GEORGE TOWN: A fascination with numbers that began at the age of three earned Penang teenager Poonyamitra Kumaresan a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.
The 14-year-old St George’s Girls School student memorised and recited 300 digits of pi in sequence, earning the title “Most Pi Recited From Memory by a Teenager” on Feb 9.
Pi, represented by the Greek letter π, is the mathematical constant obtained by dividing a circle’s circumference by its diameter. Its decimal form begins with 3.14159 and continues forever without repeating in any fixed pattern.
Poonyamitra said her passion for mathematics was noticed early by her mother, who enrolled her in Kumon classes as a toddler.
Then, her journey into the spotlight began last year after her mother discovered the Kids Got Talent Malaysia competition.
“For the audition, I recited the alphabet in reverse, from Z to A,” she said.
After advancing to the finals, she decided to challenge herself by memorising 300 digits of pi.
The performance won her the championship title and a pre-audition pass to America’s Got Talent.
She later emerged first runner-up in the Rising Stars Icon competition with the same performance before attending an online audition for America’s Got Talent in January.
Her achievement culminated on Feb 9 when she received recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records.
“I feel really satisfied because I managed to fulfil my childhood dream of gaining recognition. I never expected it to become this huge,” she said.
The only child in the family, Poonyamitra took about two months to memorise all 300 digits.
Despite her achievements, the soft-spoken teenager said many of her classmates were unaware of her accomplishments until the principal informed them.
“They told me I was underrated because I barely talk in class. They didn’t know I had all this in me,” she said with a smile.
Poonyamitra credited her parents as her biggest supporters, especially her father, who encouraged her whenever she felt like giving up.
For Mothers Day, she described the recognition as a special gift for her mother.
“It’s actually a huge gift for her,” she said, adding that she hoped to become a neurologist.
Her mother, Thilagam Sammogam, 46, a civil servant, said she noticed her daughter’s flair for numbers when she was three.
“Once she joined Kumon, I could clearly see her speed, accuracy and natural ability with numbers,” she said.
