something to share......
http://in.education.yahoo.com/news/yeducareers360/road-iit-meet-anand-kumar-brain-behind-super-30-20110406 Road to IIT: Meet Anand Kumar, brain behind Super 30 Educator Anand Kumar could not attend Cambridge University due to financial constraints. Today, he coaches deserving students for IIT-JEE. - Print<http://in.education.yahoo.com/news/yeducareers360/road-iit-meet-anand-kumar-brain-behind-super-30-20110406/print> - Email<http://m2f.news.yahoo.com/mailto/?locale=in&prop=education&url=http%3A%2F%2Fin.education.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fyeducareers360%2Froad-iit-meet-anand-kumar-brain-behind-super-30-20110406&title=Road+to+IIT%3A+Meet+Anand+Kumar%2C+brain+behind+Super+30> - Tweet <http://twitter.com/share> - by Careers360 - 10 hours ago HIS father, a post office clerk in Bihar, couldn't afford private schooling for his children. So, Anand Kumar studied at a Hindi medium government school where, at an early age, he fell in love with mathematics. During graduation, he submitted papers on Numbers Theory that were published in UK's Mathematical Spectrum and The Mathematical Gazette. He was accepted by Cambridge University and was close to realising his dream of becoming a mathematician, when his father suddenly passed away. The household income dwindled and Kumar and his mother made papad, which he sold door-to-door in the evenings, while writing mathematical theories in the daytime. Then one day, a well-wisher suggested Kumar teach maths. In 1995, at the age of 22, he rented a classroom for Rs. 500 a month and started teaching. In one year's time, the strength of his classroom went from 2 to 36. Today, his study centre Ramanujan School of Mathematics is renowned, the world over. In a frank interview with Sumita Vaid Dixit, he talks (in chaste Hindi) about Indian education, revolution and his dream. *Q. Why did you start Super 30?* A. Within three years we had nearly 500 students. Although the fee was nominal - Rs. 1,500 a year - some poor students could not pay. Once, a boy came to me and said that he wanted to study but could only pay after his father, a poor farmer, had harvested potatoes. In Bihar, we call it 'aloo ukharna'. I didn't want to take away the boy's only hope of changing his life because he couldn't pay. That's when I decided that I will form a group of 30 bright students, all from poor families, provide them with board and lodging and prepare them for IIT. This group was called Super 30. My brother Pranav Kumar, a violinist by profession, manages the institute, while my mother cooks for the students. In the last seven years, 182 students out of 210 have made it to different IITs of the country. And for the last two years, all thirty students of Super 30 have made it to IIT. Parents of some students are bricklayers some work as domestic help. Now many of our students are working in Europe and the US. *Q. What is it about your teaching methods that help students get through to IIT?* A. This success is a combination of three factors. My students have junoon (passion), a fire in them to achieve. Two, our teaching approach is different. I use multimedia slides to make a little story with characters to explain maths concepts. Three, we take tests every day. Well, in a nutshell, we teach our students the how and why! That's all. *Q. But how do you run the place with the little fee you charge the other students?* A. I didn't start the place to make money. There are many coaching institutes in Patna for the rich, but none for the poor. NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) come to me with offers of help, but I wanted to prove that much can be achieved with fewer resources. *Q. Have you been able to prove that?* A. I think I have. There are far too many students coming to us, more than what we can take. And this has annoyed many coaching institutes. As you would know, many of the institutes here are run by criminals. I have received death threats one of my non-teaching staff was stabbed, once they even tried to blow me away with a crude bomb, but I escaped unhurt. I move around with two security guards armed with machines guns. *Q. Does the sight of security guards scare away children or parents?* A. (laughs) Children in Bihar are familiar with the criminal activities here. It doesn't scare them. *Q. Don't you get scared your life may be at stake?* A. I am doing this for society. Yes, mobility is restricted and I get frustrated at times, but it's okay. I get my strength from these kids. But over the past few years, the crime rate has come down and the police support me. Besides, if I get scared how will the others join me in creating a revolution? *Q. What kind of revolution?* A. Making education accessible to every poor child in India. I wish the kids I have taught, come back to their hometowns and do something for their people, their village. At times, it hurts to see that some forget about giving back to the society. But there's another kind of kranti (revolution) taking place. Earlier when a peon used to work at an IAS officer's residence, he hoped that when his own son became a peon, the officer would treat him well. Today, the peon who works at the IAS officer's house wants his son to become an IAS officer, not a peon. That's kranti! We mustn't forget the sacrifice and hardships parents go through just to make sure their children live better lives, their children go to schools. *Q. Would the HRD minister's proposals bring about a change?* -- Regards, Naveen Chander G -- ___________________________________________________________________ Welcome to Maa Vee Maa Kaa Nanbargal valai Kuzhu (Friendship Group)! This group is purely of the Youth, by the Youth and for the Youth. 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