Chennai: His name is Mahmood Akram. He is from Chennai and just 19 years old. Would you believe Akram can read, write, and type in 400 languages.
With a number of world records, his story is a celebration of unity in diversity as language isn’t just an assembly of words but representation of various cultures and their unity.
Akram said that languages were the key to cultural appreciation, explaining that if he spoke to someone in their native tongue, they would respond with their heart, but if he used English, they would think with their brain.
Akram's Linguistic Journey
Akram’s linguistic journey began even before he was born. His father, Shilbee Mozhippriyan, an expert in 16 languages with a doctorate in cognitive psychology, wanted to ensure that his son would never face language barriers. Shilbee mentioned that when his wife was pregnant, they often discussed languages, hoping it would influence their child's interest.
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“I did not want my son to be snatched away from opportunities based on language. When my wife was conceived with Akram, we had conversations about languages in hopes that they would help to pique the baby’s interest. It seems to have worked in Akram’s case,” Shilbee said.
By the age of four, Akram had already mastered the English alphabet in just six days. Within three weeks, he had learned the 299 characters of the Tamil script—an accomplishment that typically takes months. His father introduced him to ancient Tamil scripts like Vatteluttu, Grantha, and Tamizhi, which he quickly absorbed. By six, he had surpassed his father’s knowledge and ventured into self-learning.
Between ages six and eight, Akram expanded his repertoire to 50 languages, relying on books and online resources like Omniglot, an encyclopedia of languages.
Online School In Israel
However schools in our country did not recognize his linguistic prowess, and he struggled to find an institution that specialized in languages. Akram then enrolled in an online school in Israel, studying major global languages like Arabic, Spanish, French, and Hebrew.
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Open Schooling Institute
Akram completed his education through the National Institute of Open Schooling. His talent eventually earned him a scholarship to Danube International School in Vienna, Austria. Here, he got the opportunity to interact with classmates from 39 different nationalities, thus helping him to refine his fluency.
Doing Degree From UK
Today, Akram is pursuing degrees in linguistics from the Open University in the UK, English Literature, and Animation from Alagappa University in Chennai.
