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MONDAY MUSE (22 Jan '07)
Super-30!
Every year, over 2,00,000 Indian youths appear for the intensely competitive
entrance exam to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) -- the seven
prestigious schools that train India's top-notch engineers and
entrepreneurs. After the grueling test, only 5,000 students are offered a
place in the IITs. Most come from middle-class backgrounds and prepare for
the exams through private coaching. But in the past few years, a small group
of desperately poor, talented students have made it into the IITs, thanks to
the Ramanujan School of Mathematics.
The school, named after the famous Indian mathematician, is even more
intense than the IITs themselves. Located in Patna, Bihar, one of India's
least developed states; it trains just 30 students a year to take the IIT
exam. Anand Kumar, a local mathematician, and Abhayanand, Patna's deputy
director general of police and a lover of physics, founded the school in
2003 to help promising locals get ahead in the caste-based society. They
searched Bihar's least privileged communities for 30 bright students to
coach for the exam, providing free lessons and housing. They call their
group the Super 30. In the first year, 16 of the group made it into the
IITs. The next year, 22 made it.
Anand Kumar, himself, was hailed as a child prodigy and had an invitation
from Cambridge but did not have the money to go. He ran from pillar to post
for help but none came forward. He resolved to do his best to help the
talented that were throttled by poverty. He was joined by Abhayanand who
believed that "Intelligence is not birth-specific". Interestingly the
students from less-privileged backgrounds who made it to the IITs thanks to
nurturing from the now-famous Super-30 Institute, are now involved in
talent-spotting among child labourers so that can be trained and prepared
for IIT.
Through silent but significant actions, the Ramanujan School is involved in
empowering our nation by making success accessible to those with potential
by providing proactive motivation and guidance. Nations rise when citizens
take on the responsibility to change the situation. Thinking about self is
being one-dimensional; thinking about the other person is being
two-dimensional, thinking about the larger picture. of the future of our
nation is being truly multi-dimensional.
Talent is tempered with technique and temperament.
"develop new dimensions " to aid achievements
Regards
Pravin
22 January, Goa.
mobile:09422640141
