Boise, USA - A Hare Krishna temple in Boise, Idaho has suddenly started generating interest among the local community. Its home school has been producing genius one after other. At least three from here have graduated at just 17 and many more are in queue.
The latest being Ayush Goyal, son of an Indian hydrology technician, who on May 14, became the second-youngest student to graduate from the Boise State University.
A devotee of Lord Krishna and an active member of the International Centre for Krishna Consciousness, Ayush (17) who spent most of his time at Boise temple home school after being taken out of the elementary school when he was eight, earned Bachelor's Degree in electrical and computer engineering on Saturday.
He has been declared among top 10 scholars, besides being ranked one of the country's four top electrical engineering student for the year 2005 by the Eta Kappa Nu, which is the national honour society for electrical and computer engineering.
Being modest, both Ayush and his parents - father Sudhir Goyal, who works with Idaho Department of Water, and Shyama Goyal, house wife and has a Masters in Economics - attribute it to the home school of the Hare Krishna temple.
The temple priest, Arun Gupta, claimed" "Many others like Ayush were likely to achieve the similar feat." Prominent among them include Shatakshi, who at just 13 is taking BSU classes this year, and Ian Walls, an American who at 10 is good enough for eight and 10th Grade. Then there is a Jain family.
It all began in 1999, when Ravi Gupta, his son, was the first one to graduate at 17. This was followed by his brother Gopal Gupta in 2001 at the same age. Ravi went on to achieve his Ph.D from Oxford in theology and religion at just 22 years of age.
"Initially, it was thought these were genius and it is because of individual capabilities of Ravi and Gopal. But after Ayush, local people have begun recognizing role of our home school in a child's development," Gupta told Hindustantimes.com.
At any time there are 20 child in the home school, started by his wife Aruddha Gupta in 1989. "The studies revolve around Bhagwad Gita, which is nucleus of all knowledge," he said.
Even in this age, students of this home school, for whom day starts at 4-45 in the morning with Mangal Arti, do not watch television. "This is a taboo. This (television) leads to a lot of distraction," he said.
Arguing that all children are genius, Gupta said: "We provide a right kind of environment to these young kids. The results are there for all to see."
Agreed Sudhir Goyal, who came to Idaho way back in 1993. "Ayush could remember the entire Bhagwat Gita when he was just eight years. "It is then, we decided to take him out from elementary school and send him to the home school."
Recognizing the contribution of Hare Krishna temple in his life, Goyal said, Ayush has decided to devote his next year of his life for the cause of ISKCON.
"During this period he would be traveling to Belgium, Peru, Netherlands, Spain and India along with his spiritual guru (an American) and make presentations on the Bhagwad," he said.
Thereafter, Ayush plans to go to Oxford University to study connections between science and spirituality, he said.
Goyal claimed it is the teachings and principles of their faith -- mercifulness, self-control, honesty and abstinence from sex before marriage - gives them concentration powers that allowed students like Ayush to excel academically far beyond his years.
In fact, Ayush, who meditates early morning for 90 minutes, was personally singled out by Boise State University president, Robert Kustra. At the graduation ceremony, Kustra urged the university students and their parents to recognize Ayush's achievements.
To celebrate Ayush's accomplishments, the temple organized a yagna that was attended by a large number of people.