Chief minister rewards Pilibhit’s ‘memory machines’
LUCKNOW: Memorising a set of over 400 general knowledge questions in less than three minutes is a daily routine for Hashi Singh, 9, and her sister Honey Singh, 12, of Pilibhit district.
The girls know the names of all Indian states, their capitals and even the chief ministers. “We also know the names of all states in United States of America and most of the other countries,” said Hashi.
Known as ‘memory machines,’ the sisters participate in memory contests across India.
On Sunday, they presented their skill in front of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. He appreciated their talent and rewarded them with a monetary assistance of Rs 51,000 each.
The chief minister, in his tweet, said: “The sisters, Honey and Hashi Singh, have exceptional talent. Such talent will bring laurels to the state and our country in future. The state government will do its best to support them.”
“I was delighted to meet the chief minister. He praised us for our memory skills and asked us to keep working on it,” said Honey.
Daughters of a temporary teacher and housewife, the girls dedicate three hours daily to brush up their knowledge. This habit, according to their father Digvijay Singh, started when the elder sister was an infant.
“At the age of three, Honey knew all the alphabets. She gradually started memorising tougher words and then passages. And later, she began sharpening her general knowledge and continues till date,” added the father.
As a practice, the sisters compete with each other to learn new facts and then try to remember them. “They read the newspaper daily to be abreast with the developments in the world and also ask each other about it,” said Digvijay Singh.
Students at a private school in Bilsanda area of Pilibhit, the sisters wish to continue upgrading their knowledge about the world.
“I want to represent our country in memory competitions across the globe,” said Honey.
Career wise, the girls have not decided on anything but wish to pursue science.