.  

Nandita played tennis under the aegis of The All India Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in India. “Since I grew up in Noida, I played several tournaments representing Uttar Pradesh,” says the youngster, whose all-India rank was 77 in the under -18 categories. “I have also represented Uttar Pradesh several times in national competitions organised by CBSE,” she adds. 

From protégé to mentor 

Nandita comes from a family which is artistically inclined. Her parents are architects and her elder sister is a dentist. “Ever since I can remember, I had an inclination towards taking up a career that is creative,” tells the pastry chef. 

[caption id="attachment_25868" align="aligncenter" width="740"] Nandita with her WorldSkills expert Vinesh Johnny[/caption]

With loads of happiness that has come her way after winning a silver, Nandita has been busy not just working in the baking division of Lavonne Hospitality’s cafes but also taking classes at Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts. “I will also train the next competitor who will represent India in the patisserie and confectionery category at WorldSkills,” says the twenty-two year old.  

“From clearing the state levels to representing at the international platform WorldSkills has been a journey of personal growth and everlasting friendships,” she signs off. 

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