‘Agnipath’ is a sustainable cooking solution targeting street food vendors and small eateries

Mysuru: For the sixth consecutive year,  Excel Public School (EPS), Mysuru, has made its mark at the School Innovation Marathon (SIM) jointly organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Atal Innovation  Mission (AIM) and Niti Aayog.

‘Agnipath,’ a sustainable cooking solution designed by V. Shruthakeerthi and V. Aditi, Grade 10 students of EPS, has secured grant and mentorship support from the MoE.

SIM is India’s largest school innovation challenge that brings together students from across the country to identify community problems of their choice and develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes.

The students of Excel Public School have received a grant commitment of Rs. 82,221, with the first tranche disbursed on Mar. 27, 2025, and the second tranche is expected in late May following submission of a progress report.

 Project Agnipath, submitted under the theme ‘Sustainable Cooking Solutions,’ is a flame guide system designed to enhance the cooking efficiency of gas stoves. The innovation primarily targets street food vendors and small eateries by reducing their fuel consumption and lowering environmental impact.

Shruthakeerthi and Aditi developed Agnipath in over four and a half months with the mentorship of Gopinath Subramaniam, Research Specialist at Excelsoft Technologies. He provided hands-on guidance in research methodology, design principles, prototyping techniques, and pitch preparation.

 The students began by interviewing street vendors to understand fuel costs and inefficiencies in day-to-day cooking. They conducted research at the school’s Innovation Centre, studying various existing gas stove designs.

They discovered the problems with the existing design to be poor heat utilisation, high LPG consumption, and inefficient flame distribution caused by factors like large gaps between the burner and pan and the lack of insulation. This has significantly increased the costs for vendors, sometimes up to 20% of their earnings.

To address this, they sketched initial designs that optimised flame distribution and reduced heat loss. The prototype featured a flame guide crafted from different heat-insulating and heat-retention materials. They tested it using an iron kadai (pan) on a single-burner stove, conducting several trials and iterations to refine the guide’s shape and maximise heat transfer.

 Building on their progress, Shruthakeerthi and Aditi

plan to refine Agnipath’s design and expand testing to larger commercial burners. They aim to launch the product by August 2026, targeting sales and distribution through vendor networks, retail channels and  e-commerce platforms.

 School Principal K.G. Mathew said, “Over the last 6 years EPS has consistently emerged as top performers at SIM and this is our second consecutive year in securing funding from the MoE. This is a great external validation for the innovations coming out of Excel Public School’s lab. By addressing the practical challenges of fuel efficiency for street vendors, Shruthakeerthi and Aditi, with the guidance of their mentor Gopinath, have demonstrated how technical skills, when applied with community focus, can create tangible outcomes.”

 Appreciating the students for their creative contribution, D. Sudhanva, Chairman and MD of Excel Group, said, “Agnipath represents the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that is deeply ingrained in Excel Public School’s DNA.  Over the years, Excel Public School has played an active role as an incubator and accelerator for young innovators. Our goal is to mimic a lab to market architecture that allows for ideas to scale from prototypes to viable products.”