At a time when we have become accustomed to pulling out calculators for the simplest of calculations, 14-year-old Aaryan Shukla from Maharashtra pulls out results faster than you can type them into the machine.
Setting six world records in one day, Aaryan has made it onto the Guinness World Record (GWR) list for the second time. Last year, on the Italian TV show ‘Lo Show dei Record’ he set the record for the fastest time to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers by adding all the numbers in a mere 25.19 seconds. That comes up to one addition every 0.5 seconds.
This year, at a mental math competition held in Dubai, Aaryan cemented his title of a ‘human calculator’ by achieving a record time in mentally adding 100 four-digit numbers in 30.9 seconds, adding 200 four-digit numbers in 1 minute 9.68 seconds, mentally adding 50 five-digit numbers in 18.71 seconds, mentally dividing a 20-digit number by a ten-digit number (set of ten) in 5 min 42 seconds, mentally multiplying two five-digit numbers (set of ten) in 51.69 seconds and mentally multiplying two eight-digit numbers (set of ten) in 2 min 35.41 seconds.
In an interview with the Guinness World Records, Aaryan emphasized the role of practice in his routine, saying he takes out at least five or six hours every day to prepare for competitions.
Apart from making calculations at lightning-fast speed, Aaryan mentions his love for other hobbies like travelling, reading and Yoga. “Sahaja Yoga meditation helps me to keep calm and focused,” says the boy.
The kid has made impressive achievements at such a young age, winning the prestigious Mental Calculation World Cup in 2022 in Paderborn, Germany and even being one of the founding board members of the Global Mental Calculators Association (GMCA).
His journey started at age 6 after his parents recognised his unique talent, “I started doing mental maths at the age of six years and then slowly, gradually I started […] to solve tougher problems. Then I started to go into competitions and slowly I became world champion.” GWR quoted the boy saying after achieving his first world record.
Watch the video here.
