When mobile networks fail during heavy rain, remote Himalayan villages can struggle to access weather information. A Hyderabad Class 12 student has built a Rs 68,000 satellite receiver that brings cloud images directly from weather satellites, without needing the internet.A Hyderabad Class 12 student has built a Rs 68,000 satellite receiver that brings cloud images directly from weather satellites, without needing the internet.

Aagam Jain was on a mountain-climbing trip near Dehradun when he encountered a problem that would eventually turn into a school project with a larger purpose. Poor mobile connectivity made it difficult to access weather information, while conversations with local villagers helped him understand how changing weather and snowfall could disrupt everyday life in remote mountain communities, as per a LinkedIn post shared by Indus International School, Hyderabad.Instead of letting the experience remain just another travel memory, the Grade 12 student and Head Boy at Indus International School, Hyderabad, decided to work on a solution.Aagam developed SummitSathi, a satellite-based weather receiver that can download weather images directly from passing satellites without depending on the internet or mobile networks.Each unit costs approximately Rs 68,000.

Aagam is now preparing to provide the devices free of charge to 10 villages in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district. FROM A MOUNTAIN CLIMBING TRIP TO A SATELLITE DEVICEUnlike conventional weather applications, which require an internet connection to display updates, SummitSathi receives signals directly from weather satellites and converts them into cloud images that can be viewed locally.The device was first field-tested near Dehradun.

Following the trial, Aagam refined the technology and developed a simple grading scale to help users interpret the weather conditions shown through the images. This is particularly relevant for remote Himalayan communities, where heavy rain and snowfall can disrupt mobile connectivity and make access to information difficult.The project is also designed to be community-led.

Rather than depending entirely on outside technical support, the idea is to make the equipment accessible to local residents.However, SummitSathi is not an automated weather forecasting or cloudburst prediction system. It does not replace official India Meteorological Department forecasts or government alerts.

Instead, it aims to provide an additional source of weather information when regular communication channels fail.HIS INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY GOES BEYOND THE CLASSROOMSummitSathi is not Aagam's first attempt at taking his interest in science beyond schoolwork.He has spent 24 months recording night-sky brightness at 25 locations across Hyderabad to study light pollution and its impact on the visibility of the night sky.He has also self-published an astrophotography book titled A Window to the Universe.His latest project brings together his interest in astronomy, mountain climbing and technology to address a practical problem. For a student still in Class 12, the journey shows how an experience outside school can lead to questions, experimentation and an attempt to build something useful for others.As the school noted in its LinkedIn post, Aagam's work reflects how curiosity and scientific thinking can turn an idea into an initiative with a real-world purpose.- Ends