Anand Kumar | |
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| Born | (1973-01-01)1 January 1973 (age 52) |
| Alma mater | |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Known for | Super 30 program |
| Spouse | Ritu Rashmi |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Pranav Kumar (brother) |
| Awards |
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| Website | Super 30 |
Anand Kumar (born 1 January 1973) is an Indian mathematicseducator, best known for hisSuper 30 program, which he started inPatna,Bihar in 2002. He is known for coaching underprivileged students forJEE–Main andJEE–Advanced, the entrance examinations for theIndian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Kumar was named inTime magazine's list ofBest of Asia 2010.[2] In 2023, he was awarded thePadma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award by theGovernment of India for his contributions in the fields of literature and education.[3]
By 2018, 422 out of 510 students had made it to the IITs andDiscovery Channel showcased his work in a documentary.[4][5][6][7][8] His life and work had been portrayed in the 2019 film,Super 30, where he was played by the well known actorHrithik Roshan.
Anand Kumar, the man behind the pioneering Super 30 initiative, has been designated as the honorary ambassador of Korean Tourism for 2024 - a recognition of the transformative impact of his work and an endeavour to foster vibrant cultural and educational exchanges between the youth of India and Korea.
Anand Kumar was born inBihar, India. His father was a clerk[9] in the postal department of India. His father could not afford private schooling for his children, and Anand attended aHindi medium government school, where he developed his deep interest in mathematics.[10][11] In his childhood, he studied at Patna High School, inPatna,Bihar. During his graduation, Kumar submitted papers onnumber theory, which were published in theMathematical Spectrum.[12] Kumar secured admission to theUniversity of Cambridge, but could not attend because of his father's death and his financial condition.[10][13][14]
In 1992, Kumar began teaching mathematics.[10][11] He rented a classroom for Rs. 300 per month, and began his own institute, theRamanujan School of Mathematics (RSM).[10][15] Within the span of year, his class grew from two students to thirty-six, and after three years almost 500 students had enrolled.[10] Then in early 2000, when a poor student came to him seeking coaching forIIT-JEE, who could not afford the annual admission fee due to poverty, Kumar was motivated to start theSuper 30 programme in 2002, for which he is now well-known.[10][14]
Since 2002, every May, the Ramanujan School of Mathematics holds a competitive test to select 30 students for the Super 30 program. Many students take the test, and eventually, thirty intelligent students from economically disadvantaged sections are selected. He tutors them, and provides study materials and lodging for a year.[10] He prepares them for theJoint Entrance Examination for theIndian Institutes of Technology (IIT). His mother, Jayanti Devi, cooks for the students, and his brother Pranav Kumar takes care of the management.[10][16]
During 2003 to 2017, 391 students out of 450 passed the IITs.[10][17] In 2010, all the students of Super 30 cleared IIT JEE entrance making it a three in a row for the institution.[18] Anand Kumar has no financial support for Super 30 from any government as well as private agencies, and manages on the tuition fee he earns from the Ramanujan Institute.[14] After the success of Super 30 and its growing popularity, he received offers from the private sector – both national and international companies – as well as the government for financial help, but he has refused it; Kumar wanted to sustain Super 30 through his own efforts.[14][16]
From 2006 to 2010, 30 out of 30 students cleared the IIT-JEE. In subsequent years, the pass rates for the 30 students at the IIT-JEE examinations were: 2011 – 24, 2012–27, 2013–28, 2014–27, 2015–25, 2016–28, 2017–30, and 2018–26.[16][19][20]
In 2019, Kumar revealed that he has been suffering fromacoustic neuroma, a rare kind of brain tumor, and has lost 80-90% of the hearing in his right ear due to it. He is under treatment of noted neurosurgeonB. K. Misra at theHinduja Hospital in Mumbai.[21]
In March 2009,Discovery Channel broadcast a one-hour-long programme on Super 30,[5][13][22] and half a page was devoted to Kumar inThe New York Times.[13] Actress and formerMiss JapanNorika Fujiwara visitedPatna to make a documentary on Kumar's initiatives.[15] Kumar has been featured in programmes by the BBC.[13] He has spoken about his experiences at various global-level institutes includingIndian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, a number ofIITs,University of British Columbia,Tokyo University andStanford University.[13][23][24] He was also inducted in theLimca Book of Records (2009) for his contribution in helping poor students pass theIIT-JEE by providing them free coaching.[25]Time magazine includedSuper 30 in the list of Best of Asia 2010.
Super 30 received praise from United States PresidentBarack Obama's special envoy,Rashad Hussain, who termed it the "best" institute in the country.[26]Newsweek Magazine has taken note of the initiative of mathematician Anand Kumar's Super 30 and included his school in the list of four most innovative schools in the world.[27] Kumar was given the top award ofBihar government, "Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar", in November 2010.[1] He was awarded theProf. Yashwantrao Kelkar Yuva Puraskar award in 2010 byAkhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) inBangalore.
In April 2011, Kumar was selected by Europe's magazineFocus as "one of the global personalities who have the ability to shape exceptionally talented people."[28] Kumar also helpedAmitabh Bachchan in preparing for his role in the filmAarakshan.[29] Many people from Bollywood including renowned directors and producers are interested in making a movie on the life of Anand Kumar.[30] He was named by UK based magazineMonocle among the list of 20 pioneering teachers of the world.[31] He was also honoured by government of British Columbia, Canada.[32] Kumar was given the Baroda Sun Life Achievement Award by Bank of Baroda in Mumbai.[33] Kumar was conferred with the Ramanujan Mathematics Award at the Eighth National Mathematics Convention at function in Rajkot.[34] He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) by Karpagam University, Coimbatore.[35] He was also awarded Maharishi Ved Vyas by Madhya Pradesh Government for extraordinary contribution in education[36] Anand Kumar was honored by ministry of education of Saxony of Germany.[37]
Kumar presented his biography to then-President of India,Pranab Mukherjee, which was written by Canada-based psychiatrist Biju Mathew.[38] Kumar was awarded "Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award" by president of IndiaRam Nath Kovind.[39] A Canadian MPMarc Dalton has praised Anand Kumar's "inspiring work" with underprivileged children as a successful model for education in Canadian parliament.[40] Anand Kumar was conferred an honorary PhD by the National Institute of Technology.[41]
In 2018, Anand Kumar was awarded Mahaveer Awards in Chennai for excellence in human endeavour in the field of Education, presented by Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation.[42]
On 8 November 2018, Anand Kumar was honoured with the Global Education Award[43] 2018 byMalabar Gold & Diamonds inDubai. His efforts in the field of education are considered "pioneering".
Anand Kumar has been felicitated in the US with "Education Excellence Award 2019 " by theFoundation For Excellence in Education (FFE) at a function inSan Jose, California.[44] Anand Kumar recently awarded with Bharat Ganit Ratna Award 2022- a special award declared by DASA India - National VO operated from Agartala Tripura on 10 March 2022, which has been handed over byAnjan Banik, National Chairman of DASA India.[45]
In 2023, he was awarded thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India for his contributions in the field of literature and education.[46]
Bollywood director Vikas Bahl has directed a film titledSuper 30, withHrithik Roshan as Anand Kumar, based on his life and works. The movie was successful at thebox office and became a great inspiration for many students.[47][48]
On 23 July 2018, an article inDainik Jagran cited former Super 30 students who said that only three students from the program had passed theIIT JEE exam that year, contrary to Kumar's claim that 26 had passed.[49] The report also claimed that students who sought to enroll in Super 30 were pushed to enroll in another coaching center called Ramanujan Classes, a for-profit institution, on the pretext that Kumar would coach them if they performed well. Furthermore, the article alleged that by asking IIT aspirants to enroll in Ramanujan Classes, Kumar made over Rs 1 crore annually.[49]
Deputy Chief Minister of BiharTejashwi Yadav spoke in favour of Anand Kumar and said that "propaganda is being run in media influenced by feudal mindset to discredit and defame Anand Kumar." Union Cabinet Minister and former actor,Shatrughan Sinha, has also spoken in Kumar's favour onTwitter.[50][51] In August 2018,The Hindu claimed that Kumar and his school are frequently the target ofsmear campaigns, and identified the potential sources of the stories in question that appeared in theDainik Jagran newspaper in July.[52][53] Dainik Jagran later awarded its ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ to Super 30 founder Anand Kumar in 2021 recognising his work in the field of education.[54][55]
But ever since the announcement of the project, it seems people are out to discredit Anand's works.
When asked who is behind all this, he quipped, "everyone knows in Patna who is he…why should I take his name?" Is he former DGP Abhyanand who was earlier associated with Super-30 for five years?, Mr. Kumar did not respond.
Media related toAnand Kumar (educationist) at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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