It’s hard to imagine a 14-year-old acing test meant for grown-ups, but Agastya Jaiswal has gone and done just that. The 14-year-old boy from Hyderabad has just completed his BA in Mass Communication and Journalism from Osmania University.
The prodigy is known for his talent for grasping complicated and difficult subjects from an early age. At the age of 2, he answered 300 questions and added another 0 to 300 by answering 3000 questions when he turned five-years-old.
Having completed his matriculation at 8 years of age and intermediate degree at 10 years, he says, he would have completed his graduation much sooner when he turned 13, had it not been for the pandemic.
Agastya who is also ambidextrous says, “My father used to work in the field of education but left everything to train me and my sister. Even though I enrolled in different schools and colleges, my education would happen from home.” One could say it runs in the family as his sister Table Tennis player Naina Jaiswal has achieved similar feats.
“Having a sister who is also multi-talented inspired me to be a smart kid. We both help each other in learning new things,” says the national table tennis player.
“I am passionate about the medical field, but as I was underaged, I was not allowed to study science immediately after finishing my class 10. This is what drove me towards pursuing Arts. Now that I am eligible to study science, I hope to fulfill my dream,” he says.
With most of the information on his fingertips, the teenager says that he would prepare for examinations just one day prior to the day and mainly focuses on extra-curricular activities in his daily life. He practices yoga every day for fitness, reads books, and plays piano in his leisure time. His quickness also extends to his typing skills, he can type the alphabet within 1.72 seconds and recite multiplication tables up to 100.
“Every student must pursue education with passion and devotion to achieve something. A smartphone has both advantages and disadvantages, but one must focus on learning new things,” says the youngest graduate.