The Abacus & Mental Arithmetic Teachers Association held its international direct (offline) open competition in Chennai on 26 and 27 September 2026. It was open to all: any centre, any level, with papers in abacus, Vedic maths, handwriting, calligraphy and drawing, and age categories for under-8s, 8 to 11 year olds and children above 11.
Three Vamika Academy students competed on the 26th, sitting the abacus paper in a hall full of children from centres across the region. They spent the morning outside the hall with their abacus and a last run-through, and then it was whistles only — one short blast to begin, one long one to stop, hands off the paper either side of it.
All three finished their papers. All three were called up on stage the same day, and all three came back to the academy carrying a trophy and wearing a medal. For children sitting their first competition away from their own classroom, that is the part worth remembering.
