Perak girl with remarkable gift makes it into Guinness World Records

BY: Patrick Beech

A 10-year-old girl from Perak has recently made it into the Guinness World Records for the fastest time to arrange the pieces on a chessboard while blindfolded.

On May 19, Punithamalar Rajashekar attempted the feat and after months of anticipation, the good news officially arrived in the mail.

The previous world record of 1.02 minutes for arranging 32 chess pieces was held by a boy from India.

But Punithamalar pulled it off in an impressive 45.72 seconds, clinching her the title.

“It wasn’t difficult because I felt it was the same as completing the task without a blindfold. Just like how everyone sees with their eyes open, I can see the same things even with my eyes closed," she said.

Punithamalar has also earned the title of 2nd runner-up in Malaysia’s “Kids Got Talent” this year, qualifying her to audition for Season 19 of “America’s Got Talent”.

According to her father, Rajashekar Kuberan, when his daughter closes her eyes, she can see what’s in front of her within a narrow, limited field.

"That’s why you’ll often see her turning her head while performing tasks blindfolded," he said.

While the origins of her gift remain a mystery, Rajashekar believes it could be attributed to Punithamalar’s strict practices.

“She wakes up every morning around 5am to do yoga and meditate. We’re aware of a yogi in India who has this very talent, so this is our best guess,” he added.