Rahul Murali Krishnan, 23, has set 'the fastest 100 digits subtraction ever' record in 54.89 seconds.
He was introduced to the world of abacus at the age of eight, and completed 10 levels. When the lockdown was announced, he came across news about many people attempting and setting several world records.
An Ulsoor resident, Rahul says, "I surfed the Internet and came across the Official World Record website, where many records were being set. It was both exciting and eye opening and lit a spark in my mind. I had a good command over arithmetic operations and zeroed in on subtraction."
When he started practising, he didn't have a fixed number of digits in mind. "I started with 30, and as the days went by, increased it to 80 but was still unsatisfied. This is when I pushed myself to solving 100 digit-subtractions in a minute," he told Metrolife.
Attaining good speed and accuracy was a challenge. "The event took place over Zoom, with judges and timers sitting in. It was held on Father's Day. I lost my father this February and this record is a tribute to him," he says.
The event was conducted by an organisation called Official World Record in Spain.