Monday October 22, 2007
A matter of training
By N. RAMA LOHAN
Memorising long to-do lists or a sequence of numbers is simple, or so says Anant Kasibhatla.
FIFTY random single-digit numbers in a series – that’s what Anant Kasibhatla had to remember. In exactly one minute and 14 seconds, the 28-year-old memorised the entire batch of digits and recited every number in perfect sequence. And, on top of that, he proceeded to do the same in reverse.
Mind-boggling, by any standard, but Anant, who works with memory training company Memory Vision, insists it is a simple matter of tapping day-to-day logic.
“It’s a skill, not a talent. It’s something anyone could have picked up ... I’m not born with this. It’s about training and technique,” he says, explaining his unusual ability. Anant holds the Limca Record – the Indian equivalent of the Guinness Record – for memorising 75 telephone numbers, along with the names of their owners, in less than an hour. He is recognised as “the man with the most phenomenal memory in India.”
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Amazing brain power: Anant Kasibhatla has an astonishing memory capacity. |
“It doesn’t matter what language you speak – the brain speaks in pictures, it remembers things as visual imprints. That’s why a ‘No Smoking’ sign does not need words. Why do you think we have the phrase, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’?
“Unfortunately, most people think that memorising is very difficult. The moment they see someone demonstrate something like this, they think it’s out of this world.”
Life should be much simpler, and the good-natured Anant concurs. “If you can communicate in the same language as the brain, then you’re on the same platform. Visuals are the language of the brain.”
He explains that humans use three learning modes – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. But the gift of sight has the greatest leverage.
“Every person is born without any skills. He looks and learns from his surroundings. So, to develop a mind with a great memory, we simply have to return to the original state of learning, like when we were kids, which is to see and learn.”
The building blocks of the human memory capacity come from the VAP (visual, associate and pleasure) principal. And from VAP, comes the basic components of the three Rs – registration, retention and recall. Any individual who has a thorough understanding of these concepts should be able to remember just about anything, Anant claims.
“If you want to remember something, you have to link it to something you already know. Association is the natural principal. For example, if you need directions to a place, a landmark is often used as a point of reference. And if you derive pleasure from something you do, there’s a good chance you’ll remember it. Since the brain already works in this manner, why don’t we take control of it?”
Does having total recall mean that the person is just as incapable of forgetting a grudge?
“The brain is incapable of forgetting. It’s like a black box ... information cannot be erased. We remember things because of the way they have impacted us. So, to ‘forget’ something, we just need to downplay the impact factor – do the reverse of VAP.”
With almost every other person having cell phones and PDAs today, the need to memorise facts and figures has decreased drastically. So, do we really need to tax the brain by having it memorise numbers?
“Having data recorded down in places doesn’t do anything for you. Data can’t interact with data, but when the brain processes all this, it becomes information. The more you put into your brain, the greater your chances of being creative. Information in the brain is always active,” Anant says.
Interestingly, he points out something we all experience on a regular basis. You know those moments when a person’s name or a song title just escape us. But two days later, when we’re doing something totally unrelated, the answer suddenly pops up. Apparently, this happens because the brain continues to undertake a task assigned to it until it arrives at a solution, he explains.
Losing your memory with age is a myth, Anant says. “Like a fitness regime (for the body), the brain also needs to be kept in shape. I’m sure you’ve seen people in their 60s and 70s who still look fit because they work out. The same applies to the brain.”
Of course, there is a period in the life cycle when the brain is at its most receptive.
“Between the ages of two and 12, the brain runs at its full potential ... that’s when it is in its natural setting.”
Anant often gets complaints from concerned teachers and parents about children who are slow. Some even label their kids “stupid”.
“At this age (two to 12), children are most receptive. Maybe it’s just a case of poor teaching methods. Or, expectations from parents are simply too high. If a child seems like he’s not learning, he’s probably just oriented towards other things.”
So, how would he define intelligence, then?
“To me, an intelligent person is someone who is able to put together more of his skills to solve a problem. Intelligence is about using strategies.”
Gingko, raisins and nuts are generally known as food for the brain. But memory enhancement has nothing to do with a special diet, he stresses.
“There’s no diet involved here. I’m not saying certain foods will help, or won’t, but the rule of thumb is that what’s good for the body is good for the brain, and vice versa. Things like gingko might make the brain more active but the bottom line is, you have to exercise your brain to keep your memory senses sharp.”
Keeping our memory sharp and in tune is far from laborious or painful. In fact, Anant shares some pointers on how we can achieve this.
“If you have a simple ‘to do’ list, don’t rely on it. Try to associate the things you need to do with something you’re familiar with, like a person, a place ... anything recognisable to you. Do it in a way that makes sense to you.”
And the trick to memorising 50 random digits is simple. Anant assigns a syllable (sometimes more than one) to each digit from zero to nine and forms words and sentences with them. Thus, when he sees numbers, he actually spells words in his head. Simple ... but there’s obviously some degree of work behind it.
On a parting note, he has these words of advice: “Don’t condition your mind to accept that you’ve forgotten something. If you’ve forgotten to lock the car, just tell yourself, ‘I didn’t lock the car.’ The less you tell yourself you’ve forgotten something, the more encouragement you give your brain to remember things in the future.”
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