Maths prodigy from Jalandhar bags top rank in Olympiad

Gaurisha is eight. She is a year ahead of her age in class. Going by her grasping skills and knowledge, her parents got her admission done to a higher class. When most kids of her age are still in Class III, she is in Class IV and has learned all concepts of mathematics for Class V.

Perhaps her extraordinary calculation ability led her to grab top rank in the country in the Unified International Mathematics Olympiad (UIMO) for session 2025-26, the result of which was declared earlier this month. Currently, the girl is preparing for the same exam to be held for the next session in October.

At a tender age, the whizkid from Ivy World School has developed the habit of staying awake till 1 am for studying and practising mathematics questions. Says her mother Dr Richa Sharma, who is Head of Computer Sciences Department, Lovely Professional University, “Gaurisha has been a god-gifted child. She has had an exceptional ability to make calculations. She is able to solve multiplication sums of a particular difficulty level which are of Class V standard even now. Even before the summer vacation was to start and it was just two months since the new session had started, Gaurisha had completed the entire syllabus of mathematics for Class IV. Now when I give her Class V standards sums, she is able to solve those as well.”

Dr Richa shared her story, “Gaurisha is the eldest of my three kids. My husband is a businessman and often remains on tour. Being my first child, I started spending a lot of time Gaurisha. If she spends three-four hours a day on self-study, she is also practising swimming for two hours a day. My second child is five years old and the youngest one is just of 10 months. I have a good family support and hence I am able to focus well on all my children even after work.”

Dr Richa says she has kept all her children away from mobile phone, TV and other gadgets. “Gaurisha has not touched any of these devices till date. She loves to buy new books,” said the mother.

In recognition of her outstanding performance, Gaurisha has been honoured with latest configuration laptop, an Olympiad Coach Online Subscription worth Rs 1,998, a medal and a certificate of appreciation. Chairman of Ivy World School Sanjeev Kumar Vasal has also congratulated Gaurisha on her achievement.