Meet the 21-year-old fastest human calculator from Hyderabad who broke Shakuntala Devi’s Record
After winning a gold medal at the Mint Sports Olympiad held in London, Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash becomes the fastest human calculator, breaking Shakuntala Devi’s record.
Recently, the Late Shakuntala Devi was in the news after Guinness World Records honoured her with the long-overdue record title for 'fastest human computation,' 40 years after she achieved the feat.
Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash (Image: ANI)
Meanwhile, Hyderabad resident 21-year-old Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash, too, has also emerged as the fastest human calculator. A St. Stephen's College graduate, Bhanu Prakash won the first-ever gold medal for India in the Mental Calculation World Championship at the Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) in London.
"Beating 29 competitors up to 57 years of age from 13 countries, I won the gold medal with a clear margin of 65 points. The judges were spellbound by my speed; they required me to perform more calculations to confirm my accuracy," Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash told ANI.
"I hold four world records and 50 Limca records for being the 'fastest human calculator' in the world. My brain calculates quicker than the speed of a calculator. Breaking these records, once held by Math experts like Scott Flansburg and Shakuntala Devi, is a matter of national pride. I have done my bit to place India on the global level of Mathematics," the maths wizard added.
The Mint Sports Olympiad (MSO) is the most prestigious international competition for games of mental skill and mind sports which is held in London every year. This year, the competition was virtually held with 30 participants from the UK, Germany, UAE, France, Greece, and Lebanon.
Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu also congratulated the 21-year-old via Twitter — “Compliments to Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash for winning the "world’s fastest human calculator" title and clinching the first-ever gold for India in the Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad held in London recently.
"He has done India proud. My best wishes to him for all future endeavours," he tweeted.
According to News18, Bhanu Prakash hopes to start a mathematics initiative called Vision Math that will reach out to millions of Indian children and instil a love for the subject. He also hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the lead on the initiative, which he believes will put India back on the "global map of excellence."
Do you have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at [email protected]. To stay updated with more positive news, please connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Edited by Suman Singh