The boy genius residing in Bukit Batok

Sanjay Vasu has to catch his breath as he tells me about the plethora of medals and trophies sitting in a glass cabinet in his Bukit Batok flat.

Maths Olympiad medals, chess tournament trophies, first-in-class certificates; the cabinet is proof – if that’s ever needed – that “in this home, resides a boy genius”.

“Some of them are my sister’s,” says the 13-year-old in a boyish attempt at humility.

“Is there anything you’re not good at? I ask him. To which his mother, Ms Manonmani Vasu, 48, chimes in: “Yes, waking up in the morning.”

I find that hard to believe, of course, especially after learning about his numerous accolades and achievements in and out of the classroom.

Sanjay, a Singapore PR and student at the Global Indian International School-SMART campus, was certified last year as one of the “brightest students in the world by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)”.

He was honoured by the prestigious American institution for exceptional performance on the SAT, ACT, School and College Ability Test. CTY uses above-grade-level testing to identify advanced and academically-gifted students from around the world.

Currently in grade nine (Secondary 4 equivalent), Sanjay explains that he is supposed to be in grade seven this year, but was given a “jump” by his school.

“It’s not really much of a difference. Age doesn’t really matter (in the classroom) as long as I act normal. I’m actually taller than half the boys in my class,” says Sanjay, who is 1.74m-tall and will turn 14 in July.

Then there’s his prowess on the chessboard.

On March 17, he finished top in the under-14 category of the National School Individual chess tournament conducted by the Singapore Chess Federation.

It’s one of many feathers in Sanjay’s cap; over the past three years, he has travelled to countries like Georgia, Hungary and Spain for various chess tournaments. In placing consistently among the top players in those competitions, he has built his chess rating up to 1800.

“The goal is to get to 2200 by next year,” he says.

His father, Mr Vasu Duraisamy, interjects: “(To be a) grandmaster is his ultimate goal; that might take another three years.”

Sanjay’s parents, who hail from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, recall various moments where it struck them that their middle child might be a genius.

Perhaps it was when he would complete higher-level maths assignments (past exam papers) put in front of him by his mother.

Or when he proved “too quick” for his parents at chess soon after he began playing the game at age seven.

Or perhaps it was a lot earlier, when Sanjay was still in kindergarten, and was handed an abacus. “Very quickly he could do additions and multiplications on it,” said Mr Vasu, 56, who works for a multinational corporation here.

Sanjay, with a shy grin, explains his predilection for mathematics: “It comes easily to me. I don’t like memorising things, I prefer learning through conceptual understanding. With maths, memorising formulas isn’t enough, you need to know how to work through the problems.”

Despite his young age, Sanjay currently does maths at university level (Calculus BC), and is preparing for the Singapore Maths Olympiad in May, where he will compete in the senior category (up to A levels).

He is hoping to do well enough to qualify for the International Maths Olympiad next year.

When asked what a typical week for him is like, Sanjay details his ultra-packed schedule, which includes chess training, piano classes, homework and even creating YouTube videos of maths and science tutorials (@MathandSciencewithSV).

Sanjay then points out that creating such videos are why he’s always up at night – hence, his waking up late.

“Do you ever watch TV?” I ask him.

“Not really, but if video games count, then yes,” he replies. “For relaxation, my go-to outlet is playing the piano. I also like playing basketball.”

Short-term chess aspirations aside, Sanjay is coy when asked about his future plans. He explains he doesn’t yet have a specific career path in mind, other than to hopefully attend Harvard or MIT.

“All we want for him is to be a good human being,” says Ms Vasu. “He should be friendly to everyone and humble. That’s the ultimate goal; other things can come after.”

He might have already achieved that, I tell her. Yet another feather in his cap.