Six-year-old Earns MBOR Record For Multiplication Feat

PUTRAJAYA, June 16 (Bernama) -- While most six-year-olds spend car journeys looking out the window, T. Vishakan spends them turning vehicle registration numbers into multiplication problems.

That fascination with numbers, first noticed when he was just three years old, has now earned him a place in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) after he solved 53 multiplication questions in one minute.

Vishakan set the record on June 12 in the category "Most Multiplication Completed By A Child In One Minute", demonstrating mathematical abilities well beyond his age.

“The signs of his  unusual talent appeared in everyday situations. Whenever the family travelled by car, Vishakan would study vehicle licence plates and relate the numbers to multiplication tables and other mathematical operations.

“He would also spontaneously recite multiplication tables,” his father K. Thanarajan told Bernama.

The six-year-old's fascination with numbers extended beyond mathematics exercises. Rather than identifying relatives and family friends by name, he often recognised and referred to them by their house numbers.

Thanarajan said the family became increasingly aware of Vishakan's abilities when he began answering multiplication tables at a level far above what would normally be expected for a child his age, including the 21-times table.

To help nurture his talent, Thanarajan and his wife, J. Mira Sharvina, enrolled him in arithmetic classes and encouraged him to participate in arithmetic programmes and competitions, a journey that eventually led to recognition by MBOR.

For Mira Sharvina, the achievement is about more than a record.

"As parents, we simply try to understand what interests him and support him by creating the right environment and opportunities so that Vishakan can go even further in the field he loves," she said.

She described her son's accomplishment as proof that every child possesses unique potential that deserves the opportunity to grow and flourish.

Mira Sharvina also credited consistency at home for helping to develop Vishakan's abilities.

"No matter how busy we are, we still spend one hour at the study table with him," she said.

The routine began when Vishakan was just over three years old and first started learning to read and colour.

Each weekday is generally devoted to scheduled learning activities, while weekends are reserved for play and rest.

Vishakan received his MBOR certificate last Friday from MBOR officials Siti Hajar Johor and V. Menaga.

-- BERNAMA