The Purple Comet Math Meet 2025 witnessed a phenomenal performance from Cheenta Academy students, as two dynamic teams—Number Ninjas and The Imaginary Unit—made a powerful mark on the national and global stage.
Organized by Titu Andreescu and Jonathan Kane, the Purple Comet is one of the most respected international math contests, especially known for its collaborative format and problem-solving depth. The contest encourages team participation, critical thinking, and strategic collaboration—hallmarks of a strong mathematical foundation.
The Results:
Number Ninjas, comprising six brilliant minds—Raghav Mukhija, Vihaan Shah, Utkarsh Shah, Aryan Dixit, Sudarshan Manikantan, and Mahitha Kallakuri—secured:
India Rank: 7 out of 99 teams (Mixed Team, High School Category)
Global Rank: 33 out of 471 teams
24 out of 30 problems solved
The Imaginary Unit, a focused team of five—Reyaansh Agrawal, Adhiraj Anand, Arham Gada, Shamik Saraswati, and Saket Manikantan—achieved:
India Rank: 8 out of 60 teams (Same School, High School Category)
Global Rank: 98 out of 399 teams
20 out of 30 problems solved
Who Can Participate?
Even students from Grade 4 onward can participate in the Middle School category. The first few problems are accessible to those with basic school math proficiency. It's a golden opportunity for young math enthusiasts to step into the world of global mathematics.
Book Recommendations by Participants
Beginners: Math Circles for Elementary School Students, Challenges and Thrills of Pre-College Mathematics
Intermediate: AOPS Series, Pathfinder for Olympiad Mathematics
Advanced: David Burton for Number Theory, Arthur Engel for Combinatorics, EGMO for Geometry
All-in-One: OTIS Excerpts by Evan Chen (available online)
Watch their Success Story
Success of Cheenta Students in the Stanford Math Tournament
This year, 8 brilliant students from Cheenta Academy formed a team called The Unified Vectors and secured spot in the Top 20 during the Team Round and received distinguished Honorable Mention in the overall competition in the Stanford Math Tournament.
The Stanford Math Tournament, an online event organized by Stanford students, challenges participants from around the world in four rigorous rounds: Power Round, Team Round, Individual Round, and the Guts Round. Each of these stages tests the mathematical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and collaboration of students. This year’s competition saw a diverse set of problems that ranged from algebra and geometry to combinatorics, calculus, and graph theory.
The Unified Vectors team, including Krishiv Mohan, Raghav Mukhija, Dakkshitaa Agarwal, Reyaansh Agrawal, Saket Manikantan, Sudarshan Manikantan, Vihaan Shah and Aryan Dixit, put in months of preparation, participating in mock tests, strategizing team coordination, and refining their individual skills. Their commitment paid off as they received Distinguished Honorable Mention in both the Team Round and the Overall category, placing them in the top 25% of all competitors.
Here’s how they succeeded:
Team Coordination: The team meticulously planned their approach, utilizing tools like Google Sheets and breakout rooms to ensure smooth coordination. Each member took responsibility for different problems based on their strengths.
Mock Tests and Strategy: The team practiced with several mock tests, which helped them fine-tune their problem-solving approach. They divided the Power Round into three stages, allowing them to work more efficiently within the strict time limits.
Focus on Leadership: Team Captain Krish played a key role in maintaining calm and focus, ensuring the team remained composed even during technical difficulties in the Power Round. His leadership was instrumental in achieving the Distinguished Honorable Mention in the Team Round.
Books and Resources Recommended by the Team:
Challenging Problems in Mathematics by Titu Andreescu and Razvan Gelca
Euclidean Geometry in Mathematical Olympiads by Evan Chen
Introduction to the Theory of Numbers by David Burton
Elementary Number Theory by David M. Burton
Mathematical Olympiad Challenges by Titu Andreescu
EGMO (European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad) by Evan Chen
Congratulations to the team for their hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Their experience and success in this global tournament will undoubtedly enhance their portfolios as they continue to pursue opportunities in mathematics and beyond.
Arjun Gupta won gold and bronze in IMO
Arjun Gupta is one of the brightest young minds, who has made remarkable achievements in the world of Math Olympiads.
Arjun’s mathematical story includes success in the IOQM 2023 and RMO 2023, where his performance placed him among the top math talents in India. With focused preparation and strong mentorship at Cheenta, he went on to qualify for the INMO (Indian National Mathematical Olympiad) — a highly competitive stage. His success at INMO led him to the prestigious INMO Training Camp (INMOTC), where India’s most promising young mathematicians train for international excellence.
Arjun reached one of the highest school-level math competitions by representing India at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). He won both bronze and gold medal at the IMO, which placed him among the world’s top young mathematicians from India.
Arjun’s love for problem-solving also led him to the Sharygin Geometrical Olympiad 2022, an international contest that focuses on deep geometrical thinking.
In 2025, Arjun achieved another goal by gaining admission to Cambridge University, along with three other Cheenta students who were accepted into Cambridge University.
But Arjun’s talent doesn’t stop at mathematics. He is also an internationally accomplished chess player. In his own words:
“Apart from Math, I love Chess such that I represented India twice in the World Youth Chess Championship category besides winning other Asian and National Chess Competitions.”
His achievements in IMO were recognized widely, including a special feature in the Times of India, celebrating Cheenta students' contributions to the world of Olympiads. Here is the link of the article.
5 Cheenta Students Secured Oxford & Cambridge in 2025
In 2025, 5 students from Cheenta successfully secured acceptance to two of the most prestigious universities, Oxford and Cambridge University. Most of these outstanding achievers were part of Cheenta's renowned Path to Ivy League Program, which continues to guide talented individuals toward top-tier global institutions.
Oxford Achievers :
Nandagovind Anurag
Varun Bhalla
Cambridge Achievers :
Arjun Gupta
Arjun Narasimhan
Inaya Aggarwal
In this video, you’ll learn the effective path toward the Ivy League Program.
The Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO) is a prestigious mathematics competition in India, serving as the second stage of the Indian Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) selection process. Top performers earn a chance to attend the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC) and represent India at the IMO.
In 2025, 10 students from Cheenta (ex-student and current student) qualified INMO out of 30 students all over India. Most of these kids regularly attended the five-days-a-week problem-solving sessions along with concept class, homework class and doubt clearing classes. Here are a few qualifiers:
Aharshi Roy
Pranit Goel
Nandgovind Anurag
Abhinav Khetan
Krishiv Khandelwal
Aratrik Pal
Soham Pednekar
Mann Shah
Harini
Parth Vartak
Watch their stories of success
Key Takeaways of the discussion
In our recent live session, we had the pleasure of hearing from some brilliant students—Nand, Pranit, Harini, Arri, and Maan—as they shared their inspiring journeys through the world of Math Olympiads.
From starting in 6th or even 10th grade, to cracking INMO and aiming for IMO, each story was unique but full of passion, hard work, and clever strategies. 💡
Some focused on solving problems every day, while others relied on books like EGMO, Secrets in Inequalities, and Olympiad Combinatorics. When stuck, they turned to friends, asked for hints, or explored communities online—reminding us that learning together makes the journey better.
Advice from them? Don’t be afraid to look at hints in the early days. With time, the thinking matures, and one learns to enjoy the challenge of sticking with a tough problem.
At Cheenta, we are proud to walk this path with such talented learners.
39 Cheenta students succeeded in IOQM 2024
39 Cheenta students qualified for IOQM 2024 (RMO cut-off). About 130 kids students appeared in the contest from Cheenta this year making the success rate about 30%.
This remarkable achievement is the result of months of dedicated effort. Most of these students regularly participated in
Here are some of the qualified students who additionally qualified for Cheenta Advanced Math Expert Certification. Cheenta certifications are for pure mathematics, computer science, statistics, physics and research. They are accepted by our collaborating institutions for scholarships, internships and work-study opportunities.
Aditya Punatar
Saket Anand Gudadhe
Vihaan Shah
Kiaan Sawant
Ritam Das
Ambar Agarwal
Saisha Ganjiwale
Adhiraj Singh Anand
Divij Gupta
Soham Bharati
Shamik Saraswati
Krishiv Mohan
Souradip Das
Vismayah A. Mathew
Raghav Pai
Jayaditya Gupta
Avigyan Chakraborty
Alivia Roy
Advitya R
Nikhil Ganesh Chaudhury
S. Ashwin
Reyaansh Agrawal
Ayaan Kalra
Arnav Tayal
Neel Avinash
ISI and CMI Entrance 2024
In 2024, the following Cheenta students are successful for Indian Statistical Institute's BStat-BMath Entrance and Chennai Mathematical Institute's B.Sc. Math Entrance. They ranked within the first 100 in the entire country in these entrances.
Most of these students attended the problem solving workshops regularly, which happen 5 times every week.
CMI B.Sc. Math Entrance
Ahan Chakraborty
Mohak Chugh
Krish Agrawal
Piyush Kumar Jha
Agastya Agarwal
Vrajishnu Chakraborty
I.S.I. B.Stat Entrance
Ahan Chakraborty (AIR 12)
Vrajishnu Chakraborty (AIR 74)
I.S.I. B.Math Entrance
Mohak Chugh (AIR 43)
Success Meet-Up
In this video we talk to the successful candidates and learn from their strategies. We also have a virtual award ceremony. The students presented with books and access to Cheenta Research Programs.
7 out of 78 INMO Awardees are from Cheenta
The Indian National Math Olympiad is the toughest contest in India. Out of lakhs of students who start with the first level of IOQM, only 78 students qualified in INMO. 10 of these students are students of Cheenta. (3 of these 10 students are ex-students, remaining 7 are current students).
We are creating success since 2010... Here are some reviews...
Mayur ranked within All India 100 in Chennai Mathematical Institute's entrance in 2022.
The courses offered at Cheenta are really helpful for math olympiads and ISI-CMI entrances, and more importantly they motivate you to take up research. One on one classes are the best here, as you can utilise it as an opportunity to express yourself mathematically. Attending problem solving classes, gives you exposure to many problems, and about the regular homework problems, you try them on your own, and that's going to increase your confidence.
~ Mayur Sastry.
(Participated in ISI-CMI Entrance Program)
Aryan ranked within All India 70 in Indian National Math Olympiad.
Team Cheenta has played the most pivotal role in the journey of Aryan ‘s Math Olympiad preparation. The structured program where every topic, Number Theory, Algebra, Geometry, Combinatorics was dealt with by the faculty members of Cheenta, benefitted Aryan immensely and kept the passion or fire burning in him to learn more and more intricate and complex concepts of his favourite subject, MATHEMATICS.
It's not that Aryan always had it easy going, especially when it came to the homework problems assigned by the teachers. In fact there were days when Aryan was really down, struggling to get the idea to prove and thus solve certain problems. But thinking and thinking really hard, keeping the problems at the back of your mind even when you are doing some other subjects, helped Aryan very well . The faculty members, Raghunath Sir and Sricharan Sir really guided, supported and encouraged him to give his best. We were really blessed to have a wonderful team of teachers at Cheenta who honed his geometry skills, a special mention of Aritro Sir and Saumik Sir, who guided him to give his best at IOQM, 2021-22. Team Cheenta ably captained by Ashani Sir and the helpful team of administrators, is recommended by us for all mathematics olympiad aspirants.
Also Aryan was blessed to be a part of a batch which had the best of students, with their valuable contributions and innovative ideas.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience and a great journey for Aryan at Cheenta. Deepest Gratitude to Team Cheenta.
~ Aryan Prakash.
(Participated in Math Olympiad Program)
Shravani ranked within All India 100 in Chennai Mathematical Institute's entrance in 2022.
I have been enrolled in Cheenta since 2 years. The problem solving classes helped me a lot. They have a very structured program for ISI CMI as well as for olympiads. The one on one classes help you to clear your doubts. The most interesting thing about the conceptual classes is that concepts are taught through problems. If you want to prepare for any of these aforementioned exams then surely go for Cheenta.
~ Shravani Parulekar.
(Participated in ISI-CMI Entrance Program)
Ryan ranked within All India 100 in Chennai Mathematical Institute's entrance in 2022
Even before joining Cheenta, my son was dead set on his goal of learning mathematics. Instead of flailing about in the wilderness, I thought it would be better for both he and I to gain some guidance on how to achieve this goal. Cheenta was successful in doing that, along with much more. They provided an accessible yet almost all-encompassing course structure that made learning goals clear and easy to fulfil. Their teachers provided an educationally nourishing, firmly handled learning environment that still managed to include a familial love and care. I was quasi-regularly updated with in-depth assessments that guaranteed a peace of mind in this new world of which knew and still know little. These assessments included his understanding, the details of his weaknesses and application ability, which would help me understand when it was time move on to a higher level of their tiered course structure. Through special arrangements, he could also find coaches who gave him more time than provided by default, helping him combat his particular weaknesses. This made it so that he always had an optimal selection of study material, homework, and coaches. As he travelled through the system, he found much happiness in a newly found circle of friends who he could share his ideas and worries with, as he had met only a handful in person who could understand his personality. Above all else, he was provided with problems that could challenge and impact him profoundly, inciting an utter joy which I seldom see in him.
~ Ryan Hota.
(Participated in ISI-CMI Entrance Program)
Akshaj ranked in American Math Competition and USAJMO. He went to MIT for further studies
Our experience with Cheenta has been excellent. Even though my son started in Middle School, they understood his Math level and took personal interest in developing a long term plan considering his strengths and weakness areas. Through out the semester courses they have nourished him with challenging problems and necessary homework. His guidance has helped my son to perform well at competitions including USAJMO and others. He has grown more confident in his math abilities over the past year and half and is hoping to do well in the future. I am impressed with their quality and professionalism. We are very thankful to Cheenta and hope to benefit from them in the coming years. I would strongly recommend them to any student who wants to learn Math by doing challenging problems, specially if they are looking for Math than what their school can offer.
~ Murali Kadaveru.
(Father of Akshaj Kadaveru, Virginia, USA)
Sambuddha went for further studies in University of Edinburgh
We contacted Cheenta because our son, Sambuddha (a.k.a. Sam), seemed to have something of a gift in mathematical/logical thinking, and his school curriculum math was way too easy and boring for him. We were overjoyed when Mr. Ashani Dasgupta administered an admission test and accepted Sam as a one-to-one student at Cheenta. Ever since it has been an excellent experience and we have nothing but praise for Mr. Dasgupta. His enthusiasm for mathematics is infectious, and admirable is the amount of energy and thought he puts into each lesson. He covers a wide range of mathematical topics, and every lesson is packed with insights and methods. We are extremely pleased with the difference he has been making. Under his tutelage, Sam has secured several gold awards from the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) and Scottish Mathematical Council (SMC). Recently Sam received a book award from the UKMT and got invited to masterclass sessions also organised by the UKMT. Mr. Dasgupta’s tutoring was crucial for these achievements. We think Cheenta is rendering an excellent service to humanity by identifying young mathematical minds and nurturing them towards becoming inspired mathematicians of the future.
~ Jayanta Majumdar.
(Father of Sambuddha Majumdar, Glasgow, Scotland)
Here are some more...
14 Cheenta students cracked the Regional Math Olympiad 2023
In 2023, 14 out of 27 students from Cheenta Academy cracked the prestigious Regional Math Olympiad. In this post, we will share some of their success stories and learning strategies.
Souradip Das
Vihaan Shah
Arjun Narasimhan
Shreya Mundhada
Ahan Chakraborty
Pranit Goel
Nandagovind Anurag
Aratrik Pal
Aharshi Roy
Ashhwin Palaniyappan
Rishav Dutta
Jayaditya Gupta
Krishiv Khandelwal
Soham Pednekar
The Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO) and the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) are prestigious contests in India for students under 20, aiming to identify exceptional mathematical talent. Participants solve challenging math problems in these stages, with INMO serving as a platform to recognize top problem solvers and offer opportunities for further training and representation in international competitions like the IMO.
Achieving success in the Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO) and aiming for the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) is a remarkable feat, requiring dedication, strategic preparation, and a strong foundation in mathematical problem-solving. Let's learn about the RMO Success stories from Aharshi Roy and Nandagovind Anurag, students who excelled in RMO, valuable perspectives emerged on their journey, methodologies, and recommended strategies for aspirants.
Aharshi Roy's Experience and Recommendations
Aharshi, an RMO qualifier, shared his journey primarily focused on preparing for INMO. He highlighted the significance of the initial one-year period dedicated to subjective Olympiad training. His advice encompassed the following key points:
Resource Recommendations: Aharshi emphasized the importance of resource selection, particularly in Number Theory. His recommended books included:
Modern Olympiad Number Theory by Aditya Khurmi
Olympiad Treasures by Titu Andreescu and Bogdan Enescu
Number theory by Titu Andreescu and Gabriel Dospinescu for advanced studies.
Focused Preparation: His emphasis on specializing in a specific area, such as Number Theory, underlined the need to build expertise in particular domains for a more targeted approach.
Watch the full video to learn more about his experience and RMO Strategies
Nandagovind Anurag's Strategic Insights
Nandagovind's journey, starting just ten months before RMO, showcased the importance of strategic preparation and subject specialization. His key takeaways included:
Strategic Subject Focus: Nandagovind emphasized concentrating on one or two strong subjects, aligning with recent trends and paper patterns. He advocated a targeted approach to ensure scoring sufficiently in those areas to meet cutoffs.
Problem-Solving Strategies: He provided insightful strategies for tackling problems, emphasizing the necessity to approach them from multiple angles. Nandagovind highlighted the importance of perseverance and exploring different problem-solving techniques, such as using multiple mathematical concepts or taking breaks to revisit problems with a fresh perspective.
Watch the full video to learn more about his experience and RMO Strategies.
Final Thoughts
The shared experiences and insights from Aharshi Roy and Nandagovind Anurag offer a comprehensive view of successful RMO strategies. Their emphasis on strategic preparation, resource selection, specialized focus, and diverse problem-solving techniques provides aspiring Olympiad participants with valuable guidance.
In the realm of Olympiad Mathematics, beyond formulas and theorems, lies the art of thinking creatively, exploring diverse approaches, and persistently tackling problems—a fundamental aspect highlighted by these champions.
27 Cheenta Students crack IOQM 2023
In 2023, 27 Cheenta students (24 current students and 3 ex-students) qualified in IOQM 2023. This is a result of a lot of hard work over several months. Most of these kids regularly attended the five-days-a-week problem solving sessions apart from concept class + homework class + doubt clearing class.
IOQM 2023 was much harder than the PRMO and IOQM from the past. Qualified students demonstrated deep knowledge in mathematics and outstanding problem solving skills.
23 Current Students of Cheenta who Qualified in IOQM 2023
Utkarsh Chakravarty
Pranit Goel
Aadarsh
Vihaan Shah
Jishnu Maity
Soham Bharati
Raenessh Ghosh
Neelabh Shome
Alivia Roy
Souradip Das
Aratrik Pal
Pritish Nandy
Arjun Narasimhan
Aharshi Roy
Soham Bhadra
Nandagovind Anurag
Srijan Mukherjee
Kabir Singh
Soham Amit Pednekar
Jayaditya Gupta
Krish Aggarwal
Siddharth V
Parth Modi
Rishav Dutta
3 Ex-Students of Cheenta who Qualified in IOQM 2023