Madhava Mathematics Nurture Camp: An Experience beyond just Mathematics

Hindi Samachar News: बी.के. बिरला महाविद्यालय में माधव नर्चर कैम्प सम्पन्न — गणित के उन्नत शोध से रूबरू हुए विद्यार्थी

The Madhava Mathematics Competition was organized in Spring Semester 2026 by the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM). To my surprise, got selected for the Madhava Mathematics Nurture Camp 2026 for the fist time. Let's call it MMC Camp, because the full name is too long. It was held at B.K. Birla College, Kalyan, Maharashtra from 13th to 17th July 2026, this was my first mathematics camp ever — and it turned out to be far more than just mathematics.

A big thank you to Professor Anuradha Garge, Professor Prakash Sansare, and the organizing team for making this possible — and to all the friends I made along the way who made it memorable.

Experience while Travelling to Bombay

We were told that we would be travelling to Bombay by train 3AC only, which would get refunded. So I booked 11th July train from Bengaluru to Bombay. The train was 25 hrs long MY GOD! Why in the world would anyone want to travel for 25 hrs in a train? I hated that! But oh well, I had to do it. I reached Bombay on 12th July, unpacked, waited for my friends to arrive, roamed around for a bit, worked on laptop, etc.

The train journey, despite being long, was very interesting. I haven't travelled in a train for such a long time — seeing the fields, the hills, the Ghats, and just experiencing the wind blowing through the door of the train (yes, I stood at that door for a long time, very dangerous as they say, but it's an experience worth it) was a bliss. I didn't work that whole day, which was after a long time. I work every day, so not working for a whole day was troublesome and painful to digest — I felt I was missing out on my work hours.

I didn't really interact with my co-passengers much — I was just observing everybody on the train. I was observing people. I was observing train workers. I was noticing everything. Coming from 24hr tech junkie working on laptop and board, everyday in the institute, seeing people living a life out of selling tea, food, books, toys, etc. on the train even though I know about it and having seen even worse ways of making a living, just felt like a different world. Why? I got too used to the comfort of the lab and laptop, coding, AI, non-stop work and chill in life, no worries about food, no worries about money(not too much). Meanwhile people sleeping on the train stations, selling everyday stuff, working hard to make a living, is a hustle.

I always had this personal discomfort knowing some people are not even getting food, begging on the streets — and why can't the world not be like that? Knowing philosophical reasons behind why they are in that situation doesn't help their current state, you know. Everyone works hard to make a living, whether it's running a country or selling toys on trains that nobody wants. People work to earn, to get a better lifestyle — but getting too used to comfort and luxury makes you forget the struggle of others. My work might be harder and more complex, but it is not a struggle to get food and survive. I have a roof over my head, I have food, I have a lab I work in, I have a bed to sleep in, I have a clean bathroom to use — hey, that's important!

I recall a story my mother told me about a minister who, once every month, would go to a slum area and disappear for a day. The king noticed this after a few years and asked him why. The minister said it was private. So one day the king disguised himself, followed him, and found the minister sitting alone in an abandoned house. He asked him why he does this. The minister said he comes here to remember where he came from, and why he is in the position he is in. Knowing the struggle of people — and not forgetting it — is what makes a true minister. I think this is a very important lesson for all of us.

This experience, by the way was not just a one day experience, but something I felt throughout the trip.

The Mathematics at MMC Camp

Students from IISc, ISI Bengaluru, IIT Bombay, and B.K. Birla College attended the camp. The mathematics ranged from fun puzzles to pure theory to philosophy to an engineering perspective — and even we students got to present. Topics covered included p-adic numbers, linear algebra and norms, continued fractions, Gröbner bases, prime number algorithms, Scilab data analysis, and more.

Personally, I enjoyed the whole camp a lot. As a pure mathematics lover — though I've moved in a different direction since — it was wonderful to immerse in that world again, even briefly. I also made good friends from IIT Bombay and had fun with juniors from IISc.

The Campus Experience

B.K. Birla College is a nice green campus with students from Arts, Commerce, and Sciences — bustling with activity. Unlike IISc, it's a college, not a research institute, and the vibe is entirely different. Some students wear blazers, people randomly dance and sing in the open, and the energy is far more social. It's not a negative thing at all — just a different life. I made acquaintances with some of the students there, and Rohan even invited me to his home for dinner (thanks Rohan for the amazing Pav Bhaji!).

They were very kind in arranging NONG food for me (no onion, no garlic) and sometimes cooking it specially — I'm very grateful for that. Sadly I never got to eat Vada Pav since it wasn't NONG. But the samosas were great, and honestly everything else was very tasty.

The college may not be a big government institute like IISc, but it has its own charm. What really impressed me was the outreach — I saw 3–4 newspaper articles about the camp in local papers. For a college to get that kind of media coverage for a mathematics event is genuinely inspiring. Connecting with the local community and having that reach matters more than most institutes realize.

Talks and Presentations

On the last day, I got to present about Lean — my first ever talk outside of IISc, and to a full auditorium at that. Both the B.K. Birla College students and the camp students were in the audience. I won't lie, it was a big moment for me. Walking up to that podium, seeing a room full of people who don't know me, and having to hold their attention for an entire session — that's a different kind of pressure than a lab presentation or a class talk.

But I felt calm. Confident. I knew my stuff and I knew how to talk about it. The college audience was more CS and AI oriented, so I focused on Lean for software verification and algorithm formalization. For the camp audience — more mathematics oriented — I went into formal proof and mathematical formalization. Two completely different talks, two different rooms, same energy. The students were engaged, asked good questions, and I genuinely think it landed well.

It was a reminder that I enjoy talking to people about what I do. Not just writing about it, not just coding it — but standing in front of a room and making people care about something they've never heard of. I hope to do more of this.

Slides: Lean: Machine Verified Mathematics and Software (for college students) · Lean: Machine Verified Mathematics (for camp students)

Roaming around Bombay

I got to go around the Gateway of India, saw Leopold Cafe (where the shattered glass window from bullets of the 26/11 attack is still visible), saw the Taj Mahal Hotel (from outside), saw the Marine Drive (from far away), rode the local trains (from the inside), saw the CST station (damn it's beautiful), and more. I also went to the Birla Temple in Kalyan with friends, which was very beautifully constructed.

We also went to watch the new movie "The Odyssey" in the theatre — OMG, insane movie! Though I missed the initial 15–20 mins sadly, but yeah... I will rewatch this movie, this time from the start, and a refill of large popcorn.

Nurture Camp nurtured more than just Mathematics

This camp was not just about mathematics — it was about life experiences, meeting new people, and seeing the world outside the bubble I live in. The bustling local trains, the views of the Eastern Ghats, the college students with their entirely different vibe and life. Like the minister in the story, sometimes you need to step out, see different people, and remember that the world is much bigger than your lab and your laptop. It was a very wholesome experience, accompanied by yet another train journey back to Bengaluru (which OMG.... looonnggg.....)!

I started book reading during this camp by the way. I finished "Think Straight" by Darius Foroux, started "How to talk to anyone" by Leil Lowndes, and bought more books too. Hey these books are good man! I am starting to like book reading now. Thanks Bombay for somehow making me like book reading.

Tips for Bombay: Fix your road management for rains. The roads are a mess during rains, and the traffic is insane. Please!

I wanted to really go Juhu ISKCON temple, but I couldn't make it. Next time for sure.

Cheers!