Life is not just about talent; circumstances, environment, timing and an umpteen number of other factors are all at work to create heroes for us. Regular readers of The Teenager Today may like to refresh their memories about the August 2018 issue of the magazine which carried an article on our chess prodigy, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. At the age of 10 years, 10 months and 11 days, he became the world’s youngest International Chess Master, but in the absence of more tournaments, he had to wait till he was 12 years, 10 months and 13 days to become a Grand Master.

India was blessed with another chess prodigy in Gukesh Dommaraju who, in 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days, emerged as the world’s second youngest-ever chess Grand Master, falling short by just seventeen days to equal Sergey Karjakin’s record. In 2021, however, Gukesh slipped to third place among the youngest Grand Masters when American chess prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra broke Sergey’s 22-year-old record to become the youngest chess Grand Master at the age of 10 years, 10 months and 11 days; unbelievable but true!

Gukesh, however, holds some world records against his name. Although he is the third youngest to achieve an ELO rating of 2700 (September 2022), he is the youngest ever to reach 2750 (August 2023), and now to top it all, he is the youngest ever to win the FIDE Candidates Tournament and become eligible to compete for the World Chess Championship.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Enter Another Chess Prodigy: Gukesh Dommaraju appeared first on The Teenager Today.

In the world of literature, young talents often spring up as a breath of fresh air, redefining the art of storytelling through their unique perspectives. Abhijita Gupta is one such prodigious talent who has captivated the hearts and minds of readers with her evocative and insightful poems and moral stories.

Recognized by the International Book of Records, she became a published author at the tender age of seven and has been acknowledged as the youngest author to write a non-fiction book on the pandemic by the UK’s World Book of Records. She has also been awarded the title ‘Grandmaster of Writing’ by the Asia Book of Records for her poetry and prose-writing prowess and has won many medals and certificates along the way.

This 10-year-old child prodigy is a student at Ghaziabad’s Presidium School, Indirapuram, and started writing short stories at the age of five. One fine day, she requested her mother to lend her a book and a pencil to capture her thoughts. Her mother asked her if she could write as she would barely know a few words, but she was determined, wording “I want to write!” Her family was amazed by her very first write-up itself, with only two spelling mistakes, and the way it was structured. They assured her it was correct, thence sowing the seed of self-esteem and confidence within a young soul.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Abhijita Gupta: A Sweet Inspiration for all Dreamers appeared first on The Teenager Today.

A 17-year-old Indian kid took the chess world by storm when he outsmarted the reigning multi-time world champion Magnus Carlsen at the Airthings Masters Chess Tournament 2022. Praggnanandhaa, popularly known as Pragg, is an Indian chess prodigy and grandmaster who has been making history ever since he placed his hand on a chessboard.

Born Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa on 10 August 2005 in Chennai, he is the son of Rameshbabu, a bank employee, and Nagalakshmi, a homemaker. Pragg’s interest in chess was sparked when his parents were trying to get his sister (Vaishali) away from the TV by luring her to play chess. The three-year-old boy was slowly hooked onto the game, and Vaishali began to teach him the moves. Soon, the duo took up chess seriously and started competing.

At an age when most kids are classified as toddlers, Pragg made chess his life’s calling, picking up the nuances of the game. Realising their son’s passion, his family enrolled him in a chess academy. Soon, setting records in chess became second nature for him.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa: An Inspiration for Youth appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Child prodigies have been with us, always. However, many of them have had their genius questioned, as to whether or not a parent or a mentor was behind their amazing skills. It is only when their talents were authentically established that people around them could acknowledge them as prodigies. Sixteen-year-old Shreenabh Agrawal from Nagpur is one such amazing kid who proved the sceptics wrong and consistently displayed his precocious genius after he unfurled it at several acclaimed forums.

Shreenabh’s mother realized her son’s potential when she noticed his stunning memory and creativity at age three. She found he could memorise lengthy scriptural passages and paint like an artist. “As a child prodigy, he seemed to have emerged fully formed at birth, his talent already developed, his gifts fully ripe,” recalls Tinu who has obsessively coached him all along and shown enormous patience and discipline in her desire to nurture and foster Shreenabh’s natural abilities. It began with the toddler smearing paints and dripping splatters around; but the nimble fingers soon started turning out pictures with the proficiency of an artist.

His parents began noticing changes in him, and started understanding his special needs. They bought him books because he announced that he preferred them to toys. He seemed to have a natural affinity for painting and figures. Later on, in Class 5, he showed a flair for figures. He cleared the Gauss Contest conducted by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India. The test is aimed at discovering and encouraging students who have the capacity for original and creative thinking, readiness to solve unfamiliar and non-routine problems, exhibiting a general mathematical ability appropriate to their level.

True to a genius’ stereotype, Shreenabh was not endowed with robust physical health, but displayed several uncanny traits and a remarkable aptitude for logical thought-building at his young age. His mind is like a sponge with a high capacity for soaking up knowledge. He has been a star student and high-achiever at his school, Chanda Devi Saraf School, and secured All India Rank 3, scoring 99.2% in the ICSE examinations.

As Shreenabh kept shooting far ahead of other children his own age, and doubled up as a teacher for his peers, his mother wondered if they ought to try to hold him back a little. “I didn’t quite understand where we were heading with him during those early years. Shreenabh is now a happy, well-adjusted child who loves to laugh and enjoy life. I no longer worry about his social life, since he has plenty of friends. He loves books, but he is not a bookworm. He can forget books and studies and enjoy himself when he needs it. Despite his devotion to study, he finds time to play chess and indulge in arts.”

The list of Shreenabh’s accomplishments are truly astonishing: First prize in the 2018 International Essay competition organised by the Government of Japan in collaboration with several multilateral institutions; First prize winner in 2018 Pendle War Poetry Competition, London, in the Under-18 Overseas category; part of a contingent of World Peace Leaders for a live interview conducted by Radio Chico Schweiz Switzerland for the fifth World Peace Week, September 2019; winner of ‘Himalayan-2016’ title in the scientific talent search examination Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan (VVM) held at IIT Delhi; appointment as the first international freelance youth reporter for Radio Chico Switzerland, and many others.

Shreenabh has published two books, 150 articles, five research papers, and has one patent “Triple Lock Bore Hole Protection Lid” to his credit. He loves applying STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths] in creative ways to solve social problems. He also presented a research paper titled Mahila e-Haat: A Gender-based e-Commerce Initiative that was selected for the 2019 IIM-NASMEI Summer Marketing Information Systems Conference at IIM Indore. His project got an A grade and citation at the National Children Science Congress 2019.

As a wonder boy, Shreenabh sparked public interest and media glare quite early. It’s fair to say that the parents have helped turn their son into a mini-celebrity, making him available for scores of interviews and news conferences. People seem to have a natural tendency to glorify exceptional children and ascribe incredible behaviours to them on account of their nebulous perceptions. But Shreenabh’s parents have been careful to dispel all these. “He is simply a normal boy with a high capacity for learning,” they affirm.

At school, Shreenabh works towards collective success of his class. “I’m generally pretty shy, hesitant to show my work,” he admits. This reticence poses a challenge for those who need to explore Shreenabh’s diverse repertoire of talents and the vast knowledge base. Shreenabh hasn’t found the media coverage demanding. Does he feel uncomfortable being called a child prodigy or a genius? “I’ve got used to it. I feel like I’m in my rightful place,” muses Shreenabh.

His father, Moujesh, is a technocrat in the Central Government and mother, Tinu, is director of Prarambh, an HR organization. They never expected the life into which Shreenabh has led them, but neither have they been intimidated by the pressures. In pursuing it Tinu seems to enjoy the diligence it takes to nurture such a child. The challenge for prodigious children is the successful transition to adulthood.

“We want Shreenabh to be happy,” say his parents. “We want him to grow into a well-adjusted person capable of living a fulfilling life. We have not set the achievement bar too high for him. All we ask is that he is able to achieve his goals. We have tried to give him the tools and faithfully stood by him and set him on what we think is the right path!”

For more articles like this, subscribe to the print or digital editions of THE TEENAGER TODAY.

The post Shreenabh Agrawal: A prodigy in the making! appeared first on The Teenager Today.