Ghasipura: Her age is mere three years and she has not gone to any play school or Anganwadi centre. But when it comes to general knowledge relating to history and geography, she can run rings round even those children who are much older than her.
Meet the prodigy Smrutimayee, daughter of Santanu and Sabita Rout, and a resident of Panchupali village under Anandapur sub division in Keonjhar district.
Ask her any question relating to states, countries, history and geography; her answers will leave you dumbfounded.
What makes people surprises is her astounding memory power and the fact that she does not just answer one or two questions. Ask 100 questions in quick succession, and she gives their answers in just five minutes!
As she is fast gaining popularity, villagers, particularly school going students of nearby villages are visiting her house these days to test her knowledge.
Her extraordinary talent is enchanting people so much so that they have started calling her ‘memory queen’.
When asked when they noticed the talent in their daughter, Santanu and Sabita said that she was just one year old when her memory power started to show up. Later, they found her reproducing topics word for word they had discussed days earlier.
“It has been a one month now since I started telling her some questions and answers based on general knowledge. And the result is overwhelming,” adds Santunu.
“I hope for her to hone her talent and earn more name and fame for the village, to the district and to the state,” says Sabita.
On the other hand, Smrutimayee says she wants to be a doctor to serve people as it equals to service to God.
Neighbours feel proud to have such a talented girl in their village. “To have such a prodigious child in a family is undoubtedly a wish for anyone. However, we are happy to have Smrutimayee in our village and praying for her bright future,” they observed, adding that, this extraordinary talent visiting upon children is a gift of God and at the same time it is the result of some good deeds in their previous births.
PNN