Parthiv Shah aged 12 years studying in class 7 in Inventure Academy.

Little did Parthiv think India could make him happy. That was two years ago when his family chose to move here from California. “A lot of notions I had when I was younger seem quite nonsensical now,” he says, reflecting a newfound maturity.

One thing puts him apart from the majority of his contemporaries. Parthiv hardly watches the TV. “Television doesn’t interest me at all. Maybe because my parents do not watch it much either. So, we don’t have cable at home,” he says. Internet, though, is a big high. “I like to create my own games using websites that let me do that. I play other interesting games too.” He also uses it to send out emails. Cricket, soccer and basketball are his favourite team sports. “Everyday, a group of us get together, and magically agrees on a game. Capture the flag is my favourite though,” he says.

Books of all kinds — “action, adventure, mystery, science fiction” — are of interest to Parthiv. And food, “just vegetarian — Ethiopian, Indian, American too, but most portions seem too large to me,” he says.

Parthiv aims to create something new, “like making a movie or something interesting.” He is also fascinated by architecture, and would like to dabble in it when he grows up.