10 year old Indian Kid designs own site and creates history

Human Interest Story - . Weve always heard people say that the kids of today are much more techno-savvy than the older generation. The instances of parents calling up their sons and daughters to trouble-shoot their computer problems at work are pretty common. Not to mention kids teaching their parents how to surf the net and use the computer and peripherals.

Youngest Indian Kid to create website
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Kochi, July 12, 2002

Kochi-based South Indian school student has become the youngest girl in the country to create her own Web site in the Internet. Just ten-year old Sruthilakshmi Pai is now a proud owner of a plot in the cyberspace- her address: www.sruthipai.net

Having received her father's old computer as gift at four, at nine she was ready to make her presence felt on the Internet and created the site all by herself. She was the youngest girl in the India to join the NIIT when she wanted to learn the basics of web designing.

The Class V student of Bhavan's Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad, who started using the computer when she was just four years old, created the site all by herself. Working on the Microsoft Front Page, Sruthi created a website mainly focusing her family. To add some spice, there are pages for with stories, jokes, puzzles, quiz and games "The first two attempts were not satisfactory as things didn't turn out well. But the third time it clicked," says Sruthi.

Sruthi had been spending lot of time in PC games, especially edutainment. And her parent who never forces her to do anything has been a great help. "Anyone can use the computers and the age is not at all a hindrance. I wish Sruthi to be a role model in spreading this message," says Dr Uday Lal Pai (www.udaypai.net), Sruthi's father, who is one of Indias Premier IT journalists. The digital divide is a myth and anybody can enter into cyberspace, he added.

Sruthi preferred to pay to host her site rather than opt for free hosting servers. Dad told me that nothing comes free in this world. So I opted to pay for my server space - now all my pocket money has gone," laughs the young web-designer. Server space and the URL name www.sruthipai.net cost her Rs 1500/-.

Having received her father's old computer as gift at four, Sruthi at nine was ready to make her presence felt on the Internet. "Initially, I used to just switch on and shut down the computer. Slowly I started programming. Then I started playing a lot games on CDs," She then started using the Internet, which aroused her curiosity in webpage designing. When she reached ten years old in May 9, 2002, her site was almost ready.

Her obsession with computer has not affected her studies, says her mother Shailaja, taking pride in the fact that her daughter is among the best students at School. My parents never force me to study. Instead they ask me to watch TV-channels and movies and listen to songs. Learning is my responsibility, not theirs," says Sruthi.

At school, though Sruthi has a choice of computers as an optional, she has opted for crafts instead. Sruthi is also good at studies, dance, drawing and memory tests. Sruthis two younger sisters - Aiswarya (6) and Adhrika (3) - are also among the rare breed of techno-savvy kids who took to cyberspace at a young age,

Her e-mail sruthi_laks@yahoo.co.in is now filled with huge pile of e-mails encouraging and congratulating her from all part of the world to achieve this feat at such a young age. And she replies to all those messages by herself. One e-learning company has come forward to sponsor her IT studies. Most of the national newspapers and TV channels have carried stories about Sruthi.