My wonder boy

Alas! he were in right place...

I met my wonderboy during my recent visit to Uttarakhand and I am impressed though it may not interest others. He is less than four years old and casually goes to nearby Primary school for last few months (Mid day meal scheme is an attraction). His father is a labourer and mother an illiterate home maker doing household chores all the time. I noticed him because his behaviour was different from the children of his age group. When all the children were playing in the evening, he was silently arranging small pebbles to firm up an unstable stone on the boundary wall of his house. Curiously, I started capturing him in my handicam.

Later he sat on a wide stone drawing some lines and dots. He did not like to play with other kids. I called him and asked what he is doing. He shyly looked at me and did not oblige with an answer. Then somebody told me, ask him to add numbers, he does it quickly. I started asking him simple additions and he orally did it. I kept on asking him difficult addition and subtractions of three digits. He neither calculated it on paper nor on finger tip as kids usually do. He would look into the sky with a total vacuum in his eyes for a second or two and then he would answer it. All his answers were absolutely correct!

He is a wonder boy and if encouraged in honing his mathematical skill, I am sure he would be another Shakuntala Devi but unfortunately I know, it is not going to happen. His calculation power will be deteriorated when he is involved in domestic work and herding his pet animals, as he grows.

I tried to know how does he calculate so fast that even I have to use calculator in my mobile to follow him. He could not explain it but what I guess after talking to him is he visualize some dots in a certain array or pattern and add / subtract them.

Alas! he were in right place...

Article presented by: B.C.Joshi

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