Dubai: A three-year old boy who can identify 195 countries and their capitals by their flags; a girl who is already a published author at six years old; and a budding 12-year old YouTube singer and big fan cricket. These are three of the UAE’s wonder kids who did incredible things at a young age.
First is three-year-old Advit Golechha. Thanks to his photographic memory, he was listed in the India Book of Records as the youngest Indian who could name all the 195 countries in the world and their respective capital cities by looking at their flags. The book of records is India’s own version of Guinness Book of World Records and serves as an annual reference documenting records held by Indians in education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, adventure, radio and cinema, among others.
Excellent picture memory
Advit’s mother, Shweta Golechha, told Gulf News her son is still learning how to read but she and her husband noticed that Advit has good picture memory. “He (Advit) is really good in identifying people and things. During the stay-at-home period, we showed him photos of our relatives and family members back home and he retained could identify everyone easily,” Shweta said.
“Then my husband (Gaurav) should him pictures of car logos and afterwards famous personalities, UAE leaders and Bollywood actors. Advit again perfectly identified each one of them,” Shweta added.
It was then that the couple, who are expats from Hyderabad, decided on testing their son’s memory by showing the flags of various countries and their capital cities. The entire process of teaching Advit, however, took some time because like any other toddler, he would lose his attention after 15 minutes. “From June till August, for 15 minutes every day, we showed Advit different flags and identified the country and its capital,” explained Shweta, adding: “He eventually retained the information and he is now a proud owner of a certificate from India Book of Records.”
When asked what Advit, who just started nursery school, might want to be when he grow up, Shweta replied it is up to her son to decide. “But for now, I also want him to be active in sports. Also, hopefully next year, our family can go on a trekking trip to the Himalayas.”
Young author
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Another young achiever is Vaishika Satheshwaran. A student at The Pearl Academy in Abu Dhabi, is a published author at just six years old.
Her book ‘My Dream Journey to Space’ is a result of her love for space science, She has seen documentaries and read books about space and she really dreams of becoming an astronaut. “It has always been my dream to go to space and my book has allowed me to combine my two dreams — to become an author and astronaut,” Vaishika told Gulf News. “My friends have all been so supportive. One of my friends said she reads it almost every day! I can’t wait to start writing more books, which will all be about space and most importantly, about gratitude and kindness,” she added.
Abigale Fishbourne, Principal at The Pearl Academy, said: “I am so proud of this amazing achievement, as well as being a great book, it is a wonderful example of the skills and determination of Vishikha. To witness a small part of her journey to publication is a privilege, and I look forward to sharing her future books as they go to print.”
Budding YouTube star
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Twelve-year old Shweta Sridhar loves cricket and singing. She is an ardent fan of Indian cricketer MS Dhoni and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings (CSK). She covered several songs and posted them on YouTube as a tribute to the former Indian national team skipper and his team at the IPL.
She told Gulf News: “I have done three cover songs about Dhoni. The lyrics were changed to suit the situation of CSK during the IPL tournament that was held recently in the UAE. For example, ‘Don’t let me down’ song was uploaded on YouTube when Chennai had to win the match to qualify for the knockout stages. After CSK failed to qualify I uploaded another song in Tamil dedicated to him saying ‘win or lose Dhoni is always our hero’.”
Sridhar uploaded another song, ‘Kadhal Cricket — ‘Thala’ version’ and one more will be uploaded soon as another tribute to Dhoni. She explained: “Why did I make song tributes to Dhoni? I started watching cricket at the age of 10 and my dad is a great fan of cricket and Dhoni. I really liked his captaincy, wicketkeeping and batting. The primary reason of making the songs is because IPL 2020 was played in UAE, which I consider as my home and Dhoni is the best player I have known.”