In the heart of 1980s Chennai, inside a modest electronics lab, a young boy discovered
a world beyond textbooks and toys—a world sparked by curiosity and soldered with
love.
Even before he could read, he was already part of a quiet tradition, passing wires and
sorting resistors as his father assembled vacuum tube radios by hand. It wasn’t just a
lesson in electronics—it was a ritual of bonding, where every component was infused
with patience, learning, and care.
By the age of three, the boy danced to the familiar “Yankee Doodle” chimes of Voice of
America, captured through hand-tuned antennas. These were not just radio signals to
him—they were magical messengers from distant lands, sparking a lifelong fascination
with sound, silence, and the science in between.
Inspired by tattered copies of Popular Electronics and Popular Mechanics, he began
creating crystal radios powered not by batteries, but by ingenuity. With bare hands, he
wound copper coils, clipped crocodile connectors, and grounded circuits using sticks of
salt-soaked charcoal. His experiments extended to germanium glass diodes like the
OA70 and OA79, exploring polarity with the excitement of discovery. As he upgraded
his circuits from X-Tel setups to transistor-based systems, the crisp audio crackling
through high-impedance headsets felt nothing short of miraculous.
These radios, built without batteries, quietly became lifelines in underserved
communities—offering voices, stories, and hope through invisible waves. Through every
soldered joint and tuned frequency, the boy was unknowingly shaping his future as a
builder, a dreamer, and a connector.
This wasn’t just the story of one boy’s curiosity. It was the echo of generations—of
mentorship, of quiet brilliance, and of a bond that powered more than radios. It powered
purpose.
No batteries. No noise. Just a legacy of love, creativity, and quiet
genius—resonating still.
