buttressing the axiom that innovation does not necessarily require high-tech laboratories, a resident of Delhi has developed an energy-efficient geyser during his spare time. Designed in the backyard of Suresh Narain Mathur, the geyser has won the prestigious national award for innovation given by the National Research Development Corporation (nrdc), New Delhi. In March 2004, the invention was granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office.

58-year-old Mathur, who once ran a chemical firm, was prompted to design the cost-effective geyser because of a problem that troubles many: geysers do not provide water with an uniform temperature for the entire bath. With the problem bothering him immensely, Mathur decided to study conventional geysers. To his surprise, he spotted at least three major flaws.

"While people require bathing water with a temperature of 40