International table tennis player Naina Jaiswal conferred doctorate at 22

Naina had won national and South Asian championships besides finishing sixth in the IRRF World Hopes team.

International table tennis player and city resident Naina Jaiswal added one more feather in her multifaceted career cap after she became the youngest and the first girl in India to be awarded a doctorate (Ph.D.) at the age of 22. She completed her research at Adikavi Nannaya University (AKNU-Rajamahendravaram) on the topic ‘A Study of Role of Micro-Finance in Women Empowerment’.

Naina had won national and South Asian championships besides finishing sixth in the IRRF World Hopes team.

She started pursuing Ph.D. at the age of 17 and credits her latest achievement to parents Ashwani Kumar Jaiswal and Bhagyalaxmi Jaiswal. “They, along with my brother Agastya, have been with me in moments of joy and despair,” she said.

She also thanked her research guide Dr. Murru Mutyalu Naidu (retired professor, S.K Institute of Management, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur) and co-guide Dr Teki Surayya.

Some of her notable achievements include being the youngest girl in Asia to complete Class X at the age of eight from IGCSE (the University of Cambridge). She completed her Intermediate at the age of 10 at St. Mary’s College and finished her BA in mass communication and journalism at 13. Two years later, Naina completed her postgraduation in political science at Osmania University to become the youngest postgraduate in Asia. She also holds a law degree.

She is the brand ambassador of Andhra Pradesh Police and was also appointed Brand Ambassador of India for World Peace Day - Berlin in association with the United Nations.

It is not just in academics that Naina has shown her remarkable expertise. She has the rare distinction of having recorded a CD on Ramayana slokas at the age of seven, besides being a piano player and ambidextrous. To the delight of foodies, she can cook Hyderabadi Biryani in just 25 minutes.