Indian Kid Broke 4 World Records In Maths After Surviving Severe Head Injury

Dhir Acharya - Sep 04, 2020

India has long been known for its outstanding mathematics history with several world-class mathematicians from both the past and present.

India has long been known for its outstanding maths history with several world-class mathematicians from both the past and present. And now, another Indian has made all of us proud when he won the Mental Calculation World Championship.

The person we’re talking about is Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, 20 years old, who became the first Asian to win this title. In fact, he is the first non-European to win this title in the 23 years of the event’s history. He beat other contestants so well that the judges had to make him do extra calculations to make sure his victory was legit.

However, Bhanu said that he is no prodigy and doesn’t want to be called a prodigy, saying that the word does not express his experience and effort.

In 2005, at the age of 5, Bhanu was riding his cousin’s scooter when a truck hit him. He suffered from extensive head trauma. Worse, his skull was fractured and he underwent multiple surgeries with 85 stitches to stabilize the condition.

He was also in a drug-induced coma for one week and his parents were told that the head trauma could affect his cognitive performance forever. In the following year, Bhanu was bed-bound and the accident changed the definition of fun for him. The little boy learned to solve puzzles and play chess to keep his mind busy. Eventually, he learned maths.

For a full year, all the mirrors in his room were removed to avoid letting him see his scar and Bhanu decided not to let the injury define his fate.

In 2007, when he was 10, Bhanu won third place in the sub-junior category in an arithmetic contest. His father teared up but Bhanu said:

“It wasn't the medal, it was what led me there that moved my father.”

The older he got, the more he loves maths. The young boy broke 4 world records as a representative from India in the fields of fastest human calculation, mental math, super subtraction, and power multiplication. He also broke 50 Limca records.

His latest success got attention from the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, as well as Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu. They congratulated Bhanu for his achievements.