First Seychellois student sets new records in mental arithmetic calculations |18 October 2021
Aswanth during the record attempt
An eleven-year-old boy was recognised for his recording-breaking achievements last Thursday, as he became the first Seychellois student to set new records in mental arithmetic calculations.
Aswanth Subramanian set new records for the fastest time to solve 50 two-digit mental arithmetic addition and subtraction problems (two rows), solved in 3 minutes by an individual (male) under the age of fourteen. These new records were officially approved by Elite World Records and the Indian Records Academy.
Aswanth – who attends the International School of Seychelles – not only achieved this in the fastest time; he also surpassed the target of 55 sums, scoring 57 sums.
At a small outdoor presentation ceremony at the British high commissioner’s residence, the British high commissioner, Patrick Lynch, was joined by the Indian high commissioner, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, to present and honour Aswanth with his medals and certificates.
Aswanth was joined by his mother, Abirami Pillay – who works as the corporate services manager at the British high commission – as well as his father, Saravanan Pillay.
The records were set on September 25 in Seychelles, in the presence of an official independent witness and a time keeper. Officials from Elite World Records and the Indian Records Academy were present virtually, to observe the record attempt.
Tested under controlled conditions, Aswanth was required to solve at least 85% of the problems posed to him, without any errors. All calculations had to be carried out using mental arithmetic (or ‘mind math’) techniques, with the independent witness having the responsibility of verifying the accuracy of answers provided. Although the general guidelines stipulate that any record attempt should take place in a publicly-accessible common venue or platform, the organisers acknowledged that this would not be possible, due to the current restrictions put in place to protect members of the public against Covid-19.
Elite World Records – which is an initiative to showcase amazing human feats, incredible achievements and unique events – is officially registered in the United States, and is also present in the United Kingdom, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka. Its mission is to raise the bar of human achievement, through world records. Registered in India, the objective of the India Records Academy is to search for exceptional talent, with the goal of testing the endurance limits of determined individuals.
Commenting on Aswanth’s achievements, High Commissioner Lynch said:
“What Aswanth has achieved is fantastic. Hard work, determination and a thirst for academic attainment are all qualities that we aspire for our children to have. Linked to this, though, is the need for us to recognise and celebrate the successes of our children.
“With this in mind, it was a privilege for the British high commission to celebrate the amazing achievements of Aswanth, whose mother, Abirami, forms a crucial part of our team. We would also like to thank the Indian high commissioner, His Excellency, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, for his wonderful show of support. We hope that we were able to provide Aswanth and his proud parents with a wonderful set of memories after Thursday’s event, and we look forward to seeing more incredible feats achieved by this young man in the near future!”
Press release from the British high commission
