Dr. Vaidehee Thatte is a Mathematician, teacher and mentor to India’s aspiring Mathematical talent, spearheading nurturance initiatives including the national-level camps for girls that were selected to participate in the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) from India in 2025 and 2026. While recounting her own academic and personal journey, she said that “children are born brave, resilient, loving, and unbiased. Let’s keep them that way.” 

Her early passion for numbers would eventually win her international recognition, but as she shared, “you cannot Google” the stories and struggles behind her achievements. It makes such a path seem out of reach. Today, we share her inspiring journey as a testament to the potential present in every child, which can be unleashed through proper nurturance.

Her journey, which this article focuses on, was shared by Dr. Thatte as a public address at Central Square Foundation’s TARANG STEM Accelerator launch event in Delhi, held on 29 August 2025.

Early Spark: Childhood Curiosity

From a young age, Vaidehee’s world was a tapestry of music, dance, painting, acting, creative writing, chess, karate and more. Yet, with the gradual and painful realization that academic achievement—particularly in Mathematics and Science—was the only pathway to parental love and approval, she became “Sharma ji ki beti”. Her shelves overflowed with trophies at the age of just eight, but inside, she felt incredibly alone, sad and unworthy, even as she excelled on all fronts.

A turning point came when advanced Mathematics drew her in—not for recognition, but for genuine joy. She loved playing the detective with complex problems. She describes happily: “That feeling when you finally crack a problem—’I did it.’ It’s beautiful, and it’s fierce and I just love it.”

Nurturing the Potential: The Impact Mentors Make

At the age of 14, Vaidehee started training for the Mathematical Olympiad, led by Prof. M. Prakash, and something clicked. Friendship and intellectual kinship flourished – and her sense of isolation melted away. However, she recalls that not all her teachers were encouraging. She was met with ridicule from a senior number theorist when she excitedly shared her goal of eventually pursuing a Ph.D. in number theory. She underscores the importance of mentorship rooted in kindness and encouragement, juxtaposing this interaction with the seemingly casual comment from Prof. V. M. Sholapurkar, who exclaimed: “Ah, a Ph.D. in number theory? What’s the problem? No problem! Go on!”

This, she reflects, made an enduring impact: “Of course, I had no idea how much hard work would be involved in that. I was a child! The first teacher could have simply advised me to gather more information before considering it as a career path, but he chose needless negativity that could have damaged me forever. Such unconscious bias can be fought effectively with active intervention.” Successes followed, including clearing the Regional Mathematical Olympiad as one of the youngest candidates and, not long after, performing spectacularly at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Yet, deeper challenges lay ahead. During her days as an undergraduate at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bengaluru, Vaidehee was the only girl in her batch and often faced discrimination because of it, at times serious harassment by some of her own batchmates. There was instability too, in her personal life during this period due to extreme financial and familial stress. It was during this time that her probability teacher Prof. S. Ramasubramanian noticed her struggling academically and gently remarked: “I think you are consistently underperforming, possibly due to external factors. You have so much potential.”  

Dr. Thatte says: “He did not label me as a failure based on a few exams. He had empathy for a young human being. That is all I needed – not special treatment, not grand speeches – just a show of faith in my abilities. He made me want to keep trying.” With renewed determination, Vaidehee graduated at the top of her class, honoured with the S.H. Aravind Gold Medal for Outstanding Performance.

Achievements: From Adversity to Excellence

Dr. Thatte’s achievements include a PhD (in number theory) from the University of Chicago, fellowships from Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) to several postdoctoral ones, and recognition as a pioneering Indian woman Mathematician through high-impact publications, conferences, and prestigious grants awarded to her. 

Her journey was never a straight line. Trauma and self-doubt led her to come very close to giving up many times. During her doctoral studies, difficult personal circumstances caused her to cancel meetings with her advisor Prof. K. Kato, out of shame, as she felt she had not been doing her best work at the time. But his response was empathetic and healing. Rather than rushing her to produce new theorems, he introduced her to several new fascinating topics during their weekly meetings. Mathematics was her shelter, her comfort and soon she was able to refocus on her project.

Even the slightest adversity failed to deter her. Faced with systemic exclusion and aggression by a senior mathematician and disadvantaged by lack of viable resolutions, she turned to her exceptional mentor Prof. R. Newton and a small number of trusted colleagues. Their solidarity emboldened her to persevere: 

“My support network has made me strong and driven. I’m no longer afraid of huge obstacles or so-called failures. I will fight for what is rightfully mine.”

Mentorship and Advocacy: Giving Back

She is the third woman out of only six to represent India at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) during 1989 to 2025 (while her younger sister Dr. Mrudul Thatte is the fourth) —a statistic she hopes to change dramatically:

 “Clearly, this is not good. I don’t like to be that exceptional. Let’s change that!”

Dr. Thatte chose to move back to India in July 2025 to galvanise truly sustainable positive changes. Now, she is a committed mentor, guiding students towards Olympiad excellence and collaborating to expand opportunities for young women in mathematics that go well beyond competitive exams.

She practices the same compassion she experienced throughout her journey as a student, in her teaching. She tells her students, “You can ask me all sorts of questions, make many mistakes – that is precisely how we learn. I will not judge you, I will not yell at you. Excellence cannot be measured in wins and losses. Excellence is about sustained passion, dedication, and persistence.” 

Today Dr. Thatte’s message is clear: “You don’t have to be superhuman to appreciate and love mathematics. You need systemic awareness and support. With basic needs satisfied, supportive adults around them, a network of mentors and peers, the children will shine.” 

Her approach, developed through lived experience, has shaped her outreach and advocacy: “To me, being a role model is not about shiny medals or highlighting how exceptional you are. It means that you show others with concrete actions that you are there to support them and they can achieve what you have. You pave the way.”

Her commitment and mentorship only underline the fact that immense potential resides within all children and they can truly shine with the correct opportunities provided to them.

Lessons for India’s Future

Dr. Thatte’s journey is a powerful reminder that nurturing high-potential children is indispensable to the country’s development, focusing on early identification of talent, strong mentorship and community support and creation of opportunities that are inclusive. The statistics around female participation in Mathematical olympiads highlight the need for systemic change.

Dr. Thatte’s ongoing work on this front to develop the pipeline of Mathematical talent in India, developing nurturance strategies for STEM aspirants, shows the path forward—expanding enrollment, mentorship and access to resources for young girls and high-potential children. She works with like-minded organisations to enable resilience and compassion to shine through talented young people.