Dedication plus motivation equals award

Sundaresh Sundaragopal with his numerous awards

It was the quick thinking of Dubai-based Indian student, Sundaresh Sundaragopal that grabbed the attention of his Grade 2 teacher. He was just 7 at the time.
"We were in a class called 'addition of numbers'," Sundaresh tells Khaleej Times.
"The teacher put a sum on the board and I was the only one who solved it. I solved it in my head."
And when his teacher asked him how he had worked it out, his answer intrigued her.
"I told her I didn't know."
The teacher then called Sundaresh's parents to alert them of his impressive mental arithmetic skills.
Now five years on, 12-year-old Sundaresh has a number of accolades under his belt, his most recent being the 'Distinguished Student (Grade 6 - 12)' in the Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance.
"This was a big gem on my crown," Sundaresh says.
One of five students from Our Own High School Dubai to win the Award since 2013, Sundaresh's teacher, Syed Zakir, who is also student coordinator for the award, says it is his "commitment towards education and extra-curricular activities" that has long seen him noted as one of the school's most "stand out" students.
"I have known Sundaresh for three years and it was his class teacher who first suggested his name for the award. She knew he was capable, and we all agreed."
Nominated along with four fellow students, Sundaresh was one of two from his school who reined successful this year.
"My father called me and said my name had appeared on the winners list. My passion for the award and all I have done for it is what got me through," he says.
For Zakir, Sundaresh is one of the "most inspiring" 12-year-olds he has ever met.
"He has a strong urge to learn and move forward in life. His motivation is like none I have seen before."
And it is that "can do attitude" that sees him helping his peers too.
"He is bright, but not selfish. He always wants to share his ideas with others and I just know he will go far in life."
With a passion for mathematics and science, Sundaresh's most recent award now stands pride of place alongside a number of others in his house.
But what does the future hold for the bright young thing?
"As well as maths I love learning about space, particularly about the planets, so my ambition is to become a rocket scientist," he says.
But true to his nature, his ambition doesn't stop there.
"I want to build a spacecraft that can fly to Pluto and back within a year. I want to make a scientific breakthrough one day."
Awarded with a certificate, shield and prize money of Dh20,000, Sundaresh hasn't quite figured out his plans for the money yet, but says it will likely go to charity.
"For me, the experience was priceless. Shaking Shaikh Hamdan's hand and hearing him say well done to me was the highlight of my life. This award has given such a great tool for kids to be motivated by education, and for that I am humbly grateful to him."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE