9-year-old boy becomes youngest Microsoft tech specialist

A nine-year-old boy of Indian origin, whose father hails from Tamil Nadu, has become the youngest Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS). Until recently, the record was held by Dubai-based Babar Iqbal, who earned the credential when he was 12. Pranav Kalyan, a 4th grade student of Willow Elementary School, California, cleared the MCTS exam in ASP.NET Framework 3.5 on January 12.

"As a toddler, Pranav was more fascinated by computers than toys. He started writing small software programs at the age of six," said his father Kalyan, who was born in Madurai and is settled in California. "He is capable of solving problems in differential calculus and integral calculus. His efficiency in mathematics helped him write programs," said Kalyan.

Speaking to TOI over phone, Pranav said he wanted to be a scientist. "I was introduced to the world of computers when I was two," he said. Pranav found that his love for maths and the challenge of solving complicated problems helped him write computer programs, which required logical skills. The boy, who started to write simple HTML programs when he was six years old, has been seriously preparing himself for the past 18 months. "I spend at least eight hours a day on computer programming during holidays," he said.