Photo: Prakhar Pandey
No matter how brilliant you are as a mathematician, you will never win the Nobel Prize for Mathematics - because there isn't one. But that has not deterred young Himmat Bhardwaj from making Mathematics the love of his life. The 26-year-old, a small town Haryana boy, is simply sensational. And yet, this young man from the little known village of Salhawas in Jhajjar district, was literally scared of Mathematics during his school days. It amuses him today, but this has perhaps helped him to remain grounded despite been honoured as the ‘Memory King of India’. The media has also hailed him as the ‘Yaaddaasht ka Baadshah’, ‘Memory Ka Maharathi’ or ‘Calculator King’, after he developed a Calendar to ‘calculate’ the day of any date from 0001 to infinity.
Despite his fears, this prodigious young man discovered his interest in Mathematics early. After that, it has been his sheer diligence, determination and dedication that has helped him acquire magical proficiency in the rapid solving of mathematical riddles. Himmat works out the square root and cube root of any number between 1 and 100 instantaneously, much to the amazement of the ‘audience’. He has set an awesome record of calculating the square roots of 10 randomly selected numbers up to 10 decimal places within a duration of 54.50 seconds, at the India Book of Records office in February 2013. Besides, numerous formulae in various science subjects simply sit on his fingertips. He was the only person who could recount all the 118 elements of the Periodic Table in just 34 seconds in June 2014, again at the India Book of Records office. But what is even more phenomenal is his prodigious memory. He remembers complicated bulk, large numbers with facility, in direct as well as reverse order. He has developed Number Memorisation cards to aid one’s memory in diverse applications, such as: phone numbers, social insurance/security numbers, zip codes, PINs, passwords, IP addresses, history (dates), chemistry (atomic numbers), biology, Bible verse references, credit card numbers, and of course a host of statistics. He is the inventor of the Mnemonic School, Mnemonic (Super Power Memory) Cards and Magical Calendar/Calendar-The Magic (Unlimited Years of Calendar). He has also developed a Scientific Super Memory Power Management System, to help retain and retrieve more than 1,000 words in a single listening and reading - even faster than a computer!
Himmat has been able to make a name for himself at a fairly young age. His astounding talent has won him as many as five World records for ‘Memory and Fastest Calculation’. The RHR Book of World Records (UK), World Records India, Golden Book of World Records (USA), Miracle Book of World Records, Unique Book of World Records and Asia Book of World Records have all awarded him for his amazing abilities. His name is inscribed in the Indian Book of Records as the holder of six National records, and his name has been registered in the prestigious World Record Holders Club of India. He is also a member of National Committee of Super Kidzee Records. His super achievements have prompted the World Records University (U.K.) to offer him an honorary doctorate degree in his field of achievement. The Guinness World Record body has also appreciated Himmat’s extraordinary feat and is looking to enlist him as a unique mathematical brain. Incidentally, Biswaroop Roy Choudhury, who conceptualised a model for those with weak memories, is another rare Indian who is enlisted as a Guinness World Record Holder.
Hailing from a family of modest means, Himmat dreams of becoming a mathematical wizard, very much like his childhood idol, the legendary Shankuntala Devi. “My father was a ‘sipahi’ (soldier) in the Army, and he dreamt big things for me. He realised that there wasn’t any proper infrastructure for learning in our village, and so he shifted the family to Gurgaon - to enable me to pursue higher studies in a more congenial and competitive environment.” At college, Himmat was quite a loner. He spent long hours in the library, in the company of books and professors. “I also realised I needed to increase my concentration in order to work better on my studies. So I started practising Yoga and meditation. That really helped,” he says. Currently Himmat is pursuing Masters in Political Science from the Dronacharya College at Gurgaon. “Besides, I am preparing for the Civil Services exam., which I intend to sit for soon after completing my post-graduation,” adds Himmat. He is also pursuing a Ph. D. from the World Record University (U.K). “They selected me because they recognise my special love for Mathematics, and of course for the records that I am very proud of,” he smiles. Himmat has been adjudged as Best Student, Best Writer, Outstanding Orator and Outstanding Organiser in college. The Government PG College, Sector – 9 has awarded him the ‘Roll of Honour’, in recognition of his extraordinary skills.
Himmat’s parents have supported him in his every endeavour and are immensely proud of him. Says his mother, “My son works day and night to improve his talent. He is very disciplined. Every morning he is up early, to meditate, before he methodically goes about his day’s tasks. We want him to remain a good human being, recognised worldwide for his exceptional calibre.” A genius at work, Himmat is an extremely sensitive and humane person. Of course his primary aim is to help generate enthusiasm for Mathematics in the minds of all youth. He would soon be visiting schools in the Ahirwal region, where he would impart tips to students on how to sharpen their memories. “The reality is that most students do fear Mathematics. However, they can overcome this fear, as I did. The Laws of Visualisation, Imagination and Association help sharpen our faculties. We must also simultaneously develop our concentration power. The practice of Mathematics has benefit beyond its functional value; it has the power to help people suffering from Dementia,” he signs off.
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