Small wonder

A Ranchi girl, who is too young to understand the meaning of Jharkhand, has made her state proud with her prowess in English.

Meet seven-year-old Shrinkhala Dubey, who aced International English Olympiad in the state category, the results of which were declared on March 16.

Shrinkhala, who outscored over 5,000 students from Jharkhand, also ranked 597 at the international level.

A Class I student of Sarla Birla School, Mahilong, on the outskirts of the city near Tatisilwai, Shrinkhala took the test conducted jointly by Science Olympiad Foundation and English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.

More than 5,000 students of reputable English-medium schools across the state, including this seven-year-old, took the test on January 24 this year.

It was a race against time. They had to answer 30 questions in one hour.

The girl, like all other contestants, answered questions on jumbled words, meanings, antonyms, among others. Examinees were asked to identify a picture and explain it, spot missing alphabets and make words with given alphabets.

The bright-eyed first grader, who beat her fellow contestants from the state hollow, happens to be shy.

Not one to flaunt her vocabulary when asked how she felt on winning the English Olympiad, she simply said: “I like English.”

Her parents — corporate executive dad Dharmendra Dubey and teacher mom Bula — were more articulate.

“It was a pleasant surprise for us. When I broke the news to my daughter, she asked me what state meant. So, I had to show Jharkhand on the map and explain to her that she had stood first among students of her age group who took the International English Olympiad test,” said proud father Dharmendra, who is a general manager of a corporate house.

Shrinkhala’s mother Bula Dubey, who also happens to be a teacher, was elated at her daughter’s success. “It’s yet to sink in, really, but we are so proud of her,” she said.

Interestingly, Shrinkhala’s elder brother Shreyansh, who studies in Class IV in the same school, was a school topper at the National Science Olympiad last November.

Asked about Shrinkhala’s future plans, the father said: “The last thing we want to do now is to put her under any kind of expectation. She is too young now. My wife and I take turns to teach our two children Shrinkhala abd Shreyansh. They are gifted children. But we also leave them to pursue their own interests.”

Dad Dharmendra also deserves an award for speaking sense.