Of Baking Soda and Brilliance: My Odyssey of the Mind Journey

Let me tell you about the time I gave up my winter vacation (yes, actual holidays) to spend hours painting cardboard volcanoes, filming skits, and debating whether a scientist could save an entire town with baking soda.

Sounds bizarre?

Welcome to Odyssey of the Mind India – Virtual Regional Competition, April 2023.

🧪 Our Story: A Village on the Edge… and a Fizzy Fix

Our challenge? Create a theatrical solution to a long-term problem.

Our plot? A crumbling village, on the edge of collapse, desperately searching for hope. And just when everything seemed lost, in walks a quirky scientist with a wild idea to save the town using the magical properties of baking soda.

We could have chosen anything. But no, our hero was the fizzy white powder that lives quietly in kitchen shelves and chemistry labs. And trust me, it turned out to be the most explosive (literally) decision we made.

💭 My Role: The Mind Behind the Genius

I was not the scientist.

I was the mind of the scientist, a walking, talking split-personality of creativity.

Half of me was calm, rational, and cautious. The other half? Impulsive, dramatic, and probably one wrong decision away from blowing up the town for “science.”

I designed my costume to show that inner war: one side silver, the other black; one eye lined sharp, the other smudged wildly. I looked like I stepped out of a philosophical comic book and honestly, I’ve never felt cooler.

🎬 Lights, Camera, DIY Everything

Since this was a virtual competition, we didn’t perform on stage but we filmed our skit and submitted it online.

And that brought its own level of madness.

We turned empty school classrooms into living sets. There were makeshift volcanos, fake windows made from chart paper, and dramatic lighting provided by… flashlight apps and ceiling fans.

We filmed the whole thing over multiple takes, laughing when someone forgot a line, screaming (quietly) when props collapsed mid-scene, and trying to act serious while someone outside honked for the fiftieth time.

🏆 And Then…We Won First Place!

Weeks after submission, our teacher messaged the group:

“Congratulations! First Position – Regional Round!”

We all freaked out.

What made it even better was that none of us were alike. Every teammate had their own pace, their own quirks, their own very strong opinions. At first, it felt like we were all pulling in different directions. But slowly, we figured it out. We learned to trust each other.

We didn’t just build a performance, we built a team.

🌟 What ODC Taught Me

• Confidence: I wasn’t just acting I was owning a voice that people usually never see.

• Collaboration: Working with polar opposite personalities is tough but so worth it.

• Creativity: When in doubt? Add a volcano. Or glitter. Or both.

So if you ever find yourself painting fake lava while whispering lines into a camera, playing the internal dialogue of a stressed-out scientist do not question it.

You’re probably learning something important.

And if not, at least you’ll have a great story.