Nashik student bags medal at astronomy olympiad

Pritish Patil, studying in science stream of standard XI in Nashik, won the silver medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad held in Ukarine recently.

Pritish was the only student from Maharashtra selected on the national level for representing India, along with Sharad Mirani from Ahmedabad and Shashibhushan Bharadwaj from Hyderabad.

While the other two boys bagged the gold medal, Pritish bagged the silver. What makes Pritish’s achievement special though is that he studied all on his own, without any classes or guidance.

“I have never gone to a tuition class, I find it a bad idea. I always study on my own.  I use the Internet. If I had any problem while preparing for the Olympiad, I used Internet forums,’’ says Pritish.
His began studying astronomy when he was in standard VI when he was gifted an encyclopedia by his uncle.

“I was intrigued by the information on planets and black holes. It made me read further and my curiosity in the subject took me to study it deeper. This process took a major leap when I was introduced to the vast knowledge on astronomy through the Internet,’’ he said.

“Since childhood, Pritish has been a bright student. Our confidence in his abilities grew after he started gaining success in competitive exams like the scholarship, National Talent Search examination, Australian chemistry quiz and other examinations. We wanted Pritish to enjoy what he learnt and that he should find interest in knowledge. We never pressurised him for marks or ranks,’’ says his father, Laxmikant Patil, an investment consultant.

When kids of his age focused on syllabus, Pritish was busy satisfying his curiosity. He researched and learnt different subjects like physics and mathematics that were necessary for astronomy.

Unlike other mothers, his mother Leena, an assistant engineer with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, was not bothered if her son did not get a rank in school or even in the Secondary School Certificate examination.

Since he was studying on his own, Pritish needed a lot of self discipline, consistency and focus. “That came naturally and I didn’t do anything special for it as I felt an inner desire for studying. The desire kept me going,” he said.

Now, Pritish is preparing for level 2 of the Olympiad. He is also undergoing the selection process for Kishore Vidnyanik Protsahan Yojana, the young scientist scheme of the central government started by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.