Class 9 student Aaryan Shukla created a Guinness World Record for the ‘fastest time to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers’. He achieved the record in 25.19 seconds on the Italian TV show, Lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy on February 29, 2024. Shukla is a student of Delhi Public School Nashik.
In addition to the Guinness World Record, the young math genius had also won accolades for his talent in mental mathematics earlier. He has been participating in various national and international Olympiads on mathematics and science.
The 13-year-old boy has won several Olympiads and Mathletics competitions. Talking to indianexpress.com, he shares what keeps him motivated, his dream and much more.
Learning abacus, motivation
Shukla started learning abacus at the age of six. His interest in numbers and mental math developed thereafter. He said that he analyses the techniques and tricks learned from abacus and Vedic mathematics and uses them to increase his speed and accuracy. He said he does not blindly follow any technique and is not afraid of numbers.
“I have now started customising the rules as per the demand of the question and the pattern to increase my speed,” the mental math genius said.
“It was a gradual progress for me driven by continuous practice which helped me to solve more complex problems with greater speed,” he said, adding that representing India in various international competitions and events keeps him motivated.
Experiences in Turkey, Germany and Italy
When Shukla was just eight years old, he represented India at the Memoriad Turkey Open Championship 2018 held in Istanbul, Turkey. He won 10 medals including seven gold, one silver and two bronze. He created a record of winning the highest number of medals in one competition at the Memoriad – which is unbroken till date.
In 2022, Shukla became the World Champion at the Mental Calculation World Cup held in Paderborn, Germany. He was 12 years old then.
Sharing his experience in Turkey, Shukla said the pressure was less and he was prepared to showcase his abilities and talent as it was his first international competition.
However, in Germany during the Mental Calculation World Cup 2022, he said, he was expected to do well due to his past performances.
“As only top mental calculators are invited to participate in the World Cup, I had to prepare really hard. So, winning the World Cup and beating all the top players in the world was definitely the most memorable experience of my life,” Shukla said.
“Germany is the best experience so far considering the importance of the competition and the presence of top people in the field of mental calculation. While Italy Guinness World Records event is unique as it was held during a TV show in front of live audiences,” he added.
Support of teachers, school
DPS Nashik, the Class 9 student said, has been very supportive of his competitions. He added that the school also allows him to appear for class tests he misses due to his commitments.
CBSE curriculum and mental maths
“The CBSE, which is continuously deleting the chapters in the curriculum as part of rationalisation, is harming the students in the long run,” Aaryan Shukla’s father Nitin Shukla said. The boy studies in a CBSE school.
Nitin Shukla added, “If we look at the curriculum taught 10 years back and now, we will find things are so much easier now.”
Hobbies and dreams
Aaryan Shukla likes watching cricket matches and reading books on mysteries and adventures.
He is also a founding board member of the Global Mental Calculators Association (GMCA). The GMCA is a geographically diverse elite association of mental calculators worldwide, focused on expanding and strengthening mental calculation. He dreams to work and contribute significantly to this field of mental math.
Aaryan Shukla is yet to decide on what stream he will take after his Class 10 exams. However, he likes Sanskrit, maths, science and social studies more than English, the gifted teenager said.
Source: ‘Representing India in international competitions keeps me motivated’: Human calculator,
