Most 13-year-olds spend their time (apart from studying)playing video games, with friends, discovering teenhood and new hobbies. But Bengaluru-based Navneeth Varadarajan is no ordinary teenager. The eight grade student of Sri Vani Education Centre, Magadi Road, has a special skill up his sleeve – a fascination for cars that goes beyond mere admiration. The 13-year-old is not only a car enthusiast, but also an encyclopaedia on everything about cars. He can identify all parts of a car and even point out faults in them.
Writing a blog under the moniker The Car Boy, Navneeth takes his passion for cars very seriously with a knowledge base on cars on par with most adult car freaks. It all began at the age of two, recalls the youngster. “I used to go on morning and evening walks with my grandfather and began identifying cars. As I grew older, I was curious to know what would go into building those vehicles. That’s how my passion grew into a mania for cars.”
It is one thing to like cars, but what got him interested in writing about cars on his blog? Navneeth says he used to share ideas with his friends and Google groups that he’s part of. “Soon I thought why not put my thoughts down on record. That is how the idea for a blog came up. My inspiration was my parents. They encouraged me to start writing.”
Research plays a big role for the child prodigy. “I am very interested in what goes into the making of a car. That is what ultimately got me to write it all down. The more I researched, the more my knowledge grew and I could implement it in real life.” He adds that he’s been working on his own designs and has a few sketches ready.
Navneeth firmly believes that talent depends on what you do with it. “In the future, I want to complete my mechanical or automobile engineering, learn designing from the National Institute of Design or any other reputed design university and then design and make a car in India that will match with cars by foreign companies.”
His dream car is the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. “I’ve being fascinated with that car for a long time and done a lot of research on it. My other favourite cars are the Ferrari and Lamborghini supercars.”
When people read his blog, Navneeth wants them to take away the knowledge that will help their cars in it and implement it in their own lives. “I hope people learn to not just like a car but also appreciate the technology and design that goes into it. I intend to share this passion with others and help it grow.”
Navneeth also envisions helping change the Indian car industry. “India is highly polluted with a lot of petrol and diesel cars and very few electric and CNG vehicles. What I want to give in return is a car that is fast as well as good for the environment - something like a hybrid that has an engine combined with an electric motor for speed and economy.”
He points out that the Indian car industry is actually very good. “We are stepping up in the car industry from hatchbacks to huge SUVs. People can get a lot of technology and power for their money’s worth. A car of 15-16 lakh can easily rival many big brands and India is going very fast in this race.”
Navneeth agrees that Indian roads need to be improved, but as a start, he advises cars to get upgrades to a softer suspension to absorb the road bumps easily, or lessen tyre pressure if it’s too hard. When he’s not looking at cars, Navneeth takes his cycle out and races with friends or watches a good movie and sketches. His favourite movies are of course the Fast & Furious and Mad Max franchises. The teenager also can’t wait to get his licence when he grows up!
Check out his work on thecarboymania.blogspot.in.
