Thirteen-year-old Venkatesh Suvarna of Andheri, Mumbai, is like any other child who loves spending time on his PlayStation and playing with his cronies. But he is 'special' and way ahead of his peers.
He has begun attending college at an age where most students grapple with maths problems. Suvarna has now set his eyes on cracking the IIT-JEE, reports DNA.
Setting records is not unusual for Suvarna, who recently scored three 'A stars' in the International Board exams.
A student of Utpal Sanghvi School in Juhu, he was promoted six levels at the age of 11 because of his photographic memory and above-average intelligence.
"Suvarna used to appear consistently bored in class. Only then did we realise that it was because he was far ahead of everyone in his class," Abha Pal, principal of Utpal Sanghvi, said.
Suvarna's teachers recalled how he picked up Hindi in just 30 minutes at the age of six when others cannot even correctly pronounce some words.
The credit for spotting talent early in Suvarna goes to his mother, Harsha. "At the age of two, he wanted to read newspapers. He used to ask a lot of questions that were way beyond his years. He recited mathematical tables, solved maths sums with ease and spelt four- and five-letter words accurately. We knew that he was a brilliant child," said Harsha, who quit her career in chartered accountancy to focus on teaching her son.
While getting triple promotions was easy, adjusting to a class where he was the youngest had its challenges.
"I was a 4ft-seven inches dwarf in the midst of students much older to me. For a long time, they treated me like a kid. Girls would pull my cheeks and croon 'Oh so cute'. But now everyone knows me and treats me like an equal, but they still leave me out of adult jokes," Suvarna told DNA.
A techie at heart, he has always aspired to become an engineer. At the tender age of six, he became a Microsoft-certified technology specialist.
Though any college would give an arm and a leg to have him, Suvarna has his share of nerves.
He recently started going to Pace College in Andheri, but admits he still has to get used to the feeling. "On the first day, everyone thought I was lost on my way to school. But I am used to the extra attention now. In school, teachers were always around to help. It's not the same here," he said.
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