Palmistry, an age old practice of India, is believed to help foresee one’s future. A few schools in Mumbai have turned to an updated version of the same, and are reading children’s fingerprints to help their academics. This technique is known as Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Testing (DMIT), a computer-generated assessment fingerprint pattern test to determine the child's learning ability, skills and intelligence potential.
Rizvi Springfield School, Bandra and VIBGYOR High School, Goregaon are two places where the tests have been conducted till now, along with Kalyan's Arya Gurukul which conducted a workshop on 'mid-brain activation'.
With the consent of parents, the student’s fingerprints are examined. The testsreportedly focuses on the psychic powers of the brain. In response to the analysis derived, each student is provided with necessary homeopathy consultation and career counselling. Homeopath and DMIT consultant and analyst Dr Trupti Barchha informed in an HT report that the unique codes on each line of a fingerprint is fed into the software that generates a report on the inborn intelligence, learning styles, creativity and emotional quotient of the student. Shim Matthews (Principal of VIBGYOR High School) reported that a few of their students took the DMIT and have shown positive results. But they haven’t mainstreamed the test due to lack of scientific research.
Tejal Dave, counselling psychologist and head of human resource development department, Gundecha Education Academy, Kandivali states that the DMIT doesn’t seem very convincing owing to the absence of background research on the same and would prefer aptitude and personality tests over it. Dr Samir Dalwai, president of the Indian Academy of Pediatricians (IAP), New Horizons Development Centre notifies a need for authentication of such tests by the Government, so that only scientifically backed assessments can be carried out.