Math has always been a subject that most students dread. Even years after completing
schools, some still have nightmares about flunking the paper. But, there are exceptions to
the general rule. S. Sarathkumar (25) of Peelamedu, is one such persons. His interest in
mathematics led him to develop a capacity to multiply seven-digit numbers with two- and
three- digit numbers without using calculators!

Son of Mr. K. Subramaniam and Mrs. C. Umapathi, Sarathkumar is currently working in
a private firm in Coimbatore. “Ever since I was a child, I was interested in maths. I can
multiply and divide numbers very easily. While my classmates took lot of time with the
calculations, I didn’t even need a paper and pen to complete mine,” he said.
Was he born with this talent or did he cultivate it?

“I don’t think I had any special memory powers. My father’s friend, Mr. Balakrishnan,
was a Yoga teacher. My father made me learn Yoga from him. Initially I was not all that
interested in learning Yoga. But when my Yoga guru found out about my keen interest in
mathematics, he began to teach me special Yoga exercises to cultivate the talent. I
learned yoga for 6 years and it improved my memory power,” he explained.

Sarathkumar used to challenge his friends to take up difficult multiplications and
divisions. He would tell them the answers before they completed the calculations
manually. While in school also, he used to win prizes at the district-level math quiz
competitions. He continues to practice even now.
He has now evolved to multiply and divide numbers that run into lakhs by two-digit
numbers. “I can give the answers faster than a calculator. I also know the multiplication
tables up to 10 lakhs,” he said. It takes him less than 15 seconds to multiply with three-
digit numbers.

So, what’s next?

“I’m working on multiplying three-digit numbers with four-digit numbers within a very
short time,” he revealed.