By Rahul Joshi
There I was, sitting in the front row of the MIT Theatre waiting for my name to be called. We were at MIT for the National Vocabulary contest sponsored by North South Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds for underprivileged children in India (www.northsouth.org). MIT is in Boston, Massachusetts, and is a very famous and prestigious institute of technology. When I saw how big it was, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is HUGE!”
The verbal round began. “Rahul, please come on stage,” called out the announcer. I got really nervous. My legs started staking more and more. “The word is ‘insulate’,” the judge said. The noise of my teeth chattering echoed on the microphone. I heard some people laughing. I accidentally bit my lower lip. I thought I screamed but the there was no sound. Everybody was just starting at me like I had just said the president was a chimpanzee. There were so many people there that I started to sweat!
I thought the meaning of ‘insulate’ was ‘insult’. My toes were wiggling a lot. I was about to say ‘insult’ but then I thought some more. Then, it popped right into my mind. The meaning wasn’t ‘insult’, it was ‘segregate’! “The meaning is ‘segregate’”. I said a little too loud. “Sorry,” I squeaked. I don’t think anyone heard me though. I prayed that I would get the answer right. “That answer is right,” the pronouncer said.
I felt so proud of myself. “Whew,” I said right into the microphone. “Whoa,” I thought to myself, “didn’t see that coming!”
Some people want to experience this kind of excitement and some don’t. I have experienced this kind of energy and excitement and I think all the stress was worth it!
Rahul Joshi, 8 years old, is a 4th grader at Pioneer Elementary, Union City, CA. He is a prodigy of Genius Kids where he started reading at the young age of 2 years 4 months old. He was promoted and skipped 2nd grade, heading right into 3rd grade. He was won and ranked in several local and national competitions, the most recent being 2nd Place in the North South Vocabulary Regional Competition. He is also an avid singer and dancer and recently competed in the Northern California Sony Television Asia Boogie Woogie finals.
Rahul did not place in the competition but this is his second time making it to the Nationals.
Water, No Ice 
That sure must have been a nerve wracking experience to spell out the meanings of god forsaken words amidst a bunch of nerds who apparently do nothing but that :). Rahul, is no doubt a gift of God, just as much as any child is. Interestingly, the word ‘insulate’ has a very profound meaning. The more we ‘insulate’ the kids from the right knowledge, the more we are squandering the precious gift. At the same time, as parents bear the responsibility to insulate them from the other distractions in the formative years. Insulate, wow! You couldn’t have been presented with a better word 🙂 And, kudos to the parents who obviously have provided the right insulation.
Wish you many more success!
Congrats!
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Way to go little genius!!! Wherever you set foot, you just don’t leave any stone unturned, do you?
It’s just amazing to watch you not only explore various interests but also excel in them.
We in Bangalore are proud of you and are always inquisitive to know what next.
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Congratulations Rahul. Keep it up.
When I read about such children like Rahul, my hat goes off to salute the parents. It is all their hard work. Great Parents. Wonderful Rahul.
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That is quite amazing Rahul. Congratulations! Good show!
“I comment Rahul on a job well done.”
Ms Rennu, I believe you mean “commend” instead of “comment”
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I would like to commend Rahul for his continued excellence in everything he does. It has been a joy to be part of his learning years since he was 2 years old and he continues to amaze me every day.
Hats off to Prashant and Vaishali who encourage him to take part in everything from the academics, to dance and singing. Looking forward to lots more from Rahul.
I beam proudly as I sign off as his teacher and friend, Ms. Rennu
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