Four-Year-Old Kaarthikeya Breaks Four World Records with His Mathematical Brilliance
By Subaashinee Kupusamy
14 October: Four-year-old Kaarthikeya Desigan, fondly known as Kaarthi, has an extraordinary love for numbers. His fascination with math began with cartoons like Numberblocks and Wonderland, much to his mother’s initial reluctance. Dr. Kanageswary Sockalingam, a mechanical engineering lecturer at SEGi University, quickly changed her mind when she realized these shows had sparked Kaarthi’s deep interest in exponential numbers.
It wasn’t long before Kaarthi started using terms like “decillion” and “duodecillion” in everyday conversation. His mother, intrigued, tested his knowledge, only to discover that Kaarthi could name 101 large numbers, from zero to googol (10^100). This exceptional ability earned him a Kids World Record on August 7 for identifying the most exponential power of ten number names. Two weeks later, on August 23, he became a “Grand Master” in the Asia Book of Records, having named exponential powers of ten from 10^0 to 10^100 in just under four minutes.
Remarkably, Kaarthi had already set two Malaysia Book of Records titles by the age of 20 months, for having the largest expressive vocabulary by a toddler. His parents credit his early exposure to sensory play, memory games, and brain-boosting activities at home, alongside a library of over 500 books.
Although Kaarthi’s achievements are impressive, his parents are not focused on setting more records. “None of these milestones were preplanned,” Kanageswary explained. Instead, they encourage his natural curiosity, answering his many questions about the world around him, from cars to nature.
Kanageswary offers advice to other parents: “Let young children learn through play. Engage with their questions, and never shut them down. We are their first teachers” as stated in The Star.
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