Gopala Krishna Naidu Pyndiah

Biography

Gopala Krishna Naidu PYNDIAH is a self-employed Electronic and Audio engineer and inventor with an incurable inclination for independent research. Born on the 22^nd September 1942 on the island of Mauritius, he grew up with two questions in mind: “How does this work?” and “How can it work better?” As a teenager, he was always busy inventing and improving on home appliances. To his mother’s delight, he designed a new clock radio, added a temperature controller to the old-fashioned iron and converted the mechanical sewing machine into an electric foot-operated one. He even set to designing an incubator for chicken eggs, starting with 12 eggs and improving the set-up until 350 eggs would be incubated at the same time – to many a hen’s regret. When he came to learn that almost everything runs on fossil fuel, he started to wonder what will happen when the world runs out of its fuel reserve.

Following his passion for invention, he went to study Electronics and Audio engineering at the Kingston University in England. his first and subsequent inventions were always inspired by a concern for energy efficiency, ease of use and production. In his first year, he designed his first patentable product – a fully automated, energy saving tea maker for the perpetual British tea drinker. He also designed an automatic capping machine for the cosmetic factory he was working at.

After graduation, he worked as an audio design engineer for Polydor Studio and Decca Records, Britain’s leading studios, before opening his own company. He specialised in designing and manufacturing record players for discotheques as well as high tech digital samplers, mixers and amplifiers, which sold worldwide. Always keen on pushing the limits of science, Gaj was the first in the British audio industry to invent a low acoustic feedback turntable capable of playing on loudspeakers. Besides audio engineering, he also designed a variety of products for the British Ministry of Agriculture and corporations such as Philips and Lyons.

At the same time however, his concern for depleting energy resources drove him to independently investigate alternative methods of generating electricity. He spent 25 years researching, building and testing hydraulic-based prototypes for capturing wave energy. After 33 years in the United Kingdoms, he returned to Mauritius and has since been using his research in renewable energy with his experience in manufacturing to develop sustainable energy solutions.  He also joined the non-profit NGO SPES – Societé Pour La Promotion des Entreprises Spécialisées – Creative Crafts e-edu Multimedia Training Centre (Mauritius Qualifications Authority registered) as an Honorary Director.

His last invention includes the solar powered fly killer for use in large scale vegetable gardens and designed to attract common house flies within a radius of 300 metres. He also developed and tested a 90 kilowatts vertical axis wind turbine using a modular flap system for harnessing wind blowing from any direction. Given the growing market for renewable energy in Mauritius, he also worked as consultant in the design and installation of photovoltaic systems for schools and businesses ranging from a few kilowatts to 15 megawatts. However, his involvement with solar and wind energy, made him realise that intermittent energy sources would not offer a long term reliable substitute to the stable, high power energy generation in demand. He has started to investigate ways for harnessing energy from ocean current which is a steadier and therefore a more plannable resource. He has devised several prototypes for measuring current strength and tested them around the lagoons of Mauritius.

Besides researching the easiest and most cost-effective way of producing sustainable energy, he is also an avid geologist with a keen interest in beach management. He was the first Director of the Beach Authority and has supervised the renovation of eroded beaches around the island. He was also one of the first in the country to conduct coral transplantation. He is currently residing in Mauritius, in the middle of vegetable gardens at the foot of the northern mountains with seventy shy pet Pacu fish whom he occasionally bribes with grilled peanuts.