Before CFAL, Mangaluru had
zero Olympiad selections.
Then everything changed.
India representation in Mathematics. Silver Medal in Astrophysics. National Top 1% across four sciences. Every RMO selection from Mangaluru for 15 years — all CFAL students.
excellence
representations
(IOAA 2018)
selections are CFAL
The story begins with a question VJ asked in 2009
When CFAL was founded, not a single student from Mangaluru was represented in the Science Olympiad pipeline. Not in Mathematics. Not in Physics. Not in Astronomy. Not in Biology. The talent existed — but no institution was nurturing it.
VJ asked: what if we built something different? What if, instead of teaching students to pass exams, we taught them to think like mathematicians and scientists?
In CFAL's first year, three students from Mangaluru were selected for the Olympiad's second stage — two in Mathematics, one in Chemistry. It was the first time anyone from the city had made it that far. The pipeline had begun.
Today, CFAL is the only institution between Bangalore and the coast that consistently produces Olympiad qualifiers at the national and international level. The Ramanujan Contest, Berkeley Math Circles, three annual Olympiad Camps, and a faculty that includes research mathematicians — this is not a programme bolted on to a coaching centre. This is the beating heart of CFAL.
The students who represented India — and won
Aditya Prakash
Selected as one of six students to represent India at the 58th International Mathematical Olympiad. The first student from Karnataka in 21 years. One of only 38 selected from the entire country. Started at CFAL, went on to Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) — India's premier institute for Mathematics. Mentored by Prof. P N Subramanya and Dr. Srikanth Pai at CFAL.
Prathyush P Poduval
Won Silver Medal competing against 214 students from 40 countries. Karnataka state topper in KVPY 2017-18. Secured 1st rank in Karnataka in NSEP (Physics). Attended the prestigious Ross Math Camp at Ohio State University, USA — one of the very few selected worldwide. Started at CFAL in Grade 8.
Shreyas Adiga
Received Honourable Mention at the Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad — a continental-level competition that sits between national and international Olympiads in prestige. Another CFAL student proving that world-class mathematical talent can emerge from Mangaluru.
Muralidhar Rao
The only student from Mangaluru to clear both the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad and the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad — simultaneously, in two consecutive years. INMO 2023: scored 34/102 (cutoff: 26). INAO 2023: scored 76/100 (cutoff: 57.5). Selected for the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC) at HBCSE Mumbai.
Shreyas Vasudev Pai
Topped the Biology Olympiad nationally — showing that CFAL's Olympiad culture extends beyond Mathematics and Physics into the life sciences. Selected for the second stage of International Biology Olympiad, a pathway that very few students in the country reach.
The complete Olympiad timeline
CFAL founded. First Olympiad selections from Mangaluru — ever.
Three students selected for the 2nd stage: two in Mathematics, one in Chemistry. Before CFAL, zero students from the city had made it this far.
FIRST FROM MANGALURUSunil Simha reaches 3rd stage — Astronomy Olympiad
One of only 35 students in the country to reach the Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) at HBCSE Mumbai. The first CFAL student to reach the international selection stage.
NATIONAL STAGESumith reaches 3rd stage — Physics & Chemistry Olympiad
Among the top 35 nationally in both Physics and Chemistry. Attended OCSC at HBCSE Mumbai. Multi-disciplinary Olympiad culture taking root at CFAL.
NATIONAL STAGEAditya Prakash represents India at IMO, Brazil. First from Karnataka in 21 years.
One of six. Selected from 38 nationally. Honourable Mention at the 58th International Mathematical Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro. The last Karnatakan to represent India at IMO had won gold and is now a professor at Cornell University. Aditya went on to CMI.
INTERNATIONAL · IMO BRAZILPrathyush Poduval wins Silver Medal at IOAA, Beijing. 18 CFAL students in 2nd stage.
Silver Medal competing against 214 students from 40 countries. Karnataka state topper in KVPY. 1st rank in Karnataka in NSEP. Attended Ross Math Camp at Ohio State University. Meanwhile, 18 CFAL students qualified for the Olympiad 2nd stage across multiple subjects — the broadest selection ever from Mangaluru. Pratyush topped Karnataka in Physics. Shreesha G Bhat was 2nd in Karnataka in Astronomy.
INTERNATIONAL · SILVER MEDAL7 CFAL students among 41 selected from Karnataka for RMO
Every single RMO selection from Mangaluru was a CFAL student. Anish Hebbar attended the IMO selection camp at HBCSE. 60 CFAL students qualified for PRMO — the largest pool from any Mangaluru institution.
ALL SELECTIONS FROM MANGALURU4 CFAL students qualify for INMO. Druhan Shah invited to training camp.
Out of 41 selected from Karnataka, four were CFAL students. 60 CFAL students had qualified PRMO. The pipeline deepening even through a pandemic year.
INMO QUALIFICATIONMuralidhar Rao clears INMO and INAO. Shreyas Adiga gets APMO Honourable Mention.
Muralidhar — the only student from Mangaluru selected for both Mathematics and Astronomy national Olympiads. Shreyas Adiga received an Honourable Mention at the Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad — continental-level recognition. Two world-class achievements in one year.
APMO HONOURABLE MENTIONMuralidhar clears INMO again (34/102) and INAO (76/100). Selected for IMOTC.
Invited to the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp at HBCSE Mumbai. Krish V Shanbhag secured state top 1% in Biology Olympiad (INBO). Three CFAL students cleared IOQM. The multi-disciplinary depth continues.
IMOTC SELECTION12 CFAL students qualify IOQM. Rishon Fernandes (Grade 10!) clears RMO + INMO.
Three CFAL students — Rishon Fernandes (57), Lauren Marian Patrao (52), Abhhi Sannayya (49) — qualified for INMO out of only 30 Category A qualifiers in Karnataka. CFAL produced 1 in every 10 INMO qualifiers in the state. Rishon was a Foundation Program student — Grade 10 — proving the pipeline starts early.
1 IN 10 INMO QUALIFIERS IN KARNATAKA10 students qualify RMO. Multiple National Top 1% in NSE. Two shortlisted for INAO 2026.
10 CFAL students qualified for RMO (7 PU, 3 Foundation). In the National Standard Examination, Mrinal D Bhat achieved Top 1% in three subjects (Astronomy National, Chemistry State, Physics State). Mrinal and Akshith Ram K were shortlisted for the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad 2026. Abhhi Sannayya and A Aditya Rao each achieved Top 1% in two subjects. The same students who top these Olympiads are also CFAL's JEE Main toppers.
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY NATIONAL TOP 1%Olympiads are not a side activity.
They are the reason CFAL works.
Parents often ask: "My child wants to be an engineer or a doctor. Why should they do Olympiads?" Here's the answer that 15 years of data has proven:
In 2026, all five of CFAL's top JEE Main scorers — averaging 99.91 percentile — were also Science Olympiad National Top 1% achievers. This is not coincidence. It is cause and effect.
Olympiad training builds something that coaching cannot: the ability to face a problem you've never seen before and think your way through it. JEE Advanced tests this ability. NEET's toughest questions test this ability. Life after college tests this ability every single day.
Education optimises the mind.
When you optimise the mind,
the test takes care of itself."
This is not philosophy. This is what the data shows. The students who do Olympiads at CFAL don't sacrifice JEE or NEET performance. They enhance it. The Olympiad culture is the engine. The exam results are the exhaust.
How we build Olympiad minds
This is not a weekend workshop. It is a complete ecosystem — from the Ramanujan Contest that discovers talent, to the HBCSE training camps that produce international representatives.
Where Olympiad journeys begin
CFAL's annual math contest for high school students — named after India's iconic mathematical genius. Students who participate in Ramanujan Contest go on to clear NMTC, IOQM, RMO, and beyond. This is the talent discovery mechanism — the first spark.
Research mathematicians teaching problem-solving
Prof. P N Subramanya and Dr. Srikanth Pai (adjunct professor of mathematics) have mentored every CFAL Olympiad achiever — from Aditya Prakash (IMO Brazil) to Rishon Fernandes (INMO 2025, Grade 10). Berkeley Math Circles methodology teaches students to see problems as puzzles, not exercises.
Intensive problem-solving beyond the classroom
Camp 1 (May end): during II PU break. Camp 2 (August 14-16): Independence Day weekend, NSE preparation. Camp 3 (September 14): Ganesh Chaturthi, INO preparation. Each camp is a multi-day immersion in deep problem-solving — the kind of sustained thinking that produces breakthroughs.
Mathematics · Physics · Chemistry · Biology · Astronomy · Junior Science
CFAL's Olympiad programme spans all six subjects recognised by HBCSE. Students compete in IOQM/RMO/INMO (Mathematics), NSE/INO (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy), AMC/F=ma (international), NMTC (talent search), and junior science for younger students. This breadth is why Mrinal D Bhat can achieve Top 1% in three different subjects simultaneously.
The complete pipeline from Grade 7 to the world stage
Rishon Fernandes qualified for INMO at Grade 10 — through the Foundation Programme. Aditya Prakash started at CFAL and went to CMI. Prathyush Poduval started in Grade 8 and reached IISc with a Silver Medal from Beijing. CFAL alumni have gone to ETH Zurich and UC Berkeley. The Olympiad pipeline doesn't end at a medal. It opens doors that coaching never can.
The Olympiad journey starts here
If your child loves puzzles, asks "why?" more than "what?", and isn't satisfied with textbook answers — they belong at CFAL. Campus visits every Saturday at 10 AM. Meet Dr. Srikanth Pai. See the Math Circles. Understand the pipeline.
CFAL — Centre for Advanced Learning · Akashbhavan, Mangaluru · Foundation (Gr 7-10) + PU (Gr 11-12)
