Anand Kumar: The Mathematician Who Made ‘Super 30’ a Brand

Wondering what I’m talking about?

Well, in this post, I will be talking about a person who has helped (and, still helping) many poor students to get into IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) without taking any money as a fee. Isn’t it worth reading about such an inspiring person?

Yes, it is.

I couldn’t resist myself from writing this article about him after knowing who he is, and what he has done.

Okay. I should not waste the time anymore and start explaining what I’m here for, right? =)

The person I am writing about is known as Anand Kumar who has helped many poor students get into IITs without taking any fee from them.

Must Read: 17+ Successful IIT Alumni who are Making India Proud

So, who is Anand Kumar?

Here is what Wikipedia says about him, “Anand Kumar is an Indian mathematician, educationalist, and a columnist for various national and international mathematical journals and magazines.

He is best known for his program called “Super 30” which was started in 2002 in Patna, Bihar. The organization (Super 30) helps economically backward students crack ITT-JEE (Entrance for getting into IITs) free of cost.

Anand Kumar has been awarded by S. Ramanujan Award (in 2010) and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar (in Nov. 2010).

Anand Kumar with His Parents
Anand Kumar with His Parents

Early Life and Background of Anand Kumar

Anand Kumar was born on January 1, 1973, in Patna, Bihar. He could not afford to study in a private school as he belonged to a poor family. His father was a clerk who used to manage day-to-day requirements barely.

Therefore, Anand studied in a Hindi medium government school Patna High School, Patna; where he developed a deep interest in Mathematics. He had started gaining attention and popularity after submitting papers on number theory. Those papers got published in Mathematical Spectrum and The Mathematical Gazette.

Kumar was all set to go to England as he had secured admission in the Cambridge University. But, something very unfortunate happened.

His father died.

Due to his father’s death and financial condition, he could not join the Cambridge University. He even looked for sponsors in both Patna and Delhi, but, nothing really worked.

And, his dream remained a dream only.

Later on, Anand got admitted into Patna University and keep practising his Mathematics skills.

The financial condition kept going down.

He, now, started selling Papads with his mom during the evenings and started helping students in Mathematics in order to earn some money.

Super 30 - 30 out of 30 Celebration
Super 30 – 30 out of 30 Celebration

Since Patna University had no foreign journals those days, he even travelled to Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) on weekends to study some foreign books and journals.

Later on, in 1992, Anand Kumar started his own tuition institute named Ramanujan School Mathematics (RSM) and started teaching Mathematics. The year passed and his tuition class strength grew from 2 to 36 within a year and to 500 within 3 years.

This continued for several years until the Super 30 was founded by him in 2002. Anand Kumar got motivation for starting the institution Super 30 after a poor student approached him for coaching for IIT-JEE for free as the student could not afford the fees.

Learn more about Anand Kumar’s journey from the book written by him – “Super 30: Changing the World 30 Students at a Time

Buy the Book from Amazon

What is Super 30?

Super 30 is an educational institution which was started by a Mathematician named Anand Kumar in 2002 in order to provide free coaching classes to economically backward students for IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) which is one of the most prestigious institutions of India.

Must Read: What is Super 30? Everything that You Need to Know About the Super 30

Super 30 - Anand Kumar - Ramanujan School of Mathematics

So, why is the name Super 30?

Well, Anand planned to teach only 30 students per year and hence, he gave it a name as Super 30.

The institution holds an eligibility test every year in order to select perfect students who are economically backward & intelligent too. Thousands of students appear for the test out of which only 30 get selected.

All the 30 students get complete coaching for JEE, study materials and lodging for a year. His brother Pranav Kumar and mother Jayanti Devi take care of management and foods for the students.

Initially, the Super 30 had no financial support from the government or any private agencies.
Then how did he manage the expenses of this much students?

Well, remember his own coaching classes Ramanujan School of Mathematics (RSM) that I talked about earlier? Yes, he teaches many other students at RSM (which he takes money for) and provides free facilities to Super 30 students.

The Super 30 was growing fast and gaining popularity too. He started receiving financial help from the government as well the private sectors, but always refused the offer as he wanted to manage the complete expenses on his own.

He, with his team, also organize evening classes across Patna in order to create funds for the Super 30.

Here is some data from the Super 30 that will help you understand more about it:

YearNo. of Total Students AdmittedNo. of Students Cracked IIT-JEE
20023018
20043022
20053026
20063028
20073028
20083030
20093030
20103030
20113024
20123027
20133028
20143027
20153025
20163028
20173030
20183026
20193018

After 3 consecutive years of 30 out of 30 results from the Super 30, its popularity started touching skies and the institution became one of the leading institutions for IIT-JEE in India.

Must Read: How to Get Admitted into Anand Kumar’s Super 30

Milestones Achieved by Super 30 and Anand Kumar

It would take all your time if I start writing about every milestone in detail that Anand achieved. Still, here are some glimpse of the milestones:

  • Discovery Channel broadcasted a 1-hour documentary program on the Super 30 in March 2009.
  • The New York Times (One of the World’s Greatest Newspapers based in New York) wrote half a page about the Anand on June 2005.
  • Norika Fujiwara, a Japanese actress, and former Miss Japan visited Patna in order to make a documentary on Super 30 and Anand’s initiatives.
  • Not only these but, Kumar also holds a record in Limca Book of Records for his great initiative and contribution in helping economically backward students get into IITs by providing them with free coaching.
  • Anand has been invited to many places and institutions like IIMA (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad), IITs, University of British Columbia, Stanford University, Tokyo University, etc. to speak and share his experiences.

Here’s a video of Anand Kumar sharing his journey at an international event:

  • In 2010, Time magazine (American Weekly News Magazine) published a list called Best of Asia and included Super 30 in the list.
  • Not only had this but the Super 30 also received praise from United States President Barack Obama.
  • Anand received various awards including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar from Bihar govt. and S. Ramanujan Award from central govt. in 2010.
  • Newsweek Magazine later included Anand’s Super 30 into the list of 4 Most Innovative Schools in the world.
  • Anand reached on the peak when in April 2011, when the magazine Focus (European Magazine) selected him as “One of the Global Personalities who have the Ability to Shape Exceptionally Talented People”.
  • Canada based psychiatrist named Biju Mathew wrote the biography of Anand Kumar which was presented to the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, by Anand himself.
Anand Kumar Biography By Biju Mathew

Buy This Book on Amazon

  • After all, Honorable President of India, Ram Nath Kovind presented Kumar by Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award.

Controversies Related to the Anand Kumar and Super 30

Anand Kumar – a great Mathematician and a teacher – couldn’t stay away from controversies too.

In July 2018, few students accused him of using false data in order to gain popularity. Students said that it was claimed to be 26 out of 30 students have been qualified for the IIT-JEE 2018, but in reality, only 3 out of 30 have been able to get into IITs.

However, this is just an accusation and the court has nothing said about this. So, we should rather wait for the court’s decision than saying him a bad person.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yadav and the Union Cabinet Minister Shatrughan Sinha has come in support of Anand Kumar and said that “propaganda is being run in order to defame Kumar”.

Let’s see, where it goes.

Final Words

No matter what he has been accused of, but, after knowing about his struggles towards life; one must take inspiration from him.

Anand Kumar has brought a revolution among the students and showed that the money is never a problem.

If you dream with your eyes open, your dreams will certainly get completed.


Sources:

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