ABCs of a child prodigy: Sushma Verma

I will be 15 on February 7, 2015 and am pursuing a master s in environmental microbiology at the Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (a central university) in Lucknow. I belong to a humble family. My father is a daily wage labourer and mother is unfortunately illiterate. It was perhaps seeing my mother's illiteracy and of other children around me that I realised the importance of education at an early age.

When I was very small, I used to listen to the Ramayana being sung with 'dholak' and 'manjeera' at our home. It felt amazing. I felt inspired to read and sing the Ramayana. When I was just two-and-a-half, I recited Ramayana 'chaupayis' at a local function in front of a big crowd. That was the beginning of my journey and the first proud moment of my life.

We struggled a lot to get special permission for appearing in the high school board examination as I was just five years old. So, I took admission in class 9 (Uttar Pradesh board). With the power of everyone's blessings, I cleared high school when I was seven years old, an achievement for which my name is mentioned in Limca Book of Worlds Records as the world's youngest matriculate.

I passed intermediate in 2010 when I was 10 years old. In between, we (my brother, my father and I) also went to Japan for a magic competition and shooting of a documentary film. We came back victorious. But for that I had to drop one year after high school. I completed my graduation (bachelor of science) in 2013.

I have always dreamed of becoming a doctor and serving mankind. So, I appeared for the combined pre medical test (CPMT) in 2010 at age 10 but my result was withheld, again due to the age factor.

My main inspiration all along has been my brother Shailendra Kumar Verma, who completed high school when he was nine.

There were many problems but we never lost hope. The most important lesson that I have learnt through my struggle is that if you have talent, intelligence and commitment, you should never lose hope, never lose faith. Help starts pouring in from all directions once your own direction is correct, as has happened in my case. It would be a really long list if I start thanking everyone who has come forth to help me out in my difficult circumstances (which are, by the way, not over yet).

In future, I wish to pursue PhD in environmental microbiology. I chose microbiology because it is a study of plants and animals, nature and life in simple terms, which I always found interesting. Now I have chosen the environmental branch of the subject due to my interest in environment.

I want to serve my country. I will stay here instead of migrating after my studies. With the help and support of everyone, I am sure that I will definitely achieve my goal.

My message to everyone is that we should be honest towards our work and we should work hard in our life. Every student must be provided laboratory facilities so that they can understand in a much better way what they are studying theoretically. Rural education deserves higher priority. Education is important for every one because it directs the future and our life. There are many children in our villages who want to prove themselves but their talent is never recognised due to lack of facilities.

Education improves our thinking, develops our personality, recognises our hidden talent and much more. We should know what is happening around us and for that education is very necessary. An uneducated person always loses one's way.

Firstly, there is need to improve ourselves. Without that no changes are possible. We should never copy others and always try to do something original.

Lastly, I would like to add a few lines which have always inspired me:

Sab kuchh sambhav ho sakta hai, 

Man mein poorna vishwas ho,

Saraswati ka vaas ho,

Badon ka sar par hath ho,

Badon ka sar par hath ho.

—As told to Deepak Gidwani