India is a country that has housed one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, Aryabhatta being the most prominent one. It is thus quite obvious that the country will have more such children who will excel and touch newer heights in the arena of mathematics. One more such young mind to have recently made the country proud is Ashish Ranjan.
This grade 12 student from India’s Patna, Bihar is a mathematics enthusiast and olympian who has represented India in more than 10 distinct International Mathematics Olympiads and bagged various medals for the nation and was selected by many top universities and organisations of the USA for various International Mathematics camps.
When in conversation with Youth Incorporated, Ashish Ranjan shared how his interest in math grew. His ever-growing love for mathematics began when he first participated in a state-level mathematics competition. The math problems he came across during this competition were something that fascinated him and made him want to solve more such problems. This is when he explored his love for mathematics. He enjoyed studying practical mathematics problems in school instead of mugging huge textbooks as a part of the school curriculum. He also mentioned how important it is for students to receive knowledge from the right mentor/teacher to excel especially in subjects like Maths.
Ashish credits his achievements to two of his teachers, Mr Ayush Goyal and Mr Rajeev Rastogi who have trained him for solving non-routine mathematics problems. According to him, solving problems with your teacher and framing solutions as directed by the experts helps not just solve the problems smoothly but also boost your confidence.
To date, Ashish has participated and won in many national and international mathematics competitions, some of which include, International Mathematics Kangaroo (2021)-Gold Medal + Perfect Scorer (World Topper, Among 6 Million Students Of 92 + Countries), South East Asian Mathematics Olympiad (2021) – Gold Medal, International Mathematics Kangaroo (2019) – Gold Medal, Singapore And Asian Schools Mathematics Olympiad (Sasmo) (2021)- Gold Medal, Thailand International Mathematics Olympiad (Heats) (2019 )- Gold Medal and, Thailand International Mathematics Olympiad (Finals) (2019) – Silver Medal.
On being asked about what it was like to represent India in all the competitions, Ashish said, there is nothing more beautiful than watching your national flag raised high up and to know that you are the reason behind it is even more overwhelming. He takes immense pride in letting other countries know about the mathematics culture in India.
What is commendable about Ashish is that he doesn’t only participate in maths competitions but is also currently educating other students. We asked him how he feels about it, he said, he began educating when he himself was in the 11th grade. He felt he could deliver his knowledge, expertise and techniques to other fellow students. Thus, Ashish put on the hat of lecturer and joined Alphademic Learning, USA (Non- profit organisation), a group of 25+ Olympians and undergraduates from renowned universities like MIT and Stanford.
He said that as an educator he learnt a lot about how each student proceeds differently towards problems and problem-solving. He said it sharpened his skills even more.
Ashish’s parents are extremely proud of his achievements since their son is representing India internationally, serving the nation in a different way and making the whole country proud. Both, his mother and father have always been encouraging Ashish in his endeavours.
Being an olympian and educator of maths himself, he said that for anyone who loves the subject and is interested in solving maths olympiads, they should start exploring ideas and ways to proceed with solving problems.
Practice as much as you can. In mathematics, the “more you do, more you learn.” Don’t hurry about finding a solution, attempt the problem multiple times in different ways. You will surely learn something from it.
On a parting note, Asish had a message for the youth. He said, “follow your passion and do whatever you are interested in, and try to do maximum with minimum things.”
