Suborno Bari: The young maths prodigy who caught Barack Obama’s attention

At 2 years old, Suborno Isaac Bari was already doing something that would later become a defining detail of his childhood: reciting the periodic table. Mathematics was developing alongside that early fascination with science, and his parents soon realised that ordinary lessons were not quite enough to contain his curiosity. Years later, the New York student would take an accelerated route through school, skipping several grades before graduating from Malverne High School at just 12 in June 2024. By then, he had already experienced university-level classes and had been invited to lecture at colleges in India. His next step was New York University, where he planned to study mathematics and physics.Bari had also set himself an unusually early academic target, hoping to complete his undergraduate degree by spring 2026 and eventually pursue doctoral research in mathematics.Suborno Bari’s early maths skills surprised his parentsThe first signs did not come from a classroom or a competition. They appeared during ordinary lessons at home.Bari's mother, Shaheda, was teaching him basic arithmetic when he was around two. His father, Rashidul Bari, later recalled that his son's answers soon be...