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At First glance, 14-year-old Sahal Kaushik looks like an ordinary school-going teenager. But this Dwarka boy has made history by becoming the youngest ever student to crack the super prestigious IIT-JEE with flying colours. Kaushik has secured the 33rd rank in the all-India entrance test.

A student of Vandana International School, Dwarka, Kaushik scored 73 per cent marks in his Class XII board exams. Setting records comes easily for Kaushik who cleared his Class X board exams with 76 per cent marks when he was just 12.

While making it to the top 50 of IIT-JEE might sound extraordinary to many, it is not a big deal for Kaushik. “It’s OK. What I did is just a regular thing. Why is such a big fuss being created about it?” Kaushik said in a matter-of-fact manner on Wednesday evening.

The venue was the India Habitat Centre, where his coaching institute, Narayana IIT Academy, Delhi branch, had organised a special felicitation function to honour the young achiever. “I want to do research and it is pure sciences that interest me, not engineering. I’ll not join the BTech course. Rather, I’m interested in MSc Physics,” the shy teen said.

It was his mother, Ruchi Kaushik, who noted the signs of a genius in her son when he was only two years old. The mother had bid adieu to the medical profession some 12 years ago and focused on teaching her son at home.

“At the age of two, he recited mathematics tables, solved maths sums with ease and spelt four and five-letter words accurately. We knew that he was a brilliant child. Sahal was hometutored and went to school only in Class IX,” the proud mother revealed.

When asked if she faced any problem when he wrote his Class XII board exams, she replied: “Not at all. Like any other regular student, his forms with his date of birth were submitted to the CBSE and he was allowed to take the board exams.”

The genius’s favourite sports are swimming and badminton and he already has a few international awards in his kitty. He won a silver medal at the Asian Physics Olympiad in 2009 and bagged bronze this year at the same event. He was also a part of the team that represented India at the Asian Science Camp held in Japan in 2009.

Asked about tips for those preparing for IIT-JEE, Kaushik replied: “Just study for six hours, understand the concepts and take the test.” Though he has cleared the exam to be eligible to study at any IIT, a place that most young Indians would give an arm and a leg to study at, Kaushik has kept his options open — he may take admission at IIT Kanpur or may move to the US as research is what he is focused on.

Kaushik treasures his books and is completely hooked to nature documentaries and David Attenborough programmes along with old classic movies. “I like old realistic movies such as Bridge on the River Kwaiand subjects such as history, mythology and literature interest me. Harry Potter books are my favourite,” he said.

His mother added: “He hates lending his books fearing that they will get lost.” As Kaushik loves gorging on Chinese cuisine and biryani, his family has planned a dinner to celebrate his achievement.

When the IIT results were announced at 8.30 am on Wednesday, his mother felt her efforts had paid off. It was a teacher from the coaching academy who broke the news to the family on phone.

Soon, the B-02, Ispatika Apartments at Sector 4, Dwarka, was buzzing with activity as relatives and friends started pouring in to congratulate the young boy. “Sahal got his due and should do what he wants to do. If he isn’t keen to join BTech, it’s fine with us,” his mother said. His father Colonel T.K. Kaushik is at present posted at Tejpur in Assam.