PM Modi applauds Physics Olympiad winners, cites Yuva Shakti's potential
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the five Indian students who won gold at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Colombia. The clean sweep has been hailed as a sign of India's rising strength in nurturing young scientific talent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the five-member Indian contingent that won gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, describing their achievement as a reflection of the country's immense youth potential and growing excellence in science.
In a post on social media, the Prime Minister hailed the remarkable accomplishment of Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi, who secured gold medals at one of the world's most prestigious competitions for school students in physics.
"An outstanding performance by our youngsters! Congratulations to the Indian contingent of Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi for winning Gold Medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia," the Prime Minister said.
He said the students' feat was "yet another example of the limitless potential of our Yuva Shakti and their passion towards science and research."
The Prime Minister also noted that Indian students have consistently delivered exceptional performances at international science Olympiads over the past decade, highlighting the country's growing strength in nurturing scientific talent.
"Equally commendable is the fact that in the last decade, our students have performed exceptionally well in the various editions of this platform," he added.
The Indian contingent's clean sweep of gold medals has drawn widespread praise from the scientific and academic community, with educators describing the achievement as a testament to the students' hard work, rigorous training and India's expanding ecosystem for nurturing young scientific minds.
India shared the top rank with 5 other nations, including Russia, Taiwan, North Korea, Kazakhstan and China.
INDIA'S RISING STATURE ON GLOBAL PLATFORM
According to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), the Indian students scored near-perfect marks in the theory examination and performed exceptionally well in the practical test at the 56th International Physics Olympiad.
This was India's 27th participation in the competition. Over the years, about 44 per cent of Indian participants have won gold medals, 41 per cent silver and 10 per cent bronze.
In the last decade, every Indian student representing the country has returned with a medal, with 62 per cent winning gold and 38 per cent silver. India has secured five gold medals in a single edition only twice, first in 2018 and again this year.
The Indian Olympiad programme is conducted by HBCSE, a centre under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which functions under the Department of Atomic Energy.
HBCSE oversees the entire selection process, from the national examination and Olympiad to the training camp that selects the five-member team.
This year's team was led by Professor Anwesh Mazumdar of HBCSE-TIFR and Dr Leena Joshi of St Xavier's College, Mumbai, while the scientific observers were Professor Ananda Dasgupta of IISER Kolkata and Nisha Kelkar of Gogate-Joglekar College, Ratnagiri.
The 56th International Physics Olympiad, held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, brought together some of the brightest high school students from countries across the world to compete in challenging theoretical and experimental physics examinations.
India's stellar performance further strengthens its record at the prestigious global competition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the five-member Indian contingent that won gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, describing their achievement as a reflection of the country's immense youth potential and growing excellence in science.
In a post on social media, the Prime Minister hailed the remarkable accomplishment of Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi, who secured gold medals at one of the world's most prestigious competitions for school students in physics.
"An outstanding performance by our youngsters! Congratulations to the Indian contingent of Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi for winning Gold Medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia," the Prime Minister said.
He said the students' feat was "yet another example of the limitless potential of our Yuva Shakti and their passion towards science and research."
The Prime Minister also noted that Indian students have consistently delivered exceptional performances at international science Olympiads over the past decade, highlighting the country's growing strength in nurturing scientific talent.
"Equally commendable is the fact that in the last decade, our students have performed exceptionally well in the various editions of this platform," he added.
The Indian contingent's clean sweep of gold medals has drawn widespread praise from the scientific and academic community, with educators describing the achievement as a testament to the students' hard work, rigorous training and India's expanding ecosystem for nurturing young scientific minds.
India shared the top rank with 5 other nations, including Russia, Taiwan, North Korea, Kazakhstan and China.
INDIA'S RISING STATURE ON GLOBAL PLATFORM
According to the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), the Indian students scored near-perfect marks in the theory examination and performed exceptionally well in the practical test at the 56th International Physics Olympiad.
This was India's 27th participation in the competition. Over the years, about 44 per cent of Indian participants have won gold medals, 41 per cent silver and 10 per cent bronze.
In the last decade, every Indian student representing the country has returned with a medal, with 62 per cent winning gold and 38 per cent silver. India has secured five gold medals in a single edition only twice, first in 2018 and again this year.
The Indian Olympiad programme is conducted by HBCSE, a centre under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which functions under the Department of Atomic Energy.
HBCSE oversees the entire selection process, from the national examination and Olympiad to the training camp that selects the five-member team.
This year's team was led by Professor Anwesh Mazumdar of HBCSE-TIFR and Dr Leena Joshi of St Xavier's College, Mumbai, while the scientific observers were Professor Ananda Dasgupta of IISER Kolkata and Nisha Kelkar of Gogate-Joglekar College, Ratnagiri.
The 56th International Physics Olympiad, held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, brought together some of the brightest high school students from countries across the world to compete in challenging theoretical and experimental physics examinations.
India's stellar performance further strengthens its record at the prestigious global competition.
