Math Circle Repository

Hopefully, you aren't put off by the visuals of this website. Given the purpose of this page, simple HTML suffices.

This is a visual representation (that I drew on LaTex with Tikz) of Zagier's one sentence proof of Fermat's sum of squares theorem.

Purpose

This page hopes to fill a desperate need. By the beginning of 2019, I wanted to join a math circle. This proved to be rather challenging in India for two primary reasons.

There simple arent very many math circles here,
and, the math circles that do exist often lack a good online presence.

Much like https://mathcircles.org/ does for the U.S, I've built the following list of known math circles in India from scouring the internet and some mathematics friends of mine. I sincerely hope that this list is incomplete.

What are math circles and why do they exist?

In case you stumbled onto this page and don't know the answers to the above questions, here's my attempt.

Ironically, we lack a rigorous definition for 'Math Circle.' They vary in structure from place to place, but a general structure is followed. Mathematics in high school and middle school is taught in a linear manner, where the goal is to complete a set of topics in a certain fixed period of time. In fact, at the root of all in high school and middle school curricula is the core desire to complete courses and tick boxes. We often mistake this for true learning. A math circle is an attempt at an idealized version of academic learning, where the core objective is to explore and have fun above all else. There are no tests, quizzes, or grades. There's just the simple desire to learn mathematics. More simplistically, a math circle is a gathering where one can discuss math.

There are a plethora of valuable reasons for why math circles exist. These are my two favorites.

Highschool curricula have always had problems with edge conditions. The inquisitive and mathematically oriented student can feel unmotivated and unchallenged in traditional highschool classes. While there may sometimes be an opportunity to take more advanced courses, this isn't always the case. Math circles exist to cater to these students, who have hit a glass ceiling in traditional schools.
As children, we love puzzles, and mathematics is puzzles! Yet, mathematics can sometimes be given a bad rep by the time students reach or leave highschool. If we attempt to change this at the middle school level with math circles, designed to show students the intriguing parts of the subject, a hatred/fear for mathematics will soon die out.

Math Circles in India

Here are the math circles in India. We don't claim that this list is exhaustive. If you know of a math circle not on this list, please do let me know at akashdhiraj2019@gmail.com .

ICTS Bangalore (Karnataka)
Bangalore Math Circle (Karnataka)
Cheenta (Kolkata)
CMI Math Circle (Tamil Nadu)
Loving Math Math Circle (Haryana)
TIFR Math Circle (Maharashtra)
IIT Palakkad Math Circle (Kerala)