'Perspicacious' is probably too weak a word for 11-year-old Anushka Binoy. The child prodigy has just achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ (Intelligent Quotient) test, which could roughly surpass the wits of noted geniuses such as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Although the comparison doesn't sit well with the eldest daughter of Binoy Joseph and Sheena Binoy who have been living in London since 2007, she beamed with pride as she talked about her rare achievement in a tete-a-tete with Onmanorama. With an angelic smile, she said, “It was just the grace of God and a strong support system at home.”
While Sheena recalled to have now and again noticed extraordinary traits of wisdom and intelligence in her daughter, her parents, who lives in Paika in Kottayam, said they had tears of joy when they read about their granddaughter’s remarkable feat.
Meanwhile, Anushka’s paternal grandparents, who hails from Elikulam in Kottayam, said, “We are extremely proud of her.”
Exceptional IQ
At two, the toddler would surprise Sheena by remembering the teeny-weeny details from the storybooks she read her to sleep. A few years later, her teachers at school also started mentioning about her IQ being high.
Anushka and the MENSA IQ test
However, Anushka took the Mensa IQ test on the insistence of her father Binoy, who intuitively felt she would be accepted into the elite Mensa club. The proud father said that he thought of enrolling her for the MENSA IQ test when she had passed other entrance exams with high score. “But we never expected her to get such a high score in MENSA,” he said.
Praising her teachers for their support and encouragement, Binoy said that they were all very proud of his daughter's success.
All about the wonder genius
The brilliant little girl says that English is her favourite subject and she aims to become an author. She has already published short stories on her website at www.anushkabinoy.com.
Anushka’s role model is Jacqueline Wilson (an English writer of children's literature) who inspired her to write creative stories.
Apart from her passion for writing, Anushka loves reading and swimming. She also plays junior level tennis at a local club.
During free time, she listens to modern jazz and plays violin. The tween is also good at cinematic dance, and loves shaking her legs to famous Bollywood numbers.
With both her grandparents in Kerala, the young genius said that she loved her sojourn in the God's Own Country and cherished her memories with cousins.
Anushka has a three-year-old younger sister – Andrea. Speaking of his younger one, Binoy said: “Unlike Anushka, who is a very quiet girl, Andrea is very energetic. She has a keen interest in puzzle solving and music. Guess, she wants to be a pop-star when she grows up!”
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