Malaysia’s Manjari makes her numbers count in Ireland

For Manjari Tanuskodi, mathematics is more than a school subject. It is a world of possibilities.

“In English, there are only 26 letters, but in maths, it’s infinite,” Manjari, 10, said. “I find it so cool how it can be infinite. You can just keep adding a zero at the end, making it bigger.”

That fascination has taken the Malaysian-born schoolgirl a long way. Recently, she earned the title of Rock Hero, one of the highest ranks on Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), an online learning platform that uses fast-paced games, leaderboards and rewards to help children sharpen their multiplication and division skills.

Competing against 14,715 pupils across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Manjari secured a top-three finish in Ireland Rocks, a regional TTRS virtual competition that tested participants on their speed and accuracy in solving mathematical questions across three days.

“I had that little bit of anxiety, but I just tried my best. And I feel very proud that I managed to get a very good score,” she told FMT Lifestyle.

The achievement is particularly remarkable given that this was her first competition of its kind. Manjari answered 9,903 questions over three days, tackling multiplication, division, addition and subtraction under time pressure.

Her mother, Kala Manickam, 48, believes learning should be driven by understanding rather than rote memorisation.

“I told her not to have a robotic mentality because following and memorising is not the way to learn. Understanding what you’re doing is the way to learn,” the clinical neuropsychologist said.

For Kala, born in Ayer Keroh, Melaka, her daughter’s fascination with numbers was evident long before she started school. Manjari was born in Melaka too, and was five when the family moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2021 to begin her primary education there.

“She had always scored very high marks in her class and the students and teachers were always impressed,” Kala shared.

As a toddler, she would count objects around her, compare colours and even measure her mother’s arm. Nothing seemed too ordinary to pique her curiosity.

“Even a plate of rice! She would try to analyse how much rice there was in it,” Kala recalled. “Wherever I took her, she liked to count every single thing.”

The family encouraged this curiosity through simple games, making learning feel like play rather than a chore. Manjari remembered counting to 200 with her mother when she was about two, using their heartbeats as part of the game.

Her parents have also helped her work on areas she finds difficult, including English, while continuing to nurture her strengths in mathematics.

Now a year ahead of the usual school-age progression, Manjari is preparing for the next stage of her education – secondary school in September next year.

“I’m really looking forward to secondary school. It will be nice to meet new people and learn new things,” she said, before quickly adding, “I heard grammar school is very big and I do not want to get lost by mistake or go to the wrong class!”

Outside mathematics, she enjoys cycling, collecting pebbles by the beach and spending time with friends. She is still exploring what she wants to become when she grows up.

“I am thinking of many things, maybe a paediatric doctor or teacher,” she said. “I really like challenges because they make me think.”

For Kala, academic success is only part of the picture. Although the family moved abroad for educational opportunities, they remain proud of their Malaysian roots and hope Manjari will eventually contribute to society back home.

“We should encourage children to express themselves and explore, then support them in whichever way they want,” she said.

For now, Manjari is happy to keep asking questions, setting targets and discovering just how far her curiosity can take her.

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