In a world where the word prodigy is bandied about too oft, what would you call someone whose list of achievements run like a miniature novella, and is still in the making? Sample this: NTSE Scholar 2011, second rank holder in the All India Maths and Science Talent Test, 2012, conducted by the Centre for Excellence in Academics, topper at the state level for the International English Olympiad-2012, third rank holder in Kerala for the National Science Olympiad, 2012, for overall performance in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, first rank holder in Carnatic Music at the 41st All Kerala Youth Festival, 2012, organised by Stallions International, second rank holder in mohiniyattom at the Navaratri competitions held by Ernakulam Karayogam, 2011...just managing to read these seemingly never-ending sobriquets appears daunting.
But, ask the genius who has these monikers to her credit, and she just shrugs nonchalantly.
Undoubtedly, 15-year-old Aparna Sanjay is something of a phenomenon. Talking to the young lass makes one realise the true sense of the term ‘gifted’. For, what else do you call a teenager who invariably scores top-notch grades, is arguably one of the most popular Xth grader at Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Girinagar, finds time to excel at extra-curricular activities ranging from quiz and debates to classical dance and music, and is an excellent archer to boot?
Her academic and literary pursuits apart, Aparna is quite passionate about her chosen sport. The talented young gun qualified for the Archery nationals for the last two years, and is now set to hit the bull’s eye at the National Championships to be held in Jharkand in March.
Recently, she also won the regional level competition of the National Shell Junior Championship which tested her aptitude in Mathematics and Science. Around 7,000 children from about 250 schools across the country participated in the competition. Being trained in classical music and dance for almost 12 years, Aparna has also been performing at the Chembai Sangeetholsavam (classical music) held at Guruvayur for the past two years and also performs at Navaratri Sangeetholsavam at Chottanikkara.
“From childhood, I could spot various talents in her. We exposed her to various situations and opportunities and she made the best use of them,” says Aparna’s mother Parvathi Sanjay, who is a lawyer at the Ernakulam High Court.
Her teacher Shobhalatha gets verbose when asked about the junior head girl of her school. “ She is a wonderful student and very popular at school. The best thing about her is that she makes everybody around her feel at ease.”
So, what does this young prodigy want to do in the long run? “Set up an NGO that provides education to children of rural areas.” This is what Aparna wishes to do a couple of years from now. Aparna who has been a student volunteer of YoungIndian has visited orphanages in interiors of the state, making her realise how inaccessible education is for many children even today. “Right from then, I wanted to do something that would make a difference,” she adds.
Parvathi says, “She always looks at things with a different perspective. One thing that we have noticed about her is that she has a strong social commitment and is interested in developmental activities. Unlike many students she is not focussing much on engineering or medical streams. At this young age, she speaks about rural studies, her plans of adopting a village and so on.”
Ask Aparna how she manages to juggle all these and pat comes the reply. “ It hasn’t been much of a hassle,” she laughs and says with an air of ease.