Small wonder

A student of the Bharitya Vidya Bhavan Public School, A Sai Kaushik is a boy who has many interests. But there is one that stands out above all in his mind. “I am passionate about cars! Ever since I was a little kid, I was fascinated by cars. I would always drag my parents into parking lots and ask them about the different makes and models of the cars present,” says Kaushik animatedly, his diction speeding up at his excitement for the subject.“When I grow up, I want to be an Automobile Engineer. I am absolutely fascinated by their (cars) mechanisms, design — how they work,” says he boy who has received accolades from none other than the former Deputy Prime Minister of India LK Advani at Auto Expo 2004 at New Delhi. And that’s not all. He has been officially been recognised as a Child Prodigy by the AP State Government — he received the title at the 16th International Children’s Film Festival held in 2009.It just doesn’t stop at fascination for Kaushik, he believes in following up his interests with a whole lot of reading. “Every time I see an article in the newspaper about cars, I simply have to read it. I also read a lot of automobile magazines. AutoCar is my favourite — they have really good info. And I want to know as much as possible about how cars work,” he says.“Ratan Tata is my idol! His Nano project is my biggest inspirations. He has managed to reach the middle class man with this car. I have read Small Wonder - The Making Of The Nano — it was so interesting!” says Kaushik, who is quite interested in ecological issues. “When I become an automobile engineer, I want to design an eco-friendly car that will use less fuel and release less emissions than what is currently possible. I really want to so my bit in stopping Global Warming,” he says with conviction, adding, “I have not thought so much about where I want to study, but I think I would like to go to IIT — it is supposed to be the best institute.”But cars aren’t all that this child prodigy is good at. Not only has he an exceptional memory — he has been featured in the Limca Book of World Records for the same — he is also a musician and a writer. “I enjoy playing the Mirdangam. The beats are so relaxing and divine! I play both ragas keertanas. I recently won a gold medal in the sub-juniors level at a music competition held at Ravindra Bharati,” says Kaushik. His mother, Prabha Safal Anumakonda, pipes in, “He is also an extremely talented writer! He has written a novel titled A Poaching Tiger which has been chosen by his school and been sent in as an entry for a competition hosted by Scholastic for young writers.”“He is such a talented young boy — we are doing everything we can to encourage him!” concluded Prabha.