Anand Kumar Founder of Super 30
teacher who holds Limca Book of Records for his contribution in helping poor students crack the entrance exam of prestigious institute IIT. American president Barack Obama praised him and the man who helped Mr. Bachchan in preparing his role for film Aarakshan. The mathematician Anand Kumar, today no introduction is required to this man. In April 2011, Europe’s magazine Focus elected Anand as ‘one of the global personalities who have the ability to shape exceptionally talented people.’ Anand Kumar born in Patna, Bihar lost the opportunity to study in Cambridge University due to his father’s death and financial backdrops. But the financial conditions could not stop this mathematician from changing his fate. In 1992, Kumar began teaching mathematics. He began his own institute, the Ramanujan School of Mathematics (RSM). In beginning there were two students and within the course of 3 years there were 500 students enrolled. A poor student came to Anand seeking coaching for IIT-JEE, who couldn’t afford
Photo: Originally posted to Flickr as Anand Kumar
A
annual fees due to his poverty and this motivated Anand to start the Super 30 programme in 2002. Every year Anand hunts for 30 talented student who are from economically weak background and then he teaches them, provide study materials and lodging for a year. And he do all these without taking a single paisa from these children. And moreover he don’t accept any financial support from government as well as private agencies, he refuses donations also. He wanted to sustain Super 30 through his own effort. During 20032013, 281 students out of 330 have made it to the IITs. In the year 2008,09,10 all of the 30 students cleared the IIT-JEE examination. The efforts of Anand captured the eyes of Discovery Channel and they broadcasted a programme on Super 30. Anand Kumar is the example of an ideal teacher in today’s date where education has become a business and no more the social responsibility. MAD pages salute this unsung hero who has created a path for economically backward students to IITs.
20