Rarely does one come across revolutionary ideas such Anand Kumar’s Super 30, started in Patna in 2002. He is a messiah of optimism for innumerable deprived students in India, even if he doesn’t wish to be so, writes Ananya borgohain
In April 1994, a young Anand Kumar filled up an application for Cambridge University — arguably the best university in the world — to pursue his higher studies in Mathematics. After a month, the university wrote back to him, and he qualified to chase his dream there. His parents, Rajendra Prasad and Jayanti Devi, were jubilant; their joy was unparalleled and a crowd had gathered at their home in Patna to celebrate.
Prasad, a clerk at a post office, remembered wearing cotton clothes in winter while studying because that’s all he could afford and to ensure that his son does not face the brutality of winter in England, he got his only coat altered so it could fit Anand. Except Anand’s dream never came true because the family did not have the financial means to support him.
Worse, later that year, Prasad died. Not only did Anand lose his biggest dream but also his inspiration — his father, who had cultivated curiosity in him, who taught him the value of education and who never got tired of ensuring that his son could study without any hurdle. After his death, Anand took an oath that he will not wear his father’s coat until he earns the right to do so after establishing his merit.
After his Cambridge dream shattered, there also came a time in the family when the hugely talented and educated Anand decided to be a papad seller to make ends meet. There were days when he would gulp down cold water in an attempt to suppress his appetite. Although what remained consistent in these days of trauma was his zeal to not give up his love for Mathematics and set up an institute for students (which came to be known as the Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics) however excruciatingly difficult it might be initially.
Today, the same Anand has been invited to teach Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, a documentary film has been made on him by the Discovery Channel, he’s featured on the BBC, a biopic by Vikas Bahl is due, he has delivered a speech at Standford University, and Time magazine picked his institute, Super 30, as one of Asia’s best institutes (2010). In fact, Amitabh Bachchan’s character in Aarakshan was inspired by him.
Very rarely does one come across revolutionary ideas such Anand’s Super 30. Authored by Dr Biju Mathew, a consultant psychiatrist and a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia, Super 30: Changing the World 30 Students at a Time is an inspiring biography of Anand and the journey of Super 30. It is a podium of hope for the hopeless, bounty of contentment for the marginalised, channel of empowerment for the unsung, underprivileged, and this book on its success is a must-read for all, in India and around the world.
Anand is a messiah of optimism for the innumerable deprived students in this country, even if he doesn’t wish to be so. His programme, Super 30 started in Patna in 2002, selects 30 students every year and trains them for the arduous IIT-JEE entrance exam. It started when Anand once saw an aspiring IIT-JEE candidate study under a streetlight and sleep under a staircase while preparing for the exam. Today, each of his students comes from the poorest of the poor families and is mostly from the so-called lower castes.
Super 30 also sponsors their accommodation and food during the course of the programme. Almost every year at least 25 students from this institute manage to clear the tough exam and others get through to good institutions as well. In fact, in 2008, all 30 students of the programme had made it to the IITs!
Mathew’s book documents the growth of the institute, how Anand and his family manage it, how they select the students, as well as varied experiences they have had in its running whatsoever — from the sentimental to the macabre! It also includes testimonies of students who have passed out from the programme and are currently either studying in the top institutions of the country or are well placed in reputed companies.
The book also furnishes an insight into how coaching mafia and unscrupulous political musclemen have tried to bury Anand’s dreams, and while there have been dire consequences, Super 30 has only continued to soar higher with flourishing colours year after year. In fact, US President Barack Obama’s special envoy Rashad Hussain, who had also visited it, called it Asia’s best institute.
Journalist Uttam Sengupta, editor of the Patna edition of The Times of India, finds special mention in the book as one of the first people to have promoted the programme and who tried to connect Anand to other influential people who may be able to help him. Although till date, Anand does not accept funding from private enterprises as he wants to steer clear of probable controversies.
At the moment, Bihar is mired in an unfortunate controversy about the fake State toppers Ruby Rai and (allegedly) Saurabh Shrestha. While the recent events certainly censure the State and bring it under a judgmental purview, let’s not forget that it is the same State that has also given India a revolutionary educator like Anand Kumar.
A conversation with Anand Kumar
How has the coaching mafia in Bihar tried to affect Super 30IJ
I have been threatened by gangsters for a long time now. But it has lessened of late and I should thank Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for offering us security. Some years ago, I was told that a gangster was paid by a local politician and bureaucrats to intimidate me. In fact, an attempt on my life was made just outside my home in 2003. Munna, my staffer, tried to stop it and was stabbed multiple times. Hearing his screams, the students came out of their rooms to intervene. Threats have not deterred Super 30 and we will hopefully keep going strong. They can’t stop the poor from learning.
But why do they want to stop the poor from learningIJ
You may call it feudal mentality. If the poor are empowered, who will be the rich people’s servants, drivers, and so onIJ Not all rich people, but many want to feel powerful by crushing others.
Your late father never wanted to compromise on your education. He always encouraged you to be inquisitive about learning new things. You had vowed to not wear your father’s coat till you were worthy of it. So when was that moment when you wore itIJ
Actually, I have still not worn it!
Super 30’s revolutionary success surely merits you to wear it...
I wanted to study at Cambridge University but could not go even after qualifying for it because I could not arrange funding for it. Today, I am living my dream of educating the needy but I still don’t think I am worthy of it. My larger dream is to see education spreading to every corner, every village, every district in India. Until every child, especially the underprivileged lot, has access to indiscriminating, quality education, I wouldn’t say that all my dreams have come true. Keeping this in mind, we are also contemplating expansion of Super 30 to reach more regions and maybe take in at least 10-20 more students.
But you never accept private sponsorship for the institute.
No, never. Even when the biggest entrepreneurs of the country have offered financial help, we have politely declined. Though they mean well, we just want to avoid any possibility of a controversy. So Super 30 is run by whatever money we make from our other coaching institute, Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics.
Then how will you manage a major expansionIJ
Well apart from the institute, we will have to find ways of generating revenue from other sources. For example, there is an edX, a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provider, and an initiative of MIT and Harvard University, that has invited me to teach. And then if we offer online courses, not only can we generate revenue that way but also it can reach any corner of the world — from Bihar to Israel, Russia etc! Also, a biopic is being made on me by Vikas Bahl and I am hoping that will be helpful too.
What is the secret behind the entrance test to Super 30 that selects the final 30 studentsIJ
The questions are generally from the 9th and 10th NCERT syllabus, but of course, we modify or twist them so that we can discern which student has the real potential to make it, beyond the prescribed syllabus. My wife is also an IITian, so she helps us as well.
As an educator, your comment on the recent controversy about the fake toppers in BiharIJ
That’s a really unfortunate incident but I am hopeful that Bihar is being stern with such malpractices.
I hope there is strict investigation and would request the Government to strengthen its academic integrity. More importantly, I would urge teachers to focus uncompromisingly on elementary education. Bihar needs quality education right from the primary level.
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