A game of mafia and citizens - the mafia are up to some mischief at night; in the morning the citizens try to track down the culprits.

That is young scientist Debaditya Pramanik's favourite memory of the International Junior Science Olympiads (IJSO) he participated in 2013 and 2014. "It is a game that we participants play when we are not at work, a tradition handed down from over the years," he said.

This Class XI student of Birla High School has recently won a gold at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held in Indonesia from July 26 to August 4. An icing on the cake was his bagging the ABP Ananda's Sera Bengali, Kalker Sera Ajke award in the science category on Thursday.

"It felt so nice to be part of the crème de la crème young brigade. I made friends with other awardees. I think all of us can keep inspiring each other," the former student of Don Bosco, Park Circus, said. His love for science was born out of his affinity for numbers.

"Math is my first love. I like science as there is a lot of math in it. Since my childhood I find it astonishing how everything in life can be brought down to a simple mathematical structure," said the quiet teen, who also takes time to making friends.

But Debaditya is not always immersed in books, and definitely not during international meets. "We were told during the Olympiads not to study all the time but to make friends with participants from other countries. I always did that. It was so nice to make friends from all over the world, know about their culture and see a new country," said Debaditya, who still cherishes memories of Serbian participants trying to ferment orange juice and make an alcoholic drink during an experiment in Indonesia.

From participating in quizzes regularly to joining international meets, life has been rather busy for this teen since Class V. Yet he finds time to read, watch football and learn the synthesiser.

"I am a Manchester United fan. I try to watch as many football matches as possible. But if I have to study, I willingly sacrifice a match," said the Harry Potter fan who is currently preparing for other international science meets.

Debaditya has yet another feather in his cap, a black belt in karate that he earned when he was in Class VII. "I have a busy schedule but I do enjoy adda with friends. And thanks to these international meets I got to see Argentina (where IJSO-2014 was held) and Indonesia, too," he was quick to add.

Debaditya does not believe in planning too much. "I don't know where I will be headed for my higher education but I dream of researching in future, hopefully in the String Theory area," he said.

Birla High Mukta Nain said: "The best thing about Debaditya is his unassuming nature. I remember him showing us the gold medal, that he won in Indonesia, in a very matter-of-fact manner. He speaks well, is good in studies and yet so unassuming. That's what has impressed all his teachers here."