10-year-old Mehran Hodiwala, from Thane’s a student of Vasant Vihar High School, Thane, was awarded the Merit Plus Trophy for the prestigious National Level SpellQuest Competition for Classes 5 and 6 (Club 4), at a function in Nerul on October 6, 2018.

The son of Dr. Anahita and Vistasp Hodiwala, Mehran is amongst one of just few students who excelled in this competition over 45,000 other students who participate from multiple states across the country. Before coming up trumps at the Nationals, he topped his school, and went on to perform very creditably at the State level too.

The Merit Plus Trophy is awarded to children who score between 90 and 95 per cent at the nationals, after coming through with flying colours at the Intra-School and State Levels. The format of SpellQuest tests young kids on overall linguistic skills in English, which ranges from advanced grammar proficiency and having a prolific vocabulary, to meanings of idioms, phonetics, proverbs so on.

Speaking to Parsi Times, Mehran’s parents, Dr. Anahita and Vistasp Hodiwala, said, “We try and open Mehran up to as many possibilities as he wants, without consciously burdening him with our expectations. So from football to guitar classes to SpellQuest to Homi Bhabha Science exams, we support and nudge him to discover his real interests and then let him decide what he wishes to pursue. We truly feel blessed as he doesn’t give us too hard a time and shows an initial interest in exploring his potential. The rest is up to him and the future course of events.”

When PT asked little Mehran’s about his ‘future plans’, he quipped, “One day I want to be a musician, another day, a writer, since I love books as much as I love music! But I also love science a lot and mom would want to see me as a doctor like her. While my dad hopes I can be a sportsman because we are both crazy about tennis and football!”