20-year old Hyderabad boy breaks Shakuntala devi’s record; becomes fastest human calculator

Bhanu Prakash believes that he has done his bit to take India to the global level of mathematics. Image: ANI

Fastest human calculator in the world: After winning gold for India in the Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO), 20-year old Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash has become the fastest human calculator in the world. Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash is a student of Mathematics (Hons.) who is currently studying at Delhi University’s St Stephen College and he holds world records along 50 Limca records for his fastest ever Mathematics calculations.

A report by news agency ANI citing Bhanu Prakash said that his brain is capable of calculating quicker than the speed of a calculator. These records were earlier held by Math maestros like Scott Flansburg and Shakuntala Devi and Bhanu Prakash believes that he has done his bit to take India to the global level of mathematics. He said that at MSO, London 2020 that was held on August 15, India for the first time won a gold medal. It is to note that the MSO is considered as the most prestigious international competition designed for mental skills and mind sports and is held annually in London.

According to the report, MSO this year was held virtually and there were 30 participants up to the age of 57 years across 13 countries including UK, UAE,Germany, Greece, France and Lebanon. Bhanu Prakash, as per the report, was 65 points ahead of the other two candidates who secured second and third position. Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash revealed that he was required to perform some more calculations in order for judges to confirm his accuracy. He further envisions to create “Vision Math” labs that are expected to reach out to millions of children and help them love the subject.

It is crucial to have numeracy just as important a skill as literacy is in any country and Bhanu wants to eradicate math phobia, the report quoted Bhanu Prakash as saying. Furthermore, the world’s fastest human computer wishes to increase the popularity of brain training as well among children. This, he hopes, will inspire children to learn math in the future and also pursue it as a mental sport.