Naina Ashwin Kumar looks like every normal school kid, but her achievements make her a child prodigy. For one, the 14-year-old is doing Masters in Political Science at Osmania University. This Hyderabadi wonder-kid recently returned from Islamabad where she won two gold medals at the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Tournament. But it’s difficult to introduce her just as a young sportsperson. This child prodigy is a singer, piano player, a bright student, cook, and a good swimmer. The list doesn’t end here.
At 10, she was the youngest in Asia to finish Class X. With three to four hours of daily practice, Naina is aiming for an Olympic gold in Table Tennis.
She has never been to school. She was home-schooled by her parents. “Her busy schedule hardly allows her to attend classes, but she has always been a bright student,” said her father Ashwin Kumar. After her achievements in sports, even the OU exempted her from attending classes. Everyday she spends at least three hours on her studies.
Naina doesn’t want to restrict herself to sports alone. She aims to become an IAS officer. But her current focus is only on sports as she still has seven more years to be eligible for the Civil Services exams. She has achieved a lot more than what children of her age group dream about, yet she is humble in giving the credit to her parents.
— jeevankumar766@gmail.com