At an age when most youngsters are busy choosing career paths or scrolling social media, Mahmood Akram, a 19-year-old linguistic genius from Chennai, is stunning the world with his unmatched talent. He can fluently speak 46 languages and read, write, and type in over 400 scripts—a feat rarely seen even among top linguists globally.
What’s more astonishing? Akram learned English in just six days when he was barely 4 years old.
The Beginning of a Phenomenon
Born into a family that valued languages, Mahmood’s father, Shilbee Mozhippriyan, speaks 16 languages himself and encouraged his son to explore the world of words from an early age. But Mahmood’s hunger for knowledge quickly surpassed his father’s. By the age of six, he was deciphering ancient Tamil scripts like Vatteluttu, Grantha, and Tamizhi, rare even among scholars.
His passion wasn’t limited to speaking—by the age of eight, he could type in 50 languages, setting a world record as the youngest bilingual typist. At 10, he created history again by typing India’s national anthem in 20 languages in under an hour, earning him another world record and the prestigious German Young Talent Award.
A Global Sensation
Mahmood’s extraordinary abilities didn’t go unnoticed. He won a global talent competition, securing a scholarship at the Danube International School in Vienna, Austria. Despite his international exposure, his heart remains tied to Tamil—the language he calls “closest to my heart.”
Today, Mahmood is juggling multiple degrees in India and the UK, pushing the boundaries of what young minds can achieve with focus, memory, and curiosity.
The Secret to His Genius?
Mahmood credits his success to his father’s early guidance, tireless self-learning through platforms like Omniglot, and sheer passion. “When you love something deeply, learning becomes effortless,” he says.
His story is not just about mastering languages—it’s a lesson in how curiosity, dedication, and cultural pride can make the impossible possible.
