Acing the numbers game

We catch up with 21-year-old Bhanu Prakash from Hyderabad, the boy who recently broke Shakuntala Devi's record.

Jonnalagadda Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash was just one-and-a-half when he identified the smallest of countries on a world map after having seeing the map only once, a week before. To his parents, this was the first inkling that their son had an above-average intellect. When he was barely five, he would be found arranging the lids and caps on bottles at home into fascinating and intricate geometric patterns! He would also pick up complicated puzzles and solve them in a jiffy.

His parents were pleasantly surprised and this confirmed their belief that their son was something of a maths buff and that he would do well in that subject as he grew up and generally be an academic success.

However, never did his parents anticipate the world acclaim that their son is receiving today. Bhanu Prakash has now been declared the world’s fastest human calculator after winning the first ever, prestigious gold for India in the Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad 2020, held recently in London.

“I am overwhelmed and overjoyed,” says the 21-year-old Hyderabad-based genius. The Mathematics Honours student from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, now holds four world records and 50 Limca records. He has even founded his own company Exploring Infinities. Witty and highly articulate, friendly and modest, he has a surprisingly mature outlook on life, especially in aspects like world education and philanthropy.

Also, despite all his achievements in maths, he is not a nose-in-the-book nerd. Bhanu learned Carnatic music for three years in his early years and even sang snippets of a Thyagaraja keerthana Nagumomu Galavaani Naa Manoharuni for this writer. He reveals that he used to explain and unravel the arithmetic progressions in alankaras (a basic lesson in Carnatic music) and discuss the complexities of rhythm calculations with his music-teacher and co-students. He also played tennis as a teenager, and like any other Indian, he loves cinema and cricket.

Born into a simple Telugu family, he grew up in a highly supportive and loving environment. His grandfather, parents and sister mean the world to Bhanu. “I am grateful for the total belief my parents had in me when it came to what I wanted to pursue in life. I always had a choice. Of course, I did have to convince them on why I think my choice makes sense. They were willing to listen, which I think is what creates the atmosphere for discussion.” He also says he was influenced by legends like Srinivasa Ramanujan and Sachin Tendulkar.

Faith and destiny

However, there were anxious moments during his growing years. Especially when Bhanu, at the tender age of five, sustained a serious injury to his head when the vehicle in which he was travelling in, collided with a truck in a terrible accident. “We gave him the best medical attention we could and also prayed and prayed,” reveal his parents.

As Bhanu recollects: “The accident rendered me bedridden for a year, with doctors apprehensive about possible long-term effects. However, my parents refused to believe them. They encouraged me to solve puzzles in an attempt to boost my brain.” His parents’ faith and destiny combined to help him overcome the trauma. He went on to break a world record earlier held by the likes of Shakuntala Devi and Scott Flansburg to become the world’s fastest human calculator. Bhanu never felt superior to his classmates. As he explains: “I personally don’t consider myself a prodigy of any sort. And, I was doing good in a few classes, not so much in the others, because I believe that intelligence isn’t an intrinsic trait and has so many edges to it, which we don’t usually talk about. I had a tough time with people expecting all sorts of things from me, which I didn’t necessarily specialise in.” What would he have become if not a mathematician? He replies: “Probably a doctor. I always thought that the work of treating and saving people has a divine aspect to it.”

Bhanu concedes that his talent gives him great benefits — global fame, international travel, professional respect, social status and material benefits. He is on the verge of world tours now and receiving invites for talks from around the world. However, he feels this gift is not only about his personal fame and glory, but also about giving back to the society. He is now helping students during the Covid crisis with free classes, for example.

So, what influences his philanthropy? “My parents both studied in government schools and have always stressed how there is a huge lack of access to quality education. And the phobia caused by maths and the resulting demotivation is one of the biggest reasons for kids to opt out of rural schools in India.” He adds: “Arithmetic is the first wave that hits a person in the ocean of mathematics. I want to be the surfboard, metaphorically speaking, to take people into the vast world that lies beyond and show them how beautiful it is.”

So, is that his vision for the future? He replies: “I want to eradicate maths phobia through our school interventions; improve cognitive abilities in students through arithmetic learning; help students explore the infinite capabilities of the human brain, make math fun and promote brain games as a structured sport. Our mission is to make brain workouts a pop culture! I wish to change the approach to both teaching and learning mathematics across India and the world. In that sense, I want to be a global changemaker.”