STEALING SHOW: V. Bhooma, SSN College of Engineering,

CHENNAI: `As you think, so you become' is the chant of the MAXonians. It was the training of J.N. Reddy in Bahula Siddhi meditation that helped V. Bhooma, an `above average' student studying Computer Science engineering in SSN College of Engineering, perform a double Ashtavadhanam memory feat at the World University Service Centre on Monday.
Volley of questions
Several judges throwing questions at her on 16 different topics, ranging from the latest `India Today' magazine, the periodic table of elements, income tax sections, self-development books in English and Tamil, the Melakarta Ragas, quotations, Chennai pin codes, the perpetual calendar, countries and capitals, historical dates, phobias and micro-processor codes.
Besides answering the questions volleyed at her, Ms. Bhooma also listed out the series in a shuffled deck of cards, recalled random digits and random binary digits in boxes that the audience had given her.
Focussed on getting a place in the Limca book of records, the engineering student was hardly fazed by the crowd at the programme organised by the Madras Academy for Excellence (MAX).
MAX has helped individuals set Limca and world records in memory, and broken the Guinness record in `perpetual calendar memory'. It has also conducted national and Asian memory championships and a world memory fair, Dr. Reddy said. MAX celebrated its 13th anniversary recently. The MAX Excellence Awards were presented to R.S. Munirathnam of the RMK Group of Institutions and G. Santhanam, secretary and correspondent, SBOA Schools.
Earlier there were memory feat demonstrations by Narasimhan, Sriram, Arun and Ayyalusamy, a 63-year-old history teacher. The organisation can be contacted through phone at 044 - 23611432 or 23611492.