ZPHS Students ‘Talking’ With Eyebrows Sparks Interest at Indian Science Congress

WARANGAL: Two young students from Telangana became the centre of attraction at the Indian Science Congress (Bharatiya Vignana Sammelanam) for their ability to communicate without speaking a single word. Using a unique method called “Eyebrow Coding,” the girls can exchange complex information, including full sentences and email IDs, simply through eyebrow movements. The innovation, which enables communication without speech or hand gestures, has been proposed as a potential tool for national intelligence agencies.

The technique was developed by Madaka Madhu, a physical science teacher at the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Mahadevpur mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. Under his guidance, two Class VIII students, Snigdha and Tanmayee, mastered this silent form of communication.

The system assigns specific eyebrow movements to each letter of the English alphabet (A to Z) and numbers (0 to 9). By moving the left eyebrow, right eyebrow, or both in combination, words and sentences can be spelled out. During a live demonstration held in Tirupati three days ago, one student encoded messages using eyebrow movements while the other decoded them instantly and wrote the correct sentences on paper, drawing widespread attention.

Explaining the origin of the idea, Madhu told Deccan Chronicle that it began two years ago in a classroom. “While asking students to remain quiet, I noticed some of them communicating using eye signals. That sparked the thought of creating a structured code using eyebrow movements,” he said. After two years of research and practice, he developed a complete script that now enables communication through eyebrow coding.

Madhu said the innovation could have significant applications in espionage and covert operations. He suggested that agencies such as RAW and the CBI could use Eyebrow Coding in situations where even a whisper could be risky, as the method remains invisible to those unfamiliar with the code. The demonstration at the Indian Science Congress underscored how grassroots school projects can address national-level challenges.

For Snigdha and Tanmayee, both from rural backgrounds, the experience has been both enjoyable and rewarding. “It was interesting to learn to speak in code. We even tried it at home, and our parents found it amusing,” they said.

The students said they were delighted after receiving appreciation from leading scientists at the congress, adding that the recognition greatly encouraged them. School management and staff praised Madhu’s innovation, noting that while humans typically rely on speech or sign language, Eyebrow Coding introduces a new dimension of non-verbal communication. The project, they said, highlights the creative potential emerging from rural schools in Telangana.