Since three years of age, when Krishna Gupta learnt to read and write, only persistent persuasion with cogent arguments could change her mind. Anything less — coercion through baby talk or an unreasonable demand thrust on her — she would simply ignore.
On August 26, the resident of Lonara village in Khargone district took the third Class 12 Open Board Examination, of Accounting, aged just 11, among the youngest to ever take a senior secondary examination in the State. Other students could only stare at her in amazement when the much-younger girl walked inside the exam centre accompanied by her father.
Even Home Minister Narottam Mishra on August 19 lauded her eligibility for the examination. “You have proven that talent is not dependent on any given condition. May the blessings of mother Pitambara and Saraswati always be on you,” he wrote on Twitter.
A psychometric test Ms. Gupta took in 2014 puts her intelligence quotient at nearly 150, classified as “very superior”, according to a report Choithram Hospital, Indore. The psychologist advised she needed a structured and challenging environment where her “intelligence can be put to proper use”. Because of the “superior intelligence”, she does not find routine and mundane activities interesting and challenging and thus gets bored. “This results in her behavioural problems,” wrote the psychologist.
Ms. Gupta since childhood has displayed an extraordinary ability to learn things quicker than children her age, said her father Akhilesh, a former management consultant. “We took her to a stadium in Indore, giving two days to each sport including skating and martial arts. All the coaches wanted her to pursue their sport. The boxing coach even said she learnt in two days what others did in two months,” he said.
Nursing a dream of becoming an Indian Foreign Service officer since she was five, Ms. Gupta took commerce in Class 11, already aware of the utility of subjects, especially Accounting. “How will I otherwise catch corruption in the government, work towards curbing it?” she asked.
However, lack of proper schools nearby and tutors has meant she has so far been excluded from formal education. “Guidance is a must for her but we haven’t come across tutors who can teach her consistently with her interest aroused. And there are no good schools around,” said Mr. Akhilesh.
She finds meaningful company only in those older to her. “I get bored easily with children my age and don’t have much to ponder after I interact with them,” she said, adding that her favourite TV show was ‘Tenali Rama’, based on the life of Telugu poet Tenali Ramakrishna. “His curiosity and hunger for knowledge attracts my attention,” she said.
Although Ms. Gupta took the Class 5 examination aged six, her father said the education system has often posed a roadblock to her progress. “Age is an issue with every school and government official, so is the need for a transfer certificate. There have been times when she doesn’t know on the night before an examination if she will be taking it,” he said, hoping she landed a spot at a renowned university after schooling.
