GUNTUR: Passion for technology and talent to ace various advanced computer programmes at a very young age has made this Tenali native Asia’s youngest data scientist at the age of 12. Pilli Siddharth Srivatsav, 15, is leaving everyone in awe with his achievements at a very young age. A native of Tenali in Guntur district, Siddharth goes to work three days a week and attends school on the weekends. His father, Rajkumar, who is a software engineer in Hyderabad, ignited the boy’s interest in technology. Like most children, Siddharth was also fascinated with video games at a very young age and used to ace them. His father observed his precision and technical knowledge of video games, which is very uncommon for a seven-year-old and started teaching him simple computer programmes.
“I was surprised by his ability to learn any programme within a few days,’’ Rajkumar said. Speaking to TNIE, Rajkumar said, “I realised that he has a special gift to understand the technicalities of computer programming and started teaching him. By the age of 9, Siddharth learned the C programme, which is a difficult thing even for BTech graduates.”
His father’s training inside four walls was no longer sufficient for Siddharth and when his father approached a few institutions to train him in more advanced computer programmes, they all rejected him because of his age. So, Rajkumar was left with no option but to enrol his son in some online programmes.
Within no time, Siddharth completed training and became fluent in Python, Java, HTML, SQL, and others, an expert in exploratory data analysis and creating machine learning modules, writing and running complex computer programmes.
Identifying his talents, Montaigne Smart Business Solutions, after conducting a gruelling interview, offered him a job as a data scientist when he was just 12-year-old, which made him the youngest data scientist in Asia. After three years, he is now working as a data scientist at Infinity Learn, an edu-tech company and also a freelancer, where he provides services on bots and artificial intelligence solutions to Right Choice, a US stocks and financial advisory company. He was awarded by the WHIZZ kid, Byju’s Young Genius Award.
He is also working with IIT-Hyderabad on a deep learning computer vision project for agriculture fields.
Recently, the Telangana government has approached him to work on a project for early detection of earthquakes. Preparing for his SSC exams, Siddharth is currently working on a tight schedule. “It used to be very difficult initially to manage both job and school, but with the support of my parents, I’m managing both well,” said Siddharth.
Explaining that biographies of famous personalities, including Steve Jobs, Sundar Pichai and Bill Gates have shaped him, Siddharth said, “When I learned how they started and became the persons who they are now, I want to become like them.’’Speaking about his future plans, Siddharth said, “After pursuing MBA, I’ll set up my own software company and offer jobs to talented youth.”