For his exceptional intelligence quotient (IQ) and memory, five-year-old wonder-boy Kautilya Pandit was awarded Rs1mn by the Haryana government yesterday.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda handed over the Rs1mn reward in the form of a fixed deposit and a certificate to the boy.

“The state government will provide every possible support to enable him to further excel in the field of education,” Hooda announced, after honouring the boy, a resident of a village in Karnal district, 140km from Chandigarh.

Kautilya has exceptional knowledge, with particular interest in current affairs.

His knowledge far surpasses the normal for a five-year-old, and he has held TV audiences spellbound.

Originally from village Kharhar in Jhajjar district, Kautilya’s family resides at present at Kohand village of Karnal district.

“Kautilya studies for two-and-a-half hours daily. Kautilya has a knack of probing things. He has enviable knowledge of almost every field, including world geography, the states of India, their chief ministers, languages and religions. But he has a special expertise in the world map,” Kautilya’s father, Satish Sharma, told Hooda.

Kautilya has appeared in TV news shows, and was invited to the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) quiz programme on TV, where he shared the dais with superstar Amitabh Bachchan.