Peer-e-kamil

Chapter 1(Part 6)

"Your son is amongst those 2.5 percent of the world's population who have an IQ of more than 150. With this level of intelligence, whatever he has done may ne extraordinary,but not unexpected."

Salar had been at the International School for only a week when Sikandar Usman and his wife had been called over by the school administration. The school psychologist had informed them about Salar's various IQ tests in which his performance and score had amazed his tecahers and also the psychologist.

He was the only child in the school with such a high IQ and very soon he became the focus of everyone's attention.

During his meeting with Mr and Mrs Usman, the psychologist got another opportunity to dig out more information about Salar's childhood. He had been studying Salar's case with much interest which was personal rather than professional-it was the first time he had come across such an IQ level.

Sikandar Usman remembered well that when Salar was just two years old, he was remarkably fluent in his speech, unlike other boys of his age, and very often he came up with things that left him and his wife wondering.

One day he was speaking to his brother on the phone while watching TV, and Salar was playing nearby. After the call ended, Sikandar saw Salar pick up the phone and say, "Hello, Uncle, this is Salar." Sikandar watched him as he happily chatted away. "I am well. How are you?" Sikandar thought he was play-acting. The next sentence made him sit up. "Baba is right here, watching TV. No, he did not call-I called you."

"Salar, who are you talking to?" asked Sikandar.

"Uncle Shahnawaz," he replied. Sikandar took the phone from him. He thought Salar may have dialed at random or else pressed the redial button.

"Salar has dialed the number, I'm sorry," he apologized to his brother.

"How could he do that? Isn't he too young?" His brother was surprised.

"He probably pressed the redial button accidentally." Sikandar switched off the phone and put it back in place.

Salar, who was quietly listening to this conversation, went and picked up the phone again-Sikandar looked at him as he expertly dialed Shahnawaz's number, just as an adult would. He was shocked-he did not expect a two-year-old to do this, He reached out to disconnect the call.

"Salar, do you know Shahnawaz's number?" he asked.

"Yes," came the calm reply.

"What is it?"

Salar rattled it off. Sikandar stared at him-he did not think Salar knew how to count, let alone remember a string of digits. "Who taught you this number?"

"I learnt it myself."

"How?"

"You just dialed it." Salar looked at him.

"Do you know how to count?"

"Yes."

"How far can you count?"

"Till a hundred."

"Show me how."

Like a machine, Salar counted from one to one hundred, in one breath. Sikandar could feel knots in his stomach. "I am going to dial a number now, and when I disconnect you call the same number," he said.

"OK." Salar was enjoying this game. Sikandar dialed a number then switched off the phone. Salar immediately took the receiver and dialed the same number as confidently as his father had. Sikandar's head was spinning. Salar could remember any numbers that he dialed, and could then dial them accurately. He had a photographic memory.