It is that time of the year when the International Olympiads are held in subjects like maths, physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy. While the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hanoi will carry on till July 31, the International Astronomy Olympiad will be held in Simeiz, Crimea, from September 29 to October 7, 2007. And, like always, there is a lot of expectation from Indian students.

“Last year, we stood first in astronomy among 18 participating nations. We were ranked ninth among 80 participating nations in physics, and in the chemistry and biology Olympiads, we were ranked at 15 out of 80 countries,” says Professor Vijay A. Singh, national co-ordinator, Science Olympiads.

Varun Bhalerao belongs to that league of extraordinary students of astronomy. He won two gold medals and one bronze at three International Astronomy Olympiads held in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Today, Bhalerao is doing his PhD at the department of astronomy, California Institute of Technology, US. “The Olympiad experience was amazing. My Olympiad credentials also helped me to obtain scholarships. One big advantage was getting to know the leading scientists in astronomy in the country. Interactions with them were inspiring,” says Bhalerao.

Calcutta schoolboy Sucharit Sarkar won the gold and silver at consecutive International Maths Olympiads in 2001 and 2002. “The Olympiad boosted my confidence in my abilities as a mathematician and I ended up studying mathematics at Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Bangalore,” says Sarkar who is doing his PhD in mathematics at Princeton University, US.

So how does one make it to the International Olympiads?

The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai, is the nodal agency for Olympiad activity in India. As maths has many takers among students, those who are in Class XI or XII can participate in the Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO) which is held between September and the first Sunday of December every year in more than 20 different regions of the country. ISI, Calcutta, handles the West Bengal region.

The regional co-ordinator ensures that at least one centre is provided in each district of his or her region.

Based on performance, the RMO selects students who appear at the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO) which is held at the regional centres every year on the first Sunday of February. In the third stage, the top 30 to 35 students of the INMO make it to a month-long training camp held in May-June at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. A team of six students is selected on the basis of their performances in the camp.

The lucky six make it to the International Mathematical Olympiad. The ministry of human resource development sponsors the international travel of the team.

On the other hand, for the astronomy, chemistry, physics and biology Olympiads, HBCSE conducts the National Standard Examination through which students are selected for the National Olympiads. After a national camp, the selected students make it to international Olympiad programmes.

Students selected for the training camps and then the International Olympiad stand to gain a lot. “There are prizes in the form of books for the 30 finalists and many other incentives including simplified or direct admission to some institutes, and a chance to be part of a nurture programme for four years and bag the Kishore Vaigyanik Puraskar scholarship. Medal winners at the international level receive several cash prizes from sponsors,” says R.B. Bapat, national co-ordinator for the Mathematics Olympiad.

The participants and the organisers say that to win at the Olympiads, what is needed is an independent mind that questions and seeks answers. “Any person who has explored learning beyond the mandatory syllabus of school stands a good chance,” says Bhalerao. Professor Haimanti Sarbadhikari, former regional co-ordinator, Maths Olympiad for the West Bengal region, adds, “Although our system teaches students to be mechanical, there are still some who can think independently.”

Not many students are aware of the participation process at the Olympiads, especially if one wants to make it to the international level. Last year, around 42,000 students appeared for the first stage in maths, while chemistry and biology had around 31,000 and 15,000 students respectively. Astronomy had around 12,000. Considering the number of schools and students, the number of participants is minuscule.

Students who appear at the Olympiads usually go on to do well in other fields also. “Several of our students achieve the highest ranks in the IIT-JEE exams. For example, last year’s International Physics Olympiad gold medallist Raghu Mahajan was ranked no.1 in the IIT-JEE,” says Professor Singh.

If you are a student of Class XI or XII and have faith in your abilities, you could also be a part of this success story. For more details on the exam, dates, fees, regional centres, log on to http://www.hbcse. tifr.res.in/olympiads