She isn’t just bright ray of sunshine in their lives; she is also a “rainbow baby”, a term given to infants who are born after the family has suffered a pregnancy loss.
Sadly, Vignesvaran and Shamala, experienced nine miscarriages over their seven years of marriage. Then, Thevissha arrived.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, 38-year-old Shamala recalled the moment she first held her daughter in her arms. “There are no words to explain the whole experience, but I felt like the whole world was in my hands.”
The doting parents also began noticing their daughter’s remarkable memory. “When she was about two years old, we went to Ipoh. After six months, we went back to the same place. We’d forgotten it, but she hadn’t,” said Vignesvaran, 44.
The couple began introducing Thevissha to information such as Malaysian states and prime ministers; the nations of the world and its leaders; the planets, and so forth – and were delighted that their daughter would soak it all up like a sponge.
Her remarkable memory has not gone unrecognised: in April last year, Thevissha was awarded the “fastest to name all Asian countries by a preschooler” (38.11 seconds) by the Malaysia Book of Records.
The following month, she clinched the champion title in the “Memory Athlete” category at Kids Got Talent Malaysia.
And she didn’t stop there: over the subsequent months, she would stamp her name in other records books, including the International Book of Records (for “fastest recitation of all European countries by a kid”) and Kalams World Records (“youngest to recite 48 European countries in the least time”).
This year, in January, she made her way into the Official World Records Council for naming 90 world leaders in just 4 minutes and 16 seconds.
She subsequently improved her performance and, in March and April, made her mark in the British World Records, Amazing Malaysian Book of Records, Asian World Records, and Champions Book of World Records – all for naming 100 world leaders in 3 minutes and 46 seconds.
Recalling her experiences, Thevissha said she was happy to receive the awards and did not feel nervous during her assessments. Meanwhile, like all mothers, Shamala admitted she was jittery on her daughter’s behalf!
During FMT Lifestyle’s visit to their home in Seremban, Thevissha demonstrated her ability and named the world leaders with ease. Asked who her favourite leader is, she confidently replied: “Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim!”
A pupil of SJKT Bandar Sri Sendayan, she can read and write in Tamil, English, Malay and Mandarin. She also loves to write in her notebook, which she frequently carries around, making one wonder if there is a budding author, journalist or artist in her.
Additionally, Thevissha enjoys extracurricular activities such as chess and swimming – even though her parents reveal they have received criticism for “pushing” her at this young age.
“What people don’t get is, she’s the one who requests to be sent for classes,” said Shamala, highlighting her daughter’s inquisitive nature and appetite for knowledge.
As a mother, she added, she will support her daughter’s ambitions and, conversely, has stopped sending her for certain classes when Thevissha preferred not to continue.
And when it comes to her future, Vignesvaran stressed: “We won’t force her to be an engineer, lawyer, teacher or doctor. When the time comes, we”ll let her choose what she wants.”
For now, they are proud of her remarkable achievements at such a young age. “We are overwhelmed with joy, and we hope to do our best as parents for her,” Shamala concluded.