Indians are smart folks! It's not us who's claiming it - a population bubbling over with engineers, scientists and mathematicians proves it. We may not be putting out innovative genetics into much productive use but our IQs are rising; and the world is noticing.

In the latest, an 11-year-old Indian-origin girl in the UK has achieved the top possible score of 162 on a IQ test of Mensa.

Bhaskar

Mumbai-born Kashmea Wahi achieved 162 out of 162, which put her in the top one per cent of the country's brightest. The score also puts her in the league of scientists Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking as both are thought to have an IQ of 160.

"It's overwhelming to be compared with the likes of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein he comparison is implausible and I believe it would take loads of achievements for anyone like myself to be able to get into the league of such legends. Anyways, I am buzzing with excitement," Kashmea said.

Daughter of IT management consultants Vikas and Pooja Wahi, Kashmea took the test to prove a point to her parents. The Cattell III B Mensa test is a well-known international evaluation process and Kashmea stumbled upon it while browsing her iPad. Cattell III B has 150 questions, often assessing comprehension through passages of texts, while the maximum score that can be achieved is 161 for adults, and 162 for under-18s. Kashmea felt it would be a good way to convince her parents to get off her case for not being buried in her books for long hours.

"We are ecstatic at Kashmea's Mensa achievement. Although we always believed she had the intellectual prowess, the acknowledgement is reassuring that she does possess the ability , the energy which if well channelised, can lead to something wonderful," her parents said.