Delhi girl comes up with app for women safety. Declared winner. Deebashree Mohanty reports
For 20-year-old Nitibha Kaul from Delhi, it was like a dream come true. Not a very geeky person, Kaul had little idea about coding and how to develop an app, but she knew that she wanted to be rich and famous. In the end, it was her passion and a cool head that made her sail through one of India’s most unique reality show, based on an app idea.
When Nokia India came up with this concept of a competition wherein the best application idea would be awarded, tech experts were taken in. They had never felt that such an ambitious reality show would actually take off. But contrary to perception, the Nokia lumia Your Wish Is My App Contest threw up many app ideas, most of which were winners. Although Nitibha walked away with the prize for her Pepper Cam App, she tells you that the competition was a close one.
“Pepper Cam is a security application which can be downloaded on to any OS. One just needs to feed in a few numbers (of guardian, friends or caregivers) and enter the app if you sense you are in a vulnerable situation or area.
“The app then, instantly sends video calls to all the numbers pre-fed by you. It comes with a GPS tracker so your near and dear ones know exactly what is happening to you and where you are at that time. For me, this is enough to demotivate or even scare off an offender,” Kaul, a student of the Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies in East Delhi, tells you.
She says that although she came up with the idea in less than two minutes for the Nokia lumia Your Wish is My App contest on NDTV, the rough sketch of this application was playing on her mind ever since the infamous 26/12 gang rape case in Delhi.
What is also unique about her app is that it works even if your phone is snatched away or switched off by the offender. “If you have already entered the app before it is taken away from you, it sends emergency video calls and notifies your parents that you are in trouble. The GPS automatically sends out information on your location,” Nitibha tells you. She is all set to develop the app further.
At a time when concerns around woman safety have peaked, this app is a sureshot winner but Kaul says she was not as confident about its efficacy in the final round. “There have been other apps developed around this system but none has a provision of a video call. Also, not many come accompanied by a tracker. My app is convenient and quick — that is what worked in my favour,” she tells you. Being a business studies student helped her organise the material which helped her to turn this app into a reality.
“Much like Priyanka Chopra, I too am not into gadgets and apps. I own an IPhone but am not well versed with all its features. When my idea got selected for the second round, that is when I realised this was serious. I quickly read up on the technique behind developing an app for a smartphone. I am also grateful to friends who gave me their valuable inputs on how to go about the technology part,” Kaul says.
Nitibha’s favourite mobile apps on otherwise are all music-centered. “Music is an integral part of everyone’s life. I love some of the recent apps on music that are doing the rounds,” she tells you.
“This is a wonderful idea considering that women’s security issues are at an all-time high. It is also an easy-to-develop app. Even from the consumers’ point of view, the app is hassle-free. One touch and that’s all is required,” Sanjeev Bhatia, from the Appstore in Mumbai says.
Fourteen-year-old Praneet Sah from Varanasi was the first runner up, winning Rs5 lakh for his Hide-All App for safeguarding one’s privacy on the mobile phone.
The second runner-up, 19-year-old Timisha Dadhich, also from Delhi, won Rs2 lakh for her unique music related Humming Bird App which can find songs by just humming their tune.