While parents and friends of Mahit Gadhiwala were in a celebratory mood in Gujarat’s Surat after he was declared the JEE Main 2022 state topper on Monday, he is probably unaware of his feat.
Mahit is at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai to take part in the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) hosted by Tianjin China and is in a “no communication phase”. In the JEE Main 2022, Mahit secured a 99.99 percentile and 100 percentile in Physics.
“As per the rules of the competition, he is in a blackout phase since the competition has been kicked off with the inauguration ceremony held yesterday (Sunday). Though his exam is on the 13th, he is not allowed to carry his mobile phone or communicate with anyone from outside from July 10 till July 13 at 9.30 pm. It is only after that we will be allowed to meet or speak with him. We are going to pick him up from Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai when we plan to share this news with him,” his father Rajesh Gadhiwala told The Indian Express.
The last time the family spoke to Mahit was on Sunday. “He was very anxious about his results as the JEE Main results have been delayed by days that shot up his anxiety levels,” added Mahit’s father.
The only child of dentist parents, Mahit would be the first engineer in his family. “Only his uncle is an electrical engineer who is settled in the United States,” said Rajesh.
About his preference, his father said, “It would all depend on the JEE Advanced results. Though he has already got direct admission to IISc Bangalore, his preference is to get into IIT-Bombay, Delhi or Chennai.”
Among the four students selected for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) to represent India, it is his fourth international Olympiad competition where 327 students from 83 countries are participating in the competition remotely.
A student of Scholar English Academy in Surat, his Class 12 CBSE results are awaited, and his parents said that they have never influenced his decisions and have let him choose his own career. “We have left the decision to him. It is not that he does not like Biology, in fact, he loves the subject and that is why he had both Biology and Physics in Classes 11 and 12. He always says that he wants to get into research and bring a breakthrough in science,” said Rajesh.
His inclination towards science became clear in 2019 when he was in Class 9 and got a gold medal at the International Junior Science Olympiad held in Doha. Before the current Olympiad, he represented India thrice. He got the silver medal in his second international Olympiad (Chemistry). In May this year, he was awarded the bronze medal in the Asian Physics Olympiad hosted by India.
A big Marvel fan, Mahit did not miss the new series and caught it on an OTT platform. He also became fitness-conscious after he gained weight during the coronavirus pandemic and his family said he lost 19 kg in less than a year with only exercise. From 104 kg in March last year, he is now at 84-86 kg, added his mother Premal.
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