Starting this July we’re going to feature individuals that stand out from amongst the rest on CodeChef as the “Programmer of the Month”. Every month we will nominate one individual, who we think deserves a special mention.

And the Programmer of the Month for July is Keshav!

You must be wondering why Keshav is the Programmer of the Month without winning any of the CodeChef Challenges. He was surprised as well. : ) The reason why we’re so impressed with Keshav is because he is all of seventeen years old! Without a formal degree this young programmer has stood 7th in the June Algorithm challenge. Well done, Keshav!

Name: Keshav Dhandhania
Age: 17
Institute: Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kolkata.
CodeChef Userid: keshav_57

Brief introduction about yourself (under 140 characters):
Nothing very special about me. Just a usual school kid I guess, who was fortunate enough to receive some good guidance from people around him.

How/When did you start programming?
A cousin of mine introduced me to TopCoder in 2007 when he saw some of my prizes in math Olympiad. Since then, I have pretty much given up math for programming.

What do you do when you’re not programming?
Spend time with friends, watch a movie or a sport, listen to music and play some online games.

What do you like most about CodeChef?
The prizes top the list. The problems which I cannot solve come next!

How many hours a day do you program?
Depends. On a usual basis I program for a couple of hours a day. Currently, I’m putting in more hours because I need to practice for IOITC.

What’s your favourite book and why?
No favorite. I like books on neurology, and novels are always welcome!

If you could eat dinner with any famous person (past or present), who would it be and what dish would you have?
Person: Chuck Norris?
Dish: Anything from the Chef would be great.

What are your plans for the future?
Have not thought about it very seriously. I won’t leave competing for sure.