Siba Shankar. Telegraph picture

Berhampur, Aug. 29: Use the calculator to multiply any six-digit number with a single-digit number and you will arrive at the correct answer in a few seconds.

Try it without the aid of a calculator and you might arrive at the answer (correct or not) in a few minutes. But for 22-year-old Siba Shankar Senapati, it takes just five seconds to arrive at the answer and that too without a calculator.

Siba Shankar, who is from Kabisuryanagar in Ganjam district, was asked to multiply 5,38,706 with 5. Pat came the answer: 26,93,530.

In four seconds, he came up with the correct answers for 5,42,352 multiplied by 7 and 70,280 multiplied by 9.

Siba Shankar is the only son of Yudhistir Senapati and Subasini. The Senapati family lives in Gopinathpatna Sahi in Kabisuryanagar and arithmetic whiz Siba Shankar is studying engineering (mechanical) at the Sophitorium Engineering College in Khurda.

He still amuses his friends and teachers by displaying his extraordinary talent. “I still don’t know how my son performs multiplication calculations so fast,” said Yudhistir, who is in the utensil business.

However, Siba Shankar’s two married sisters — Mamata and Mita — do not possess such talent.

“Mathematics has been my favourite subject since childhood. I first developed the art of multiplying smaller numbers with three digits orally when I was in Class VI,” said Siba Shankar.

“I remember the factorisation of the small numbers, which help me to multiply larger digits,” he said when asked what was the secret behind his ability.

Siba Shankar completed his primary and high school education from Brundabanchandrapur Sasan Primary School and Sri Chandra Sekhar High School, both in Kabisuryanagar.

He completed Plus II science from Kabisurya Baladev Bigyan Mahavidyalaya and passed out from Banadevi Industrial Training Centre, both at Kabisuryanagar, in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

The arithmetic wizard has also worked as a lecturer in Gopabandhu Industrial Training Institute, Kabisuryanagar since 2007 prior to his admission to the engineering college.

“I gave answers to multiplication of 2 to 64 times in 45-minutes when I was a student in Plus II science. Our teacher Kalu Charan Jena had announced a prize of Rs 500 for students who could answer the sums correctly within an hour. When I did it in good time he waived my tuition fee for two months,” Siba Shankar added.

The youth wants his name to be included in the Limca Book of World Records and Guinness Book of World Records.