Math master

BAHRAIN-BASED math whiz Edwin George has bagged first place in the international Gama Abacus championship, for the second consecutive year, writes Melissa Nazareth.

The fourth-grade student, who attends the New Indian School, participated in the E3 category at the highly competitive event, which saw a participation of more than 2,500 students from across the world.

The 25th edition of the contest took place at the Thrissur Indoor Stadium in Kerala, India, on January 11. Participants included students from India, Sri Lanka and other Gulf countries like Bahrain and Qatar.

“Edwin exhibited arithmetic ability from a young age, which is why we decided to register him for abacus training,” father Sibu George, who works as a business unit head in the medical equipment industry, told GulfWeekly.

“It was during the Covid-19 pandemic and there were limited physical classes, so we opted for online. Edwin has been training for more than three years now and we’re so proud of how far he has come in such a short span of time.

“While his classes are conducted over the weekend, he solves worksheets and practices during the week, striking a balance with school work,” he added.

Several studies show that abacus training enhances concentration and calculation skills in children. Some even say that the increased brain activity provides mental health benefits like reduced anxiety.

“When he was younger, Edwin used to write some numbers incorrectly like a mirror image, but since he took up abacus classes, he has been able to correct this issue thanks to the practice of speed writing numbers that the course includes,” the Adliya resident, who has been living in Bahrain for the last 12 years with his wife and two sons, revealed.

The 10-year-old has also won several chess competitions, the latest being an online event where his chess academy collaborated with a non-government organisation (NGO) in Bengaluru, India.

“Edwin played against other children and adults from the NGO and won after about eight games,” Sibu added.

Inspired by brother Johan, 13, who is musically inclined, Edwin has lately been exhibiting a keen interest in singing as well.

“Johan was presented the title of Kala Prathiba at the Kerala Catholic Association’s Indian Talent Scan competition in 2023,” Sibu said, adding that they have always encouraged their children to pursue their interests.

Sibu is a bio medical engineer by qualification and his wife Neetha is a certified microbiologist and former teacher at Al Noor International School – currently she is a homemaker.

The George family is busy preparing Edwin for an upcoming virtual abacus competition, set to take place next month.