Archive · 8 Jan 2026
16-Year-Old Brings 'Messy Science' to Hyderabad Government School
A 16-year-old named Anuj Bhatia started a program called STEP to teach science in a fun, hands-on way.
On January 8, 2026, he and his team went to a government school in Hyderabad and turned the classrooms into open-air labs.
They taught 200 students from Classes 9 and 10 about science using simple experiments like building a bridge and extracting DNA from bananas.
The goal was to help students learn by doing instead of just memorizing from textbooks.
The program was a big success, and the students got to take home special handouts to do more experiments at home.
Anuj and his partners showed that you don't need expensive tools to make learning fun and effective.
Anuj Bhatia, a 16-year-old student, founded STEP to promote hands-on science learning.
The initiative was conducted in partnership with the ISHVA Foundation and the Dr. K.V. Rao Scientific Society.
200 students from Zilla Parishad High School in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, participated in the program on January 8, 2026.
Students engaged in interactive activities like building a DaVinci Bridge and extracting DNA from bananas.
The program aimed to replace traditional memorization with experiential learning, using low-cost materials.
- Who
- Anuj Bhatia, a 16-year-old student, and 200 students from Zilla Parishad High School, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
- What
- A hands-on science learning program called 'Messy Science' conducted by STEP (Science Through Experiments and Projects).
- When
- January 8, 2026.
- Where
- Zilla Parishad High School, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
- Why
- To promote experiential learning and make science education more engaging and accessible for government school students.
- Initiative Name
- STEP (Science Through Experiments and Projects)
- Founder
- Anuj Bhatia
- Location
- Zilla Parishad High School, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
- Date
- January 8, 2026
- Participants
- 200 students from Classes 9 and 10
- Partners
- ISHVA Foundation, Dr. K.V. Rao Scientific Society
- Key Activities
- DaVinci Bridge construction, DNA extraction from bananas
- Duration
- 2 hours