For the record

BENGALURU:  Ask Rahul Murali Krishnan (23) to subtract 100-digit numbers and he takes less than one minute -- 54.89 seconds to be precise. Krishnan, who is pursuing a post-graduate diploma in risk management from Global Risk Management Institute in the city, was recently recognised by Spain-based Official World Record Organization for ‘Fastest 100 Digits Subtraction Ever’. 

Krishnan was introduced to abacus at the age of 8. “So I never really had a problem in solving math problems,” he says. Krishnan also learnt techniques and shortcuts that helped in solving math problems. The idea of registering for a record came when he watched a show about a world record event. “I was excited to see people achieving something unique in different fields.

I wanted the same for myself,” he says. “I started with 30 digits, and kept pushing myself. Finally, I decided to target 100 digits. The next problems were speed and accuracy.” Initially, it took him over three minutes to solve a 70-digit problem. “But with practice, I was able to increase my speed and accuracy,” he says.