mathematics and me -part 2

“Kabhi alvida na kehna”

This was the last link line that we(the camp mates of mathematics Olympiad camp) told to each other before taking our life’s own course back again.For me this line meant a lot as I knew next year, getting into this world again was again a remote chance quite alike my 2^nd experiment.That was because I knew next time, I will be appearing RMO(regional mathematics Olympiad ) which is a common test for grades 9^th – 12^th .As I belonged to 9^th grade I will be the youngest again.Moreover The statement of Mohapatro sir that “in rmo, only best 30 students from all orissa were selected,there was no cutoff” was resounding in my ears.With tears pumping out the waves of oceanic desperateness,I was feeling very low while my wish seemed to be an impossible dream.At present , to visualize the situation , I can say it was a similar situation when Ankita was once thrown out of Indian Idol contest.Everyone loved her, they were crying including the judges.It was like she had to fight back again.May be I shared somewhat similar feelings like Ankita then.

Just in time, Swadheen sir rushed into our corridor for meeting some other student.And I don’t know what did he notice in my silent eyes ,he just asked me to work hard and said “I feel u can go upto INMO level”.His words suddenly filled up my oxygen cylinder and atleast I was able to breathe in now…some fresh air.The moment I reached home, I made up my mind to give my best and leave the rest to GOD.I picked up “singhal and singhal Olympiad mathematics” and started doing it chapter by chapter.Two months passed like a wind….and then the day came when I had to show my results of my so called 3^rd experiment.With ineffable spirits I checked out the questions that would determine my future.Collaterally, all the camp memories , the love and affection of my teachers and friends were just flashing in my mind, and I just said to myself “little sony apni kamal dikhayegi , vo phir vapas jayegi apne teachers ke paas”And after that I don’t know how those 3 hours went in the exam hall.Just at the entrance gate,my father and my school teacher Pradeep Sir were waiting to know about how I have done.My dubious expressions just calmed them down to a neutral position.But don’t know why my parents were always affirmative about my performance although I didn’t even want to think of it as I was going through a timorous phase of my life.God saved me …from the avid inundation..I got busy into my school annual-day with heavy responsibilities and multiple duties.I was for the first time assigned a job of being a live background singer for all the items including dances and drama.It was one more real challenging day for me.It was also a day of pride for me as the school reporters were supposed to read my name more than once for the different prizes that I had earned to my credit.And the best ones I loved were my mathematics Olympiad awards.

The clock ticked 7:30 and just then I was having a short gossip with one of my school juniors Swayam Prabha who happened to be one of those school reporters.She said “didi,Pradeep Sir has just given me some new information to be announced and your name is there.” I showed an indifferent attitude as I felt may be they must have missed something of my past achievements.She told me its something about mathematics Olympiad but i was not in a position to think of any unbelievable thing happening.Moreover both of us also got busy into our respective duties and so I completely forgot,till I was standing along with my other friends on the stage while the school reporters were closing the school news of pride.And just then it went like this:

“We have one more good news today fortunately to add on to our caps.Miss Sonali Nanda has proved it again.She has become 1^st in zonal level and 11^th in state in this year’s Regional Mathematics Olympiad .To add on , the zonal co-ordinator has expressed his happiness as she happens to be the youngest to qualify this exam.”

Trust me , I was taken aback by such a news and at such an unexpected moment.While the entire parents gallery were giving a big round of applause for me and I could see our Principal
smiling at me, and while my friends were congratulating me on my success, I was still in a state of shock.I was like “ have I really got through?”But then I didn’t have much time to recover from such a state as my next programme followed.

Three hours of continuous hard work behind the stage and on stage , and finally when the programme got over, I was astonished to find that many didn’t know that all the songs in the function were live performance.My teachers quoted it as “superb flawless performance by sonali and her team”.Completely engrossed in such unthinkable achievement, I had forgotten that something more incredulous than this had also happened that evening till I met my parents and my most adorable Kali bhaina and Bhauja(he is my cousin brother and he happens to be even elder to my mom).When they congratulated me , I was a bit confused regarding the purpose of that congratulation.”Was it because of my performance that night or because of the other thing?”But then when Pradeep Sir joked in “hey you havnt got through RMO,don’t be that happy?”,my confusions bcame clear.

On the way back home, I told my father “baba, please I want to call Swadheen Sir as soon as we reach home, I want to know the authentic news from him.I am feeling a bit difficult to believe in.”

They weren’t happy with my response to the occasion but they did the way I wanted.When I heard from Mohapatro Sir, I was finally relieved and made up my mind for my camp (this time 2 camps, winter and summer).My cheek inflated with real happiness and that year my camp was the most memorable one as I was with Pallavi didi as my roommate.We were only 2 girls in a group of 30 and that year,our state Olympiad team had invited international coaches of India to train us before we appear for National level test.What to say , this time the feel was really very different , as if we are representing our state at the national level.As usual , my teachers had lots of hope from me again regarding my national level performance.It was just one month ahead.I appeared but then don’t know where I went wrong.I got an ideal zero score in the national exam.My teachers wanted to hide it at first from me as they didn’t want to upset and discourage by childish sentiments but when I insisted the truth came out.My parents were disturbed and so were others associated with me in this regard.However I don’t know what inspiration lead me then to a great statement “Anupam Kher to zero se hero ban sakte hain , to mein bhi zero se hero banungi”

And now ……was sonali able to become a hero from zero or not? and did she go for any other experiment or not ?Answers to all these will come up in my ..”Mathematics and me – part 3”

Till then “Good bye”

mathematics and me -part 1

As a kid,I loved all my subjects.My father was very strict regarding my marks in mathematics.If I used to loose one single mark, my heart used to throb in fear of the reactions of my parents in home.However I don’t know how that fear used to give my puerile sentiments some extra energy.Every moment, something used to reverberate within me that I will prove myself better next time.My experiments with mathematics began when I was in class 5^th.I still remember my class teacher Mrs.Madhumita teaching us some short techniques regarding quick calculations.The technique was applicable for two digit numbers whose unit digit is 5.Suddenly ,some innervoice within me boldly questioned, is it that there is no such technique for other numbers, I mean in general all two digit numbers.My teacher’s negative answer gave me a positive power again and I said ,” Miss, if I find such a technique then ???” Looking into my ingenuous eyes , she smiled and said “ no sonali, there’s no such method”and she walked off. But that didn’t stop me.My encephalon gave its support to my wish…and I started working along with 2 of my friends to prove that I was correct and nothing is impossible.I didn’t pay attention to a single other class that day but to everyone’s surprise, at the end of the day , I was ready with a short cut for multiplication of 2 digit numbers.And I still remember how I was running with excitement towards Mrs.Madhumita.She gave an astounding look and had nothing to say.For she saw , what I was explaining her was true.My eyes widened and I realized that I can do impossible things possible…….although that was an exaggerated thought for an adult….for me , being a child, that meant a lot.

Since that day , I was searching for opportunities ,trying to think what new things I can do.My father perhaps realized that my brain was meant for bigger things and made me do sums from Competition Master etc.When I used to find myself being able to solve mathematics coming for civil services exam , that too at the age of a 6^th grade student , my confidence grew and I started experimenting everyday with new questions.Its always said, when you seek opportunities, they do knock at your door.And that exactly happened when the Olympiad Society of Orissa started the Junior Mathematics Olympiad (JMO) for the first time when I was in 7^th grade.Amidst excess avidity ,I forgot to carry my watch to the exam hall, inspite of knowing that it was a ‘big’ exam.My parents were really tensed .but then somehow I managed.That JMO paper again became an experiment for me.I had 3 hours in hand and a lot many questions.It was a common paper for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students.I still remember the 1^st short qn “ if n is a perfect square what will be the next perfect square?” After glancing at the question , for the first few seconds, I felt, i cannot do that.But then that extra energy again revived and came to my rescue.I said to myself “ I have to get the answer “ And surprisingly I solved it; with that positive force I tried the other sums, and reached a score of 42 in a total paper of 100.That was just pass mark according to traditional mathematics paper.So my father shouted at me once he heard about that ,the intensity of which atleast reduced after he saw the paper.

My second experiment’s probability of success was dismal as per me…But then to my surprise, 42 was a good score in such mathematics levels and I was more shocked to find myself ranked 14 in all Orissa.And that time I was the only student from 7^th grade from my school and rest all students who had qualified were in 8^th grade.Thus ,in this way , God gave me a first lift.Then started the era of me qualifying exams each year and attending camps.My first mathematics Olympiad camp was in the foothills of Jyoti Vihar, Burla.During that time, I was one of the youngest students attending the camp, so full of energy and enthusiasm,I never knew who is Prof.Swadheenanda Patnaik and who is Dr.C K Mohapatro.I had just heard about them.My one of the most embarrassing situations occurred when I had asked Prof .Swadheenanda Patnaik “ excuse me, can u tell me who is Swadheen sir , I want to meet him.” He chuckled.Anyways, if I now start narrating all my fascinating stories of camp life, it would take enough of my wordspace.So , feel like speaking of that sometime next.

So,on went the girl in frocks with pellucid ideas, with unprecedented confidence towards reviewing her 2^nd expermiment when she appeared the 2^nd JMO exam as a student of 8^th grade.Her ingenuous eyes got submerged in an ocean of tears when her father found out that she had committed some silly mistakes in the test.But you know, she silently believed in her fortitude.It was true she didn’t meet the zenith of her goal, but then she was a girl who cannot be stopped by a single failure.”Yes,I ll better myself next time.Atleast I havnt lost out completely, I am 5^th in state,May be something more good is there for me in the days to come “,this is what she said to herself, and defying all odds, attended the camp as usual.You know, when someone starts believing in herself, it doesnot go unnoticed always.And perhaps something such had happened when Dr.Swadheennanda Patnaik asked me to attend the training of the senior wing.I was shocked to find myself again the youngest in the senior division.Now I said to myself “ Abhi aur peeche na mudna, I have got another life, I ll prove that I am worth it”.When the classes used to echo with bouncer questions, I used to wonder what to do , how to do .Whenever teachers used to look into my enigmatic expressions,I always used to answer back with my most popular phrase, “I am trying ,ho jayega”; bringing a unique smile unto everyone’s life.Finally I cannot forget that day when Swadheen sir had given 3 questions from congruence modulo as homework.Congruence Modulo was the only topic somewhat within my comprehension out of all those wonder magic.So i wanted to solve them.Back to hostel , I found, all my senior classmates enjoying and looking at me with odd glances of surprise and mockery as I was a child in front of them and I was too sincerely trying hard at those 3 sums.That burned my childish sentiments more and I tried more hard at them.”I can do it ,nothing is impossible”,this was the only thing I was telling to myself.The clock ticked 12:00 midnight, all slept in my room ,but I was still awake.And finally at 1 o’ clock, to my surprise, I hit at the right place.At that time , I just wanted to jump and dance saying “hurrah,I have done it!”But then now my strong desire had turned into a lust .I worked for the other 2 too,…and finally I slept at the break of the morning ,with a true smile on my lips, although just for an hour.Then I marched unto the class, with a glitter in my eyes, yet was feeling a bit afraid , may be my hit is wrong.My heart beat fast when sir asked for the solutions.And my fear grew more intense when I found no one else giving a positive response.Amidst an ominous silence I just mumbled,”I have done it, but I don’t know ,may be I am wrong.”Hey,but hats off to my great teachers,they always studied my impulse very accurately.He straightaway asked me to give the solution on the blackboard.I was not even given any chance for 2^nd question or reply.And as I was solving the sums on the board, I found him sitting in a pensive mood and observing me keenly.He said me “good ,sonali “ and then the entire class gave a big applause for me.I never realized why he was so silent except a few words of appreciation till he met my mom in the evening and said ,

“ Mam, I feel you should be really proud of your daughter, today she has silenced me by her hardwork and intelligence,today she has done something which even people elder to her have failed to , today she has really proved that she deserved much more,we people have grown high hopes on her now,I feel she will surely shine in future and fulfill our dreams.” Hearing all these golden words, I thanked GOD,and made up my mind for my next mission.

My next mission will come in Mathematics and me –part 2 , till then goodbye…..