‘The Abacus strengthened my mind, focus and drive to excel’

Reyansh Mathur, a Class IV student of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, has distinguished himself through exceptional mental math skills developed through years of dedicated Abacus practice. His remarkable speed, accuracy, and command over numbers have earned him several medals in regional, national, and international competitions, making him a true connoisseur of the subject at a young age. Beyond the accolades, Reyansh’s journey reflects the values of discipline, focus, and perseverance. In a candid conversation, he shares how consistent practice, guidance from teachers and parents, and an unwavering determination have helped him achieve success, not only in Abacus but also in other pursuits he passionately follows.

How did the journey in abacus begin?

It began in 2021 when I was just five years old and studying in KG. It started in a very fun, play-way method where I began learning simple calculations. At first, I practised addition and subtraction of single-digit numbers. The most interesting part was that I did these calculations without using pen and paper; everything was done mentally. This was the beginning of my journey.

Share your recent achievements in abacus.

Over time, I have participated in many regional, national, and international Abacus competitions. Each competition helped me improve my mental math speed, accuracy, and confidence. These experiences have been exciting and rewarding, allowing me to challenge myself, learn from others, and proudly showcase my Abacus skills on bigger platforms.

How did your school support your journey?

My teachers and Principal at the school have always been very supportive of my journey. They have consistently appreciated my achievements in Abacus over the years. Their encouragement and motivation have inspired me to keep learning, improving my skills, and striving to reach the next level in Abacus.

How has this activity honed your personality?

Doing Abacus has helped me in building concentration and focus in studies. Not only that, it helped me focus on my sports side as well (along with it, I’m now a professional skater, which requires intense discipline and practice, doing inline skating and representing my school in various Inter-school and state-level competitions and bringing medals for school ). I am elated to share about my achievement with regard to securing 4th position in the India Mapology Competition, where I learnt about various political and physical features of India. (It’s all because of focus and concentration I learnt from abacus exercises).

What kind of challenges did you face?

Since I started learning the abacus at a young age, I initially faced some difficulty understanding mathematical concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even decimals. These topics had not yet been introduced in school, so they were completely new to me. However, with the support and guidance of my parents and teachers, I gradually improved and successfully completed all 10 levels in June 2025.

Share your favourite abacus activity.

My favourite Abacus activity was the finger game, which helped increase my speed and focus. I also enjoyed the activity where we had to quickly write alphabets with their corresponding numbers, like A–1, B–2, C–3, and so on. Since it was a time-bound task, there was always a fun competition among my classmates to see who could complete the most.