THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Siddharth Kumar Gopal, a Class 10 student of St Thomas Residential School, is on cloud nine after winning the silver medal at the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) Junior Championship in Volos, Greece.
For Siddharth, preparations for IOAA began more than a year ago. The first stage involved cracking the National Standard Exam (Junior Science) for children below the age of 15. Siddharth emerged as the lone Malayali to qualify for a group of 20 children from across the country to compete in the Indian National Junior Science Olympiad.
These children attended a three-week orientation camp on theoretical astronomy and observational astronomy (with a telescope) held at the National Council of Science Museum, Mumbai. This was followed by seven exams, in which Siddharth emerged as the overall topper. Subsequently, he, along with Aarush Mishra and Satwik Patnaik, got selected to represent India at IOAA held between September 24 to 30. Aarush, Siddharth, and Satwik secured gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
Surprisingly, Siddharth says he wants to become an investment banker. “It was only recently that I developed a liking for astronomy. I don’t know if my career choice would change,” he adds. Currently, his focus is on making up for almost a month’s classes that he missed. “Since I am in Class 10, the next three months are going to be crucial,” says Siddharth. He is immensely grateful to them, his teachers, and above all, Babykutty T Rajan, the school principal, for their support.
Siddharth, the son of Dr Kumar Gopal, a gynaecologist who runs the family hospital, Gowreesha Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, and Vandhana Rajendran, director at Deloitte in Bengaluru, is an all-rounder. He excels in quizzes and debates, and had won the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020, the highest civilian honour for children.
He even got a pat from Narendra Modi at that time. “Whether it’s the English Olympiad, Geogenius Olympiad, or Science Olympiad, young Siddharth Kumar Gopal excels in all of them. Such budding geniuses and their knowledge will be vital for India’s growth in the 21st century. Congratulations on winning the Bal Puraskar,” the prime minister tweeted.So, what next? After Class 10, the dimpled boy wants to give a shot at the seniors’ Olympiad.